Boston, May 11, 2016, — U.S. Secretary of Education John King recently announced the selection of William Wang of West Roxbury, MA and Zlatomir Fung, a resident of Westborough, MA as 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars. Wang attends Boston Latin School in Boston, and Fung(pictured below), an accompanied cellist, attends Oak Meadow School from home.
The other two MA students named to the list are Dianne Lee of Needham High School and Samantha N. Dorwin of Charles H Mccann Technical School. This year’s list has 160 outstanding American high school seniors who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship, service, and contribution to school and community. The U.S. Presidential Scholars will be honored for their accomplishments in Washington D.C., from June 19-21.
“This year’s class of Presidential Scholars continues a more than 50 year trend of honoring students who’ve shown excellence in their educational, artistic and civic pursuits,” King said. “Thirty years ago, the program was expanded to include students in the arts, which is critical to providing students with a well-rounded education. Now, we’ve added 20 more slots to honor our highest achieving students in career and technical education, reflecting the Department’s belief that a quality education must be a well-rounded education that prepares students for college, careers and any other civic service.”
The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, appointed by President Obama, selects honored 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. Of the three million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 5,600 candidates qualified for the 2016 awards determined by outstanding performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams, and through nominations made by Chief State School Officers, other parter recognition organizations or the National YoungArts Foundation’s nationwide YoungArts™ competition.
The 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars are 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 for the first time 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in Career and Techncial Education.
Created in 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has honored almost 7,000 of the nation’s top-performing students with the prestigious award given to honorees during the annual ceremony in D.C. The program was expanded in 1979 to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, literary and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields.
Since 1983, each Presidential Scholar has been offered the opportunity to name his or her most influential teacher. Each distinguished teacher is honored with a personal letter from the Secretary of Education. The teacher chosen for recognition by Wang was Ming Yang of Boston Latin School in Boston, MA.
Scholars for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program May 2016
[*] Asterisk indicates U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts
[**] Double asterisks indicate U.S. Presidential Scholar in Career and Technical Education [***] Triple asterisks indicate a dual winner, U.S. Presidential Scholar and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts
Scholars are grouped by their legal place of residence; the state abbreviation listed, if different, may indicate where the scholar attends school.
Alabama
AL – Helena – Peyton D. Strickland, Pelham High School
AL – Madison – Sabrina A. Chen, Bob Jones High School
Alaska
AK – Anchorage – Elana N. Fortson, West Anchorage High School
AK – Valdez – Michael T. Radotich, Valdez High School
Americans Abroad
AE – DPO – Jonathan R. Barney, American School of Dubai
AP – FPO – Yuuta R. Kendall, E J King American High School
GU – Yigo – Danielle M. Stephenson, St. John’s School
Arizona
AZ – Anthem – Calen A. Firedancing, Glendale Preparatory Academy
AZ – Tucson – Natalie Ezeugwu, University High School
Arkansas
AR – Jonesboro – [**] Jordan Lee, Nettleton High School
AR – Texarkana – Leah C. Crenshaw, Texas High School
AR – West Memphis – Bryan K. Conston, West Memphis High School
AR – West Memphis – Ryan K. Conston, West Memphis High School
California
CA – Claremont – Diana Chao, Claremont High School
CA – Cupertino – Albert S. Zeng, Monta Vista High School
CA – Fremont – [*] Pavithra Nagarajan, American High School
CA – Ladera Ranch – David D. Bao, Santa Margarita Catholic High School
CA – San Diego – Emmit K. Pert, Westview High School
CA – Santa Monica – [*] Ben L. Ross, Santa Monica High School
CA – Torrance – [*] Ruwanthi N. Ekanayake, Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
Colorado
CO – Centennial – Danielle Newton, Eaglecrest High School
CO – Fort Collins – Blake J. Salvador, Ridgeview Classical Schools
Connecticut
CT – Darien – Katie F. Tsui, Darien High School
CT – Ridgefield – Gunnar P. Smith, Ridgefield High School
CT – Stamford – [**] Tanusri V. Balla, Academy of Information Technology
Delaware
DE – Hockessin – Rahul S. Subbaraya, Archmere Academy
DE – Newark – Jayna P. Lennon, Charter School of Wilmington
District of Columbia
DC – Washington – Noah B. Kravitz, Georgetown Day School
DC – Washington – [***] Rachel S. Page, Woodrow Wilson Senior High School
Florida
FL – Boca Raton – Devin J. Barkey, American Heritage School Boca/Delray
FL – Coral Gables – Christina H. Cruz, Carrollton Sacred Heart
FL – Fort Lauderdale – [*] Nadia Wolff, Design & Architecture Senior High School
FL – Land O Lakes – Jeffrey W. Gu, Land O Lakes High School
FL – Miami – [*] Diana Eusebio, Design & Architecture Senior High School
FL – Miami – [*] Katerina M. McCrimmon, New World School of the Arts
FL – Miami – [*] Sean J. Stack, New World School of the Arts
FL – Miami – [*] Cornelius A. Tulloch, Design & Architecture Senior High School
FL – North Palm Beach – [*] Zachary H. Rapaport, Alexander W Dreyfoos School of the
FL – Sanford – David Zuluaga, Oviedo High School
Georgia
GA – Columbus – Markeisha J. Wagner, Carver High School
GA – Hampton – Olugbenga J. Ojo-Osagie, Lovejoy High School
GA – Roswell – [**] Jose L. Espinel, Alan C. Pope High School
GA – Sautee-Nacoochee – [*] Victoria Canal Tinius, International School of Berne
Hawaii
HI – Honolulu – Michael L. Chen, Punahou School HI – Honolulu – Eileen C. Liu, Punahou School
HI – Mililani – [**] Joseph A. Fujinami, Mililani High School
Idaho
ID – Boise – Phillip H. Cathers, Borah High School
ID – Boise – Aurora G. Cossairt, Centennial High School
Illinois
IL – Cerro Gordo – [**] Sierra R. Day, Cerro Gordo High School
IL – Chicago – Samuel H. Detmer, Walter Payton College Preparatory School
IL – Chicago – [**] Madeline P. Poole, Chicago Hs Agricultural Sci
IL – Hinsdale – Elizabeth H. Keller, Hinsdale Township High School Central
Indiana
IN – Carmel – Cynthia D. Yue, Carmel High School
IN – Crown Point – Paul M. Dawley, Crown Point High School
Iowa
IA – Alden – Joseph L. Tibbs, Iowa Falls High School
IA – Cedar Falls – Sarah Gao, Cedar Falls High School
IA – Iowa City – Sonali G. Durham, City High School
Kansas
KS – Leawood – Jenny Huang, Phillips Academy
KS – Olathe – Nicolas Rodriguez, Olathe Northwest High School
Kentucky
KY – Danville – [*] Lydia G. Graham, Danville High School
KY – Glasgow – Gunnar M. Eaton, Barren County High School
KY – Louisville – Xinlan E. Hu, duPont Manual Magnet High School
Louisiana
LA – Baton Rouge – Stefan R. D’Sa, Baton Rouge Magnet High School
LA – Baton Rouge – Anna Jang, Baton Rouge Magnet High School
LA – Kenner – Mayank Mardia, Jesuit High School
Maine
ME – Bangor – Paige E. Brown, Bangor High School
ME – Cumberland Foreside – Matthew A. Pisini, Greely High School
Maryland
MD – Fulton – [**] Meghna S. Sreenivas, Reservoir High School
MD – North Bethesda – Nikita-Girey N. Demir, Georgetown Preparatory School
MD – North Potomac – Anna Lavrentieva, Richard Montgomery High School
MD – Severna Park – [**] Norman Xiong, Severna Park Senior High Sch
MD – Woodstock – [**] Nicholas M. Santangelo, Marriotts Ridge High School
Massachusetts
MA – Needham – Dianne Lee, Needham High School
MA – North Adams – [**] Samantha N. Dorwin, Charles H Mccann Technical Sch
MA – West Roxbury – William L. Wang, Boston Latin School
MA – Westborough – [*] Zlatomir Y. Fung, Oak Meadow School
Michigan
MI – Bloomfield – Mandy Lu, Phillips Exeter Academy
MI – Coldwater – [**] Mindy S. Young, Coldwater Senior High School
MI – Shelby Township – Daniel T. Mathew, Henry Ford II High School
Minnesota
MN – Roseville – Anna B. Biggs, St. Paul Academy and Summit School
MN – Sartell – Gopi N. Ramanathan, Sartell High School
Mississippi
MS – Corinth – Emma K. Knight, Corinth High School
MS – Starkville – Nathaniel A. Barlow, Mississippi School for Mathematics & Science
Missouri
MO – Parkville – Grant S. Pace, Park Hill South High School
MO – Strafford – Faith W. Wen, Strafford R-VI High School
Montana
MT – Billings – Trevor Canty, Billings West High School
MT – Missoula – Rosemarie C. McCormack, Loyola Sacred Heart High School
Nebraska
NE – Lyons – [**] Brent R. Miller, Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schls
NE – Omaha – Bridget V. Mizener, Westside High School
NE – Omaha – Raymond C. Thai, Millard North High School
Nevada
NV – Alamo – Brook Higbee, Pahranagat Valley High School
NV – Las Vegas – [**] Mackenzie R. Wooten, Northwest Career and Tech Academy
NV – Reno – Haydn L. Bradstreet, Davidson Academy of Nevada
New Hampshire
NH – Dunbarton – Elizabeth G. Krogman, The Derryfield School
NH – Franconia – Nathan J. Sampo, Holderness School
New Jersey
NJ – Edison – Dennis A. Aldea, John P. Stevens High School
NJ – Palisades Park – Hye Rim Jang, Academy for Medical Science Technology
NJ – Parsippany – Shagun Vashisth, Morris Hills High School
New Mexico
NM – Albuquerque – Sage Marie M. Herrick, Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School
NM – Capitan – Oliver S. Schultz, Capitan High School
New York
NY – Brooklyn – Amrit A. Hingorani, Stuyvesant High School
NY – New York – Caroline S. Engelmayer, Trinity School
NY – New York – [*] Dario L. Natarelli, Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music
North Carolina
NC – Chapel Hill – Jay G. Pande, East Chapel Hill High School
NC – Elon – Samuel S. Lowe, Western High School
NC – Huntersville – Sharon J. Chen, The North Carolina School of Science & Mathematics
NC – Mount Olive – [**] Carter M. Jones, Southern Wayne High School
North Dakota
ND – Bismarck – Sedalia D. Mahlum, Century High School
ND – Casselton – Ian Saum, Central Cass High School
Ohio
OH – Avon Lake – [*] Audrey Spensley, Avon Lake High School OH – Beavercreek – Richard Huang, Beavercreek High School OH – Bexley – Venkatesh S. Sivaraman, Bexley High School
OH – Cleveland Heights – [*] Isabella M. Nilsson, Hathaway Brown School
OH – Shaker Heights – [*] Lauryn Hobbs, Shaker Heights High School
OH – Westlake – Kavya Ravichandran, Hathaway Brown School
Oklahoma
OK – Enid – Ryan Tom, Chisholm High School
OK – Tulsa – Katherine G. Rule, Cascia Hall Preparatory School
Oregon
OR – Portland – Alexander Z. Zhang, Lincoln High School
OR – West Linn – Angela Tang, Phillips Academy
Pennsylvania
PA – Bryn Mawr – Katherine Hung, Radnor High School
PA – Harleysville – Hirsh S. Sisodia, Souderton Area High School
Puerto Rico
PR – Bayamon – Carlos G. Velazquez, University of Puerto Rico Secondary School
PR – Guaynabo – Luisa G. Baez, St. John’s School
Rhode Island
RI – East Greenwich – Grace E. Miner, East Greenwich High School
RI – East Greenwich – Xiao Yi Wu, East Greenwich High School
South Carolina
SC – Greenville – Jonathan J. Michala, Eastside High School
SC – Greer – Karen R. Zhao, Riverside High School
SC – Spartanburg – Jessica L. Marlow, Paul M. Dorman High School
South Dakota
SD – Mitchell – Shelby M. Riggs, Mitchell High School
SD – Pierre – Austin J. Lentsch, Theodore F. Riggs High School
Tennessee
TN – Collierville – Sneha Mittal, Collierville High School
TN – Collierville – Swarna Sakshi, Saint Mary’s Episcopal School
TN – La Vergne – Aison J. King, Ensworth High School
TN – McMinnville – [**] Marlie A. Montandon, Warren County High School
Texas
TX – Dallas – [*] Jared Brown, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts
TX – Houston – Francisco J. Cernada, YES Prep Gulfton
TX – Houston – Liana Wang, Bellaire Senior High School
TX – Plano – [*] Kaylin A. Sturtevant, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts
TX – Spring – [**] Mohammad H. Rahim, Carl Wunsche Sr. High School
TX – Sugar Land – Amy H. Ma, William P. Clements High School
Utah
UT – Bountiful – [**] Makayla Hendricks, Bountiful High School
UT – Logan – Jennifer A. Ban, Logan High School
UT – Orem – [*] Aubree A. Oliverson, Mountain Heights Academy
UT – Sandy – Anthony L. Cheng, Hillcrest High School
Vermont
VT – Essex Junction – Chloe M. Lemmel-Hay, Essex High School
VT – South Burlington – Alan B. Chiang, South Burlington High School
Virginia
VA – Blacksburg – Genty Daku, Blacksburg High School
VA – Fairfax Sta – Peter Wang, South County Secondary School
VA – Glen Allen – Reshini D. Premaratne, Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School
Washington
WA – Bellevue – Sunayana Rane, Interlake High School
WA – Garfield – Luke D. Moore, Colton High School
WA – Silverdale – [**] Madison Largey, Central Kitsap High School
WA – Sumner – [**] Alyssa M. McGee, Sumner High School
West Virginia
WV – Coal City – Caleb M. Miller, Independence High School
WV – Morgantown – Yixuan Pei, Morgantown High School
Wisconsin
WI – Cambridge – [**] Kendra L. Spier, Cambridge Senior High School
WI – Kewaunee – Paige E. Kassner, Kewaunee Senior High School
WI – Madison – Gabriel A. Saiz, West High School
Wyoming
WY – Jackson – Walter G. Thulin, Jackson Hole Community School
WY – Powell – Tristan R. Bohlman, Powell High School