North Penn High School Seniors Irene Chung and Jacob Yin have been selected as winners of corporate scholarships in the National Merit Scholarship program. Irene Chung has been selected a winner of the National Merit Calmer L Johnson/John W. Leslie ITW Scholarship sponsored by the Illinois Tool Works Foundation. Jacob Yin has been selected as a winner of the National Merit - The PwC Charitable Foundation Scholarship sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers Charitable Foundation.
Established in 1955, the National Merit Scholarship program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships. Approximately 1.5 million high school students enter the program each year. This year, approximately 840 high school seniors won corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards financed by 107 corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations. Awards given by National Merit and college-sponsored scholarships will be announced in the coming months. By the conclusion of the competition, more than 7,140 academic champions will have won scholarships worth approximately $28 million.
To qualify for a National Merit Scholarship, students begin by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), a standardized test administered by the College Board designed to measure college readiness. Of the 1.5 million students who take the test, approximately 15,000 students will qualify as Semifinalists for the Merit Scholarship. Approximately half of the Semifinalists will receive a scholarship award.
The North Penn School District would like to congratulate Irene Chung and Jacob Yin for achieving this prestigious award and being among the top scholars in the country.