Merit Scholars named

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jul 18, 2007 by LaKase Perry

By LaKase Perry

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Paying for college just became easier for two Topekans who recently learned they had won college-funded National Merit Scholarships.

Topeka High School graduate Stephanie Atwood and Cair Paravel- Latin School graduate Anna Waldy dedicated their high school careers to achievement and are now recipients of $2,500 National Merit Scholarships.

Waldy, the daughter of James and Tami Waldy, was Cair Paravel's valedictorian but said she didn't anticipate being chosen as a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship competition.

"I was surprised when I found out I was a finalist, but I was happy," she said.

Waldy's scholarship is funded by Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich., where she plans to study English. She said she decided on Hillsdale because it reminded her of the close-knit feeling Cair Paravel produced.

"In December I started looking at all of their programs and I liked it," she said. "It's classical like my school, and they have a lot of similar programs."

At Cair Paravel, Waldy said, her course load was difficult but didn't differ much from what her classmates undertook.

Atwood, daughter of Michael and Jennie Atwood, also kept busy in school with a course load that included AP statistics, Spanish 5, AP literature and composition, and AP calculus. She was a member of the debate and forensics teams and earned a spot on The Topeka Capital- Journal's 2007 All-State Academic team with a 4.66 weighted grade- point average.

Learning she had won the National Merit W. Harold Otto Scholarship, funded by The University of Kansas, will give Atwood a much-needed moment to relax until she begins school at KU.

"I was excited and relieved because I knew I would get more money for college and it would make getting into college much easier," she said.

Now that she no longer has books to dive into for the time being, Atwood has been giving swimming lessons to children at her family's pool and serves as a nanny.

"This is the first summer I haven't taken a college class, so I feel kind of lazy," she said.

Atwood said she plans a career in law.

The National Merit Scholarship Corp. on Monday released the names of students who had earned university-sponsored scholarships.

The semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship were announced in September 2006 with 16,000 students named. Semifinalists had to submit a detailed scholarship application, have an outstanding academic record, be recommended by a school official, earn SAT scores confirming the qualifying test performance, and write an essay describing activities, interests and goals. Of the 15,000 semifinalists that earned finalist standing, more than half were chosen as award winners.

LaKase Perry can be reached

at (785) 295-1260

or lakase.perry@cjonline.com