Portage High School senior Evan Gerike has been named a Commended Student in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. Commended Students place among the top 50,000 students of the 1.6 million in the country who took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Gerike is the president of the high school’s Student Council, a member of the boys baseball team, captain of the boys tennis team, the online editor of the student newspaper, a public relations intern for Portage Township Schools, and a member of the school’s National Honor Society.
Gerike said receiving this national distinction has been exciting.
“It’s a huge honor, and it might even help me receive other scholarships,” Gerike said. “There’s only 50,000 people who get it our of 1.6 million who take the PSAT, so to know that I scored that well means a lot to me.”
Portage High School principal Max Gill noted Gerike’s achievements both inside and outside of the classroom.
“I am very proud of Evan and his many accomplishments at PHS,” Gill said. “He is a great student who is involved in many things outside of his studies.”
While Gerike is currently considering colleges, he intends to major in either sports media, public relations, or marketing.