The National Society of Collegiate Scholars, an interdisciplinary honors organization, has recently awarded sophomore Miyeko Inafuku its Merit Award Scholarship for $1,000.

Inafuku is from Hawaii and is majoring in journalism studies.

This scholarship will help alleviate some of the pressures of worrying about paying for college as well as just being a blessing during this economic crunch time, Inafuku said.

“[It was] great to get recognition for the things I’ve accomplished,” she said.

Membership to the NSCS is by invitation only and is decided by class standing as well as grade point average, according to NSCS spokeswoman Janine Deegan.

The Merit Award is given to 50 NSCS members at the beginning of each school year and students must go through an application process to be considered for the award. There are currently 650,000 students holding membership in this society nationwide.

The NSCS gives out roughly $250,000 in scholarships each year, not counting scholarships from outside investors like Microsoft or Geico, Deegan.

Inafuku stood out among the other applications for the Merit Award Scholarship. She says that the money will go towards tuition, books and other miscellaneous items.