The National Merit Scholarship program recently released the last of this year’s scholarship award winners, and a student from Adel was among those named.

Sydney Gates, a student from Adel attending Van Meter High School, was one of 11 students from Iowa who received a school-sponsored scholarship. The last round of winners brings the total number of 2017 National Merit Scholars to more than 7,500 students across the country. Gates received the National Merit University of Minnesota scholarship. She plans on majoring in mathematics. She started as one of 1.6 million students who applied for the program. The number was then whittled down to 16,000. The 7,500 finalists received scholarships totalling more than $32 million.

This is the 62nd year of the National Merit Scholarship program. The awards range from $500 to $10,000 per year, or a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000.