Officials with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation recently announced that Heritage Christian Academy’s Jacob Bottoms as a winner of one of the National Merit Scholarships.
He’s part of a distinguished group comprising more than 7,140 high school seniors who will receive scholarships for college undergraduate study worth nearly $28 million.
This year’s winners entered the competition when they took the 2021 PSAT, and last fall, more than 16,000 semifinalists were named nationally.
To compete for Merit Scholarship awards, semifinalists first had to advance to the finalist level by fulfilling additional requirements. Each Semifinalist was asked to submit a detailed application, which included writing an essay and providing information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions.
Applicants also had to have an outstanding academic record, be recommended by their high school, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirmed the qualifying test performance.
HCA officials say they are beyond proud of Bottoms and all of his achievements.
Approximately 1.5 million applicants compete for this honor each year, and only 0.5% of these become a National Merit Scholar winners. He plans to attend the University of Louisville in the fall and participate in the school’s Biology Honors Program.
