Sarah Handloser, a Sheridan High School senior, is among the first group of winners in the 61st annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
On April 20, 2016, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation released the names of 1,000 distinguished high school seniors who won corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards financed by about 200 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations.
Sarah M. Handloser, who plans to attend Arkansas State University and eventually attend law school, won the National Merit GAF Scholarship. GAF Materials Corp., a manufacturer of roofing products, supports awards for children of GAFMC employees, according to a news release from the National Merit Scholarship Corp.
Scholars were selected from students who advanced to the Finalist level in the National Merit Scholarship competition and met criteria of their scholarship sponsors. Corporate sponsors provide National Merit Scholarships for Finalists who are children of their employees, who are residents of communities the company serves, or who plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage.
More than 1.5 million juniors entered the 2016 National Merit Program competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Only 15,000 students were advanced to the Finalist level based on excellent qualifying PSAT scores and other criteria.
Handloser is one of three Sheridan High School students who achieved Finalist level. The other 2016 National Merit Finalists from SHS are Dylan Thomson and Nathaniel Grimes. Currently, all three
students are being considered for additional National Merit Scholarships to be announced later this year.