Anna Ji, senior, was one of the four Rockwood students to receive the National Merit Scholarship. She was selected out of approximately 1.5 million juniors from 22,000 high schools across the nation.

Semi-finalists were chosen after the juniors took the Preliminary SAT. These semi-finalists were the highest scoring students in each state and represent less than one percent of a state’s seniors.

Ji’s 4.4 GPA, 33 ACT score, and 2160 SAT score make her a worthy choice for the scholarship. She will receive $3,000 per year to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign.

“I’m really excited about it because of the scholarship money because it will help for college,” Ji said.

High school for Ji was more work than play. She is currently enrolled in AP Environmental Science, AP Psych, AP Calculus, AP Literature, AP Spanish V and plays the violin in Symphonic Orchestra.

Ji said she is currently debating whether or not to audition for the orchestra at Illinois, but she definitely knows she wants to pursue a science related career. Ji has a specific interest in studying biology.

In order to win this prestigious recognition and scholarship, Ji said she prepared a lot for the PSAT, spent lots of time studying, and paid close attention in class. However, she still found time to hang out with friends and play the violin.

By the end of the National Merit Program, 8,300 students were selected to receive the “Merit Scholar” title and receive in total $35 million in scholarship money provided by various corporations, company foundations, and other business organizations.

“I am honored to be recognized by National Merit,” Ji said.