PEHS senior earns $2,500 National Merit Scholarship

    Plainfield – Plainfield East High School senior Laine Cibulskis has won a 2022 National Merit Scholarship Award.

Cibulskis is among about 2,500 students nationwide to win a $2,500 National Merit Scholarship, underwritten directly by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

She was chosen from about 15,000 finalists nationwide.

District 202’s finalists announced in March also included PEHS seniors Catherine L. Brenmark, Matthew P. Manzella, and Anna Murray; from Plainfield North High School Samantha H. Bowser, Isabela J. Person, Jacob J. Seiden, and Ethan K. Witek; and from Plainfield High School-Central Campus Simon R. Snydersmith.

National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are the Finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and the potential for success in rigorous college studies, according to the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

The number of winners in each state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors.

These exceptional students were chosen by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors based on their academic records, scores from standardized tests, contributions to and leadership in school and community activities. Finalists also had to write an essay and submit a recommendation from a high school official.

About 220 corporations and businesses will also give about 1,000 corporate-sponsored scholarships to finalists who meet those organizations’ criteria.

Likewise, about 180 colleges and universities are expected to finance about 4,000 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists attending their sponsoring institution.

Those scholarships will be announced in June and July.

The 2022 Merit Scholarship winners join more than 362,000 other distinguished students who have earned the title of National Merit Scholar.

The 2021-2022 school year is the 67^th year of the prestigious program, which honors academically talented high school seniors. By the end of this year’s competition, about 7,500 academic champions will have won various National Merit program scholarships worth about $28 million.