Gavin Rittgers, a student at Spring Hill High School, and Skye Veil, a student at Dutch Fork High School, were awarded this year’s National Merit Corporate-Sponsored scholarships.

Gavin received the Snap-On Incorporated Scholarship, while Skye received the Hubbell Foundation Scholarship. These scholarships are financed by 124 corporations, company foundations and business organizations.

The corporate sponsors provide these scholarships to finalists who are children of their employees, those who are residents of the community the company serves and those who plan to pursue college majors or careers in the sponsors' fields. 

To advance to the final round, semifinalists and a high school official must submit a scholarship application which includes the student’s academic record, participation in school and community activities, leadership abilities, employment history, and honors and awards received. 

Semi-finalists must also be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay and submit SAT or ACT scores.

Scholars were selected from applicants who advanced to the final level in the competition and met the criteria of their scholarship sponsors. Most of these awards last for up to four years of college for undergraduates and provide annual stipends that range from $1,000 to $10,000. 

Over 1.3 million juniors in the United States entered the scholarship program by partaking in the 2023 preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Last year, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation awarded scholarships to 7,600 qualified students, which were valued at more than $33 million. 

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation, established in 1955, honors talented young Americans and encourages them to develop their abilities to the fullest.

In 1996, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation had 58,158 student entrants, and 10,388 high schools participated. In 2015, 1,477,188 students participated in the program, and 22,207 high schools participated. 

More National Merit Scholarship awards will be announced on May 7, June 4 and July 14.