Two local students named National Merit Scholars

Two local students received national scholarships for their academic performance in high school.

Rebecca Hinkle and Thomas Kirkpatrick received National Merit Scholarships for their upcoming freshman year of college.

Hinkle, a senior at Elizabethtown High School, received a scholarship from the National Merit organization itself, while Kirkpatrick, a homeschooled student from Eastview, received a college-sponsored Merit scholarship.

Students become semifinalists for the award through their PSAT test scores. They then submit an application that includes a resume and an essay to move to the finalist round. Candidates are then further whittled down to scholarship winners.

Students can receive a Merit scholarship sponsored by the National Merit organization, corporations or colleges and universities.

Hinkle received $2,500 to apply to her freshman year.

“I was definitely happy about it,” she said.

Hinkle plans to study at Purdue University in Indiana where she wants to study engineering. She’s leaning towards civil engineering, because the building aspect interests, her, she said.

Kirkpatrick is receiving a full scholarship from the University of Kentucky. College-sponsored Merit awards can range from $500 to $2,000 annually for up to four years.

Kirkpatrick said he felt “quite a bit of relief” when he learned he’d received the scholarship. It’s nice to know he has money for school, he said.

Kirkpatrick is planning on studying electrical engineering at UK.

More college-sponsored scholarships will be announced July 9, according to a National Merit news release.

Kelly Cantrall can be reached at (270) 505-1747 or kcantrall@thenewsenterprise.com.