Officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) today announced the names of 2,500 distinguished high school seniors who have won National Merit $2500 Scholarships.
These Merit Scholar designees were chosen from a talent pool of approximately 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2006 National Merit Scholarship Program.
From Perham, Sarah Guck was awarded one of the finalist scholarships. She is considering a career in International Relations.
All Finalists competed for the National Merit $2500 Scholarships. Winners, selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, are the Finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.
NMSC is financing most of the single-payment National Merit $2500 Scholarships with its own funds. Companies and businesses that support sponsored awards through NMSC, help underwrite these scholarships with grants they provide in lieu of administrative fees.
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Scholar selection was based on committee members appraisal of a substantial amount of information submitted by Finalists and their schools. Evaluated were each Finalists academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay describing interests and goals; and the recommendation written by a high school official. The number of winners named in a state is in proportion to the states percentage of the national total of graduating high school seniors.
