Groveport Madison High School senior Lauren Barnes was named a 2018 National Merit Scholarship Finalist, a
designation given to the top one percent of students nationwide.
Barnes, who hopes to major in environmental studies and eventually earn a law degree and she is excited about the opportunity to earn scholarship money to help pay for her education.
“Climate change has always been something I can’t help but pay attention to,” Barnes said. “As a kid, there was not much I could do about it. If I become an environmental lawyer, it will be my job to do something about it.”
She has already earned some college credit by taking Advanced Placement courses. She is also taking classes at Ohio State University this year through College Credits Plus.
“Lauren is hard worker and very dedicated to her studies,” GMHS Principal Jaivir Singh said. “We’re very proud of her for achieving this recognition.”
Three types of National Merit Scholarship will be announced in the spring. Every finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. About 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 230 corporations and organizations to Finalists who meet specific criteria. In addition, about 190 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,000 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards to finalists attending the sponsoring institution.
The 2018 National Merit Finalist scholarship awards will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July.
