Evanston, Illinois - Alexis Smith, a 2015 graduate of Dexter High School, has been selected as one of this year's National Merit Scholarship recipients.  Smith is the daughter of Gabe and Brooke Smith of Dexter and will pursue a career in medicine.

National Merit $2,500 Scholarship winners are chosen from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists in 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.  The number of winners named in each state is proportional to the state's percentage of the nation's graduating high school seniors.

The scholars were selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors, who appraised a substantial amount of information submitted by both the finalists and their high schools: the academic record, including difficulty level of subjects studied and grades earned; scores from two standardized tests; contributions and leadership in school and community activities; an essay written by the Finalist; and a recommendation written by a high school official.

By the conclusion of this year's competition, about 7,600 academic champions will have won National Merit Scholarships worth approximately $34 million.