IMSA Names 49 National Merit Semifinalists
For Immediate Release, September 2005
For comment, contact Brenda Buschbacher at
(630) 907-5033
AURORA—The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® (IMSA) recently recognized its 49 semifinalists in the 2006 National Merit® Scholarship Program. The semifinalists represent 35 communities and 40 schools throughout Illinois. Local-area recipients include: (see attached list).
More than 1.3 million seniors in more than 21,000 U.S. high schools entered the year 2006 competition by taking the qualifying exam in 2004 (their junior year). National semifinalists include less than one percent of each state's seniors.
Semifinalists from throughout the nation will now try to advance to the finalist level of the competition. Approximately 8,200 finalists eventually will receive merit scholarships for college undergraduate study. Merit scholars will be announced in the spring of 2006.
IMSA President Dr. Stephanie Pace Marshall noted that credit for the students' achievements should be shared. "Their outstanding performance is a tribute to the students themselves, as well as their families, home schools, and IMSA faculty and staff," she said.
The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® is an internationally-recognized pioneering educational institution created by the State of Illinois to develop talent and leadership in mathematics, science and technology. IMSA's advanced residential college preparatory program enrolls 650 academically talented Illinois students in grades 10-12. Nearly 19,000 teachers and 43,000 students in Illinois and beyond have benefited from IMSA's professional development and student enrichment programs. Located in Aurora in the high-tech corridor west of Chicago, IMSA serves the people of Illinois through innovative instructional programs, public and private partnerships, policy counsel, action research, and the leadership and achievements of its graduates.
IMSA's Semifinalists in the 2006 National Merit® Scholarship Program
| Last name | First name | Hometown | School | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kapicka | Alexandra | Arlington Heights | Buffalo Grove High School | 2006 |
| Krock | Rebecca | Arlington Heights | Rolling Meadows High School | 2006 |
| Cheng | Yishan | Aurora | Still Middle School | 2006 |
| Tan | Yi-Meng | Aurora | Waubonsie Valley High School | 2006 |
| Bayer | Chelsey | Bartlett | Tefft Middle School | 2006 |
| He | Yifeng (Kevin) | Bloomingdale | Lake Park High School | 2006 |
| Bekker | Jonathon | Bloomington | Bloomington High School | 2006 |
| Bragg | Jonathan | Bolingbrook | Bolingbrook High School | 2006 |
| Li | Sylvia | Chicago | Whitney Young High School | 2006 |
| Song | Charles | Chicago | Whitney Young High School | 2006 |
| Mikulka | Michael | Crystal Lake | Hannah Beardsley Middle School | 2005 |
| Grunberg | David | Deerfield | Quest Academy | 2006 |
| Pan | William | DeKalb | DeKalb High School | 2006 |
| Chang | Grady | Elmhurst | York Comm High School | 2006 |
| Roberts | Kaleigh | Fairview | Heights Belleville High School East | 2006 |
| Edes | Jason | Geneva | Jones Academic Magnet High School | 2006 |
| Scudder | Samantha | Geneva | Geneva Community High School | 2006 |
| Townsend | Jennifer | Hebron | Alden-Hebron High School | 2006 |
| Chen | Jason | Hoffman Estates | William Fremd High School | 2006 |
| Chen | William | Hoffman Estates | William Fremd High School | 2006 |
| Banjavcic | Lindsey | Huntley | Huntley High School | 2006 |
| Joachim | Elizabeth | Joliet | Joliet West High School | 2006 |
| Kang | Jennifer | Lake In the Hills | Huntley High School | 2006 |
| Hill | Jamison | Libertyville | Highland Middle School | 2006 |
| Ye | Ying | Lincolnshire | Glenside Middle School | 2005 |
| Cheng | Nathan | Lisle | Naperville North High School | 2006 |
| Linwong | Natnari | Mt. Vernon | Mt. Vernon Twp. High School | 2006 |
| Chen | Mi (Amy) | Naperville | Neuqua Valley High School | 2006 |
| Kuo | Michael | Naperville | Neuqua Valley High School | 2006 |
| Kwei | Shang-Pin | Naperville | San Marino High School | 2006 |
| Shih | Rae | Naperville | Naperville Central High School | 2006 |
| Shrivastav | Pooja | Naperville | Naperville Central High School | 2006 |
| Shyu | Ester | Naperville | Naperville North High School | 2006 |
| Tao | Terry | Naperville | Scullen Middle School | 2006 |
| Wang | Yingjia | Naperville | Naperville Central High School | 2006 |
| Lim | Kyung-gun | Niles | Maine East High School | 2006 |
| Ievins | Aiva | North Riverside | Riverside Brookfield Twp. HS | 2006 |
| Cladek | Laura | Oak Brook | Timothy Christian High School | 2006 |
| Nayak | Rajeev | Oak Brook | Avery Coonley School | 2006 |
| Campanella | Erica | Oswego | John Bednarcik Junior High | 2006 |
| Jensen | Dana | Riverside | Riverside Brookfield Twp. HS | 2006 |
| Kidd | Jason | Springfield | Springfield High School | 2006 |
| Zager | Scott | St Charles | Haines Middle School | 2006 |
| Zhang | Spencer | Vernon Hills | Adlai E Stevenson High School | 2006 |
| Kenealy | John | Warrenville | St. Francis High School | 2006 |
| Sproston | Eric | Waterman | Indian Creek High School | 2006 |
| Swartz | Jenna | Wellington | Milford High School | 2006 |
| Mascarinas | Windel | Westchester | St. Joseph High School | 2006 |
| Allen | Elisabeth | Wheaton | Wheaton Christian Grammar School | 2006 |