An Adel-DeSoto-Minburn senior recently found her name listed among the first 1,000 recipients of corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarships.

Emily Pottebaum was awarded a National Merit Principal Financial Group Scholarship, awarded to dependents of Principal employees. Pottebaum, who plans to study astrophysics in college, is one of 12 Iowa students to receive merit scholarships in the first group of the 63rd National Merit Scholarship winners. Last September, she was one of around 16,000 other semifinalists from across the country, and is now one of around 7,500 scholarship recipients for 2018.

Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholars are either children or dependents of corporate employees, residents of communities the companies serve, or plan to pursue college majors or careers the sponsor wishes to encourage. The awards range from $500 to $10,000 per year, or a single payment between $2,500 and $5,000.