Walker High School 2026 graduate Collin Sprouse has been named a 2026 National Merit Scholar, an elite honor bestowed on only 6,700 students nationwide.
Sprouse received word last fall that he had been named one of 16,000 semifinalists in the 71st annual National Merit Scholarship Program.
"A much-earned congratulations goes out to Collin, his parents, and his academic counseling team at Walker High School for staying the course for this award. This is quite an honor to be celebrated," Superintendent Jody Purvis said.
Other accolades Sprouse earned his senior year include being named the Walker High School Student of the Year, an Advanced Placement Scholar with Distinction, a member of WAFB's Best of Class, captain of the Walker High boys soccer team, and a finalist for the Louisiana Soccer Association's 2026 Young Referee of the Year.
Sprouse said he aspires to study biology and nursing in college to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. He said he gained a passion for working in healthcare after founding KidCreations, a volunteer service organization that assembles and delivers activity bags to pediatric patients.
Sprouse graduated with a 4.2 GPA and a composite ACT score of 35. He accumulated 58 college credit hours through Walker High School's dual enrollment and AP courses, giving him a significant head start on his college studies.
The National Merit program is highly competitive, beginning with more than 1.3 million high school juniors nationwide. This year's scholars took the 2024 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than 1 percent of U.S. high school seniors, included the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
The field was narrowed to the top 1 percent from each state, resulting in approximately 16,000 semifinalists. From there, 15,000 finalists were selected, with fewer than half ultimately being named National Merit Scholars.
To become a finalist, the semifinalist and a high school official had to submit a detailed scholarship application providing information about the student's academic record, participation in school and community activities, demonstrated leadership abilities, employment, and honors and awards received. The student had to maintain an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, write an essay, and earn SAT or ACT scores that confirmed the student's earlier performance on the qualifying test.
For more information on the National Merit Scholarship Program, including eligibility requirements, visit www.nationalmerit.org.
