Last month the candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program were announced, and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools can claim 16 students in the general category, as well as Nadiya Farrington as the only CTE (Career and Technical Education) Scholars candidate for a total of 17 students. In 2017, the district produced six candidates, and in 2016, nine candidates progressed to the semi-final round, with Jay Pande from East Chapel Hill High winning one of the two North Carolina awards that year. This year, only Wake County has more candidates in the running from our state.
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program of the Department of Education was established by executive order of the President in 1964, with a mission of honoring some of the country’s highest achieving high school seniors. The program expanded in 1979 to include a category for students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the arts, and in 2015, a further expansion recognized students who demonstrate strong ability and accomplishment in CTE fields. As many as 161 students are named Presidential Scholars each year.
The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.
The candidates from Carrboro High are:
Jackson Asaro
Benjamin Gerhardt
Andre Javan
Jonathan Moul
Arjun Shankar
From Chapel Hill High, the candidates are:
Anne Crabill
Douglas Heine
Jerry Ji
Maggie Weber
Nadiya Farrington (CTE)
And East Chapel Hill High’s candidates are:
Natalie Troy
Mian Qin
Yixuan Cao
Matthew Dai
Vincent Du
Martin Hito
Alexander Hito
The 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholars will be comprised of one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large, 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts and 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in Career and Technical Education.
For the general category of the program, candidates must score exceptionally well on either the SAT or the ACT, based on tests taken between September, 2015 through October, 2017. All candidates are nominated by their Chief State School Officer (CSSO) or by one of the Department of Education’s partner recognition organizations based on outstanding scholarship. Application for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program is by invitation only.
Semi-finalists will be announced in late March, with Scholars announced in April. In June, the Presidential Scholars will be invited to Washington D.C. for recognition ceremonies, including a probable visit to the White House.
Good luck to all CHCCS candidates-- and congratulations!
