Suburban students receive National Merit Scholarships

Sixteen students from DuPage, Kane and McHenry counties are among more than 800 additional winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by colleges and universities.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation Monday announced the latest batch of Merit Scholars who join roughly 3,000 other college-sponsored award recipients named in June.

Officials at each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among 15,000 finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. College-sponsored awards provide between $500 and $2,000 yearly for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship. This year, 176 colleges and universities are sponsoring more than 3,800 Merit Scholarship awards. Among the recipients and the colleges they plan to attend are:

• Madeline Bessemer of Carpentersville, Jacobs High School, Algonquin. Arizona State University.

• Sophie Baillargeon of Downers Grove, North High School, Downers Grove. Vanderbilt University.

• Alexander Maiorella of Geneva, Geneva Community High School, Geneva. University of Chicago.

• Leo O'Malley of Glen Ellyn, home-schooled. Wheaton College.

• Michael Gupta of Hinsdale, St. Ignatius College Preparatory School. Vanderbilt University.

• Ian Sokolowski of Hinsdale, Hinsdale Central High School, Hinsdale. Fordham University.

• Alexander Zebutis of Lisle, Timothy Christian High School, Elmhurst. Wheaton College.

• Erich Remiker of Lombard, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Aurora. Vanderbilt University.

• Eva Chen of Naperville, Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville. University of Minnesota.

• Kevin Corrigan of Naperville, Benet Academy, Lisle. Santa Clara University.

• Evan Novak of Naperville, Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville. Purdue University.

• Kyle Parker of Naperville, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Aurora. Case Western Reserve University.

• Akash Pulluru of Naperville, Neuqua Valley High School, Naperville. Indiana University.

• Catherine Prendergast of St. Charles, St. Charles North High School, St. Charles. Arizona State University.

• Patrick Bomher of Wheaton, Wheaton North High School, Wheaton. Northwestern University.

• Elizabeth Bray of Wheaton, Wheaton-Warrenville South High School, Wheaton. Purdue University.