The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced their 2013 Merit Scholar designees and $2,500 scholarship award-winners on Monday, including a Darien resident and two other Hinsdale South students.
Among the awardees were:
- Justin Jinwoo Lee, of Burr Ridge, a Hinsdale South senior, probable career field computer engineering.
- Yee-Sean E. Yong, of Darien, a Hinsdale South senior, probable career field classics.
- Lia R. Benes, of Willowbrook, a Hinsdale South senior, probable career field anesthesiology.
According to an NMSC press release, the winners are the finalists who are determined “to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies,” based on an appraisal of academic records, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, a recommendation and a finalist’s own essays.
About 8,000 students nationwide earned the award, including 108 from Illinois
The total scholarship money awarded is over $35 million, the release said, with most “underwritten by approximately 440 independent corporate and college sponsors that share NMSC’s goals of honoring scholastically talented youth and encouraging academic excellence at all levels of education.”