Parker School senior Carrie Hiller has advanced as a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program. As 1 of 15,000 finalists, Hiller represents less than one percent of the top high school seniors nationwide.
More than 1.5 million students entered the Merit Program as juniors by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. In September, Hiller was notified that she was a national semi-finalist. Two fellow classmates, Savannah Harriman-Pote and Keaton Farrell, were also honored in the fall as National Merit commended students. High scorers were designated as finalists by scoring in the top one-half of 1 percent among students taking the PSAT.
Hiller will continue to compete for some 7,400 National Merit Scholarships that will be announced this spring. Awards range from a $2,500 lump sum scholarship, to corporate-sponsored and college-sponsored scholarships. In the last five years, eight Parker students have earned National Merit Finalists honors.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955. Its scholarships are underwritten by its own funds and approximately 500 business organizations and higher education institutions.