When Trevion Solberg graduated Powell High School this May, he was not only a member of the 2025 graduating class, but Powell’s first student in just under a decade to be awarded a National Merit Scholarship.

Solberg was awarded the James E. Casey Scholarship, a merit scholarship in partnership with UPS. Through this, Solberg will receive $10,000 doled out over four years while he attends Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota, where he is also receiving an honors scholarship of $16,000 a year and an additional $4,000 total for attending the school as a merit scholarship recipient. On top of that Solberg is also receiving the school’s Trustee’s Scholarship which will give him $15,000 per year.

Solberg also earned a James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship.

“The Fund helps to ease the financial burden of Teamster children and their families because of the high cost of college tuition,” said James P. Hoffa, son of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters General President Emeritus, on the scholarship website.

Crown, a private Christian college had a record 1,800 students enrolled last fall. 

“It’s going to help me, because I wouldn’t be able to pay for my schooling out of pocket,” said Solberg, who will be majoring in allied health before pursuing a master’s in speech pathology. “With that money it’s going to make it possible for me to go and get the degree that I want at the school that I want.”

Only 1% of applicants receive a monetary scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Program, said Trevion’s mom Judee.

Trevion first learned of the National Merit Scholarship around the time he was taking his PSAT, during a conversation with his mom and school counselor. 

“It's really cool. It's kind of weird just to think that I was one of them, but it's very exciting,” Solberg said.

Despite a solid PSAT score, and becoming a semi finalist he was not confident he would receive a scholarship, Solberg said. On top of that he became the first Powell High School student in eight years to receive a monetary scholarship from the National Merit Program. 

“That was pretty crazy to me, it just seems weird to think about that,” Solberg said, “But I was excited and it’s really cool.” 

The scholarship will give him a one time payment of $1,000. And, as Solberg prepares to step into college life he is looking forward to meeting new people and being in a new environment, “new possibilities are always just really interesting and exciting.”