BPS seniors are finalists for National Merit Scholarship

Published on Feb 18, 2025
photos of Arthur Colvin, Emily Kwon, Ben Wadzinski and Owen Woods

Four Bloomington Public Schools high school seniors are finalists in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program: Arthur Colvin and Emily Kwon (Kennedy) and Ben Wadzinski and Owen Woods (Jefferson). Each finalist receives a certificate of merit and is a candidate for a merit scholarship to be awarded this spring.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships. Finalists selected as a National Merit Scholar will be awarded one of the more than 6,800 scholarships worth a combined total of nearly $26 million. National Merit Scholars are selected based on students’ skills, accomplishments and potential for success in college.

Qualifications for the 2025 National Merit Program include keeping an outstanding academic record throughout high school and taking the preliminary SAT (PSAT), which serves as an initial screening of the more than 1.3 million students who entered. BPS offers all juniors the opportunity to take the PSAT during the school day; nearly 200 BPS students take the PSAT each fall.