Celebrating these 2022 Merit Scholars
By Olivia Johnson
This year there were 2,500 National Merit Scholars. Among them were 14 students from Washtenaw County.
Announced on May 10, each award winner earns $2,500 in scholarship money.
So, what were the stipulations to win this award?
High School students are judged by their academic performance, state testing and skills that will assist them in their college endeavors.
College committee officers and a variety of high school counselors, diligently look at the academic performance of each student as well as their perseverance in difficult classes, community service, Pre SAT scores and a written essay.
According to the NMSC Mission Statement:
“The mission of National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) is to recognize and honor the academically talented students of the United States. NMSC accomplishes its mission by conducting nationwide academic scholarship programs. The enduring goals of NMSC’s scholarship programs are:
- To promote a wider and deeper respect for learning in general and for exceptionally talented individuals in particular
- To shine a spotlight on brilliant students and encourage the pursuit of academic excellence at all levels of education
- To stimulate increased support from individuals and organizations that wish to sponsor scholarships for outstanding scholastic talent”
Sabeen Malik, a senior at Greenhill’s School in Ann Arbor Michigan is a recipient of this year’s National Merit award Scholarship.
She chose to write her essay on her Pakistani heritage and how her father attending college in Italy has influenced her. Both cultures are important to her, this is made evident in her paper; which was monumental in her winning the scholarship.
“Receiving this scholarship has shown me that my hard work does really pay off. I worked hard in school to get the grades that I did, and all that hard work came to fruition through this scholarship”, said Malik.
Sabeen will be attending the University of Michigan and will be majoring in MCDB (molecular, cellular and developmental biology) on a pre-med track.
Julian C. Toogood, another senior at Greenhill’s School, wrote his essay on stargazing and will be dual majoring in engineering and production at the University of Michigan this Fall of 2022.
Washtenaw County also saw students from Community High School, Huron High School, Pioneer High School and Saline High School as recipients for this award.
On June 1st and going through July 11, another 4000 students will also be awarded scholarships.
