October 2, 2024 -- Downers Grove, Ill. -- District 99 announces that 59 students have received recognition in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSP). The program recognizes high school seniors who have excelled in academics and have the potential to succeed in rigorous college studies.
The District 99 students receiving the National Hispanic Recognition Award include:
- Grace Avila, North High
- John Foley, South High
- James Barrios, North High
- Kevin Hernandez, South High
- Isaac Binek, North High
- Logan Kavanaugh, South High
- Brooke Burkhart, North High
- Anthony Lopez, South High
- Marc Contreras, North High
- Oscar Nataren, South High
- Cristina Fialek, North High
- Diana Nava Acevedo, South High
- August Garcia, North High
- Isabel Okuku, South High
- Julia Green, North High
- Jack Sifuentes, South High
- Joaquin Orellana, North High
- Kimberly Torres, South High
- Julian Ugalde, South High
- Sierra Soto, North High
- Daniel Umana, North High
- Wisin Rojas, North High
The District 99 students receiving the National African American Recognition Award include:
- Temiloluwa Ajayi, North High
- Kamryn Gillespie, South High
- Isabel Okuku, South High
The District 99 students receiving the National Indigenous Recognition Award include:
- Kathryn Ponstein, South High
- Jack Sifuentes, South High
The District 99 students receiving the National First-Generation Recognition Award include:
- August Garcia, North High
- John Foley, South High
- Om Rana. North High
- Anthony Lopez, South High
- Wisin Rojas, North High
- Oscar Nataren, South High
- Diana Nava Acevedo, South High
- Michael Wood, North High
- Hunter Tancredi, South High
- Julian Ugalde, South High
- Al Zoerb, South High
The District 99 National Merit Semifinalists include:
- Syed Ahmad, North High
- Gabriel Deaton, North High
- Maya Engel, North High
- Carly Ermitage, North High
- Varun Ganesh, North High
- William Mielke. North High
- Melody Parker, North High
- Ryan Pawlik, North High
- Meaghan Wernett, North High
- Zander Yee, North High
- Zevian Davis, South High
- Alessio LoBello, South High
- Sakthi Rajeshkumar, South High
- Al Zoerb, South High
The District 99 National Merit Commended students include:
- Rohan Chaudhari, North High
- Juliana Conyer, South High
- Claire Foster, North High
- Troy Edie, South High
- Keya Gupta, North High
- Anna Maggos, South High
- Nolan Hurter, North High
- William Neumann, South High
- Leela Divya Khuntia, North High
- Sophia Pauna, South High
- Carsten Lange, North High
- Sydney Stapleton, South High
- Caleb McCloud, North High
- Nathaniel Moawad, North High
- Sydney Moss, North High
- Nicholas Ochedzan, North High
- Meghan Southworth, North High
“Recognition from the College Board’s national recognition program is a significant achievement. We honor these students for their dedication to their studies and commitment to education,” said Dr. Courtney DeMent, principal of North High.
These students exemplify the pillars of excellence and consistently demonstrate their willingness to persevere and grow. We know they will continue to excel in life after high school,” said Arwen Lyp, principal of South High.
Students entered the National Merit Scholarship Program, a nationwide competition for recognition and awards conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation, by taking the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) offered in October 2023 and January 2024. National Merit Semifinalist students will join approximately 16,000 seniors from across the country, representing the top one percent, and will compete for scholarships.
For more information about the National Merit Scholarship Program, please visit www.nationalmerit.org.