“I am very thankful to receive (this) scholarship,” he said. “I would like to especially thank my guidance counselor Alicia Kidder. She is excellent at her job and has been extremely kind and helpful to me.”
Along with being a National Merit Scholar finalist, Fitzgerald’s other extracurricular activities and community involvements included: Salutatorian for the Class of 2023; graduated with a 4.29-GPA; member of the National Honor Society; participated in cross country in 9-11 grades; member of the band in 9-11 grades, stage crew for the Little Mermaid and performed in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; and been on several domestic missions trips including Green Bay and Pittsburgh to refurbish houses.
“Chance has worked so hard throughout his high school career, and we are very proud of his accomplishments,” Kidder, dean of pupil services, said.
An official at the University of Oregon chose Fitzgerald as a scholarship winner since he was one of the finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. He will received between $500 and $2,000 each year for up to four years of undergraduate studies.
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced 750 additional winners of National Merit Scholarships financed by colleges and universities, joining more than 3,000 other college-sponsored award recipients who were announced last month.
This year, 153 colleges and universities are sponsoring more than 3,800 Merit Scholarship awards, and the sponsor colleges include 81 private and 72 public institutions located in 42 states and the District of Columbia.
This is the final group of winners, bringing the total number of 2023 National Merit Scholars to more than 7,140 who will receive scholarships for undergraduate worth a total of nearly $28 million.
This year’s competition began when high school juniors took the 2021 preliminary SAT/NMS Qualifying Test. In September 2022, more than 16,000 semifinalists were named. Semifinalists then had to complete a detailed scholarship application and take the SAT or ACT to become a finalist. Over 15,000 were named finalists, and about half were chosen to received a National Merit Scholarship, with some chosen to receive this college-sponsored scholarship.
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