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U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Names 161 Students as 2020 U.S. Presidential Scholars

May 21, 2020

 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today announced the 56th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, recognizing 161 high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields.

“It is my privilege to congratulate the Presidential Scholars Class of 2020 on their outstanding academic achievement, community service, and leadership,” said Secretary DeVos. “These exemplary young people have excelled inside the classroom and out. And, while they are facing unprecedented challenges as they graduate from high school into a world that looks much different than it did just a few months ago, their determination, resilience, and commitment to excellence will serve them well as they pursue their next steps.”

The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic and technical excellence, essays, school evaluations, and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.

Of the 3.6 million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 5,300 candidates qualified for the 2020 awards determined by outstanding performance on the College Board SAT or ACT exams or through nominations made by Chief State School Officers, other partner recognition organizations and the National YoungArts Foundation’s nationwide YoungArts™ competition.

As directed by executive order of the President, the 2020 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 U.S. families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large, 20 scholars in the arts and 20 scholars in career and technical education.

Created in 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has honored over 7,600 of the nation’s top-performing students. 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.

The Presidential Scholars Class of 2020 will be recognized for their outstanding achievement this summer as public health circumstances permit.

A complete list of 2020 U.S. Presidential Scholars follows and is also available at http://www.ed.gov/psp.

U.S. Presidential Scholars Class of 2020

* Scholar for U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts

** Scholar for U.S. Presidential Scholar in Career and Technical Education

Alabama 

Kittson Hamill, Owens Cross Road – Huntsville High School

Isaac Walter Stubbs, Wetumpka – Wetumpka High School**

Lawrence Zhang, Madison – James Clemens High School

Alaska 

Gavin Block, Palmer – Mat-Su Middle College School

Grace J. Park, Fairbanks – Park Home School

Americans Abroad 

Claire Marie Hightower, Bangkok – Bangkok Patana School

Grant Schooling, Singapore – Singapore American School

Arizona 

Freya Francy Abraham, Maricopa – Maricopa High School

Rithvik Reddy Musuku, Gilbert – BASIS Chandler

Jake Okun, Scottsdale – Desert Mountain High School**

Arkansas 

Brooke Avery Bradford, Shirley – Clinton High School**

Jack Norris, Rogers – Rogers High School

Amanda Mei Thomsen, Fayetteville – Fayetteville High School

California 

Matthew Allana, Beverly Hills – Beverly Hills High School

Anthony Arya, Santa Cruz – Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School*

Dusan Brown, Studio City – Los Angeles County High School for the Arts*

Caitlin Chung, Beverly Hills – Harvard-Westlake School*

Jessica Costescu, Cypress – Cypress High School

Dante Jervaise Kirkman, Modesto – Palo Alto Senior High School*

Theodore Louis Nissen, Los Angeles – Los Angeles County High School for the Arts*

Anoush Pogossian, Glendale – Verdugo Academy*

Dean Tran, Morgan Hill – Ann Sobrato High School

Christina Wooden, San Diego – Canyon Crest Academy

Colorado 

Evelyn Ariana Bodoni, Englewood – Cherry Creek High School

Jack Selner Brustkern, Denver – Regis Jesuit High School

Eliot Lee Juhon Hodges, Denver – Kent Denver School

Melanie Zhiqi Zhou, Littleton – ThunderRidge High School**

Connecticut 

Cynthia Chen, Riverside – Greenwich High School

Brandon Demkowicz, Farmington – Farmington High School

Elizabeth Ann Wozniak, Meriden – Orville H. Platt High School**

Delaware 

Umar Arif Aulia, Newark – Tower Hill School

Jessica Pei, Wilmington – Archmere Academy

District of Columbia 

William Gordon Nash, Washington – St. Albans School

Lauren Xu, Washington – BASIS DC

Florida 

Sage Croft, Windermere – Windermere High School*

Alexander Grayson Dyer, Lithia – Newsome High School

Helena Jiang, Gainesville – Buchholz High School

Mia Sarah Palomba, Lake Worth – Alexander W Dreyfoos School of the Arts*

Lauren Philip, Saint Johns – Creekside High School**

Mallorie Sievert, Jacksonville – Douglas Anderson School of the Arts*

Georgia 

Alice Vivian Ao, Suwanee – Peachtree Ridge High School

Albert Zhang, Duluth – Northview High School

Hawaii 

Koichiro Otake, Honolulu – Iolani School

Eui Jin Song, Honolulu – Kaiser High School

Idaho 

Blaine Dillingham, Boise – Timberline High School

Zoe Simon, Hailey – Wood River High School

Jieyan Wang, Moscow – Moscow High School*

Illinois 

Isabella Cho, Wilmette – North Shore Country Day School*

Arnav Prashant Lande, Naperville – Waubonsie Valley High School**

David Sandoval, Berwyn – J S Morton High School West

Elizabeth Welch-Jani, Northbrook – Glenbrook South High School

Indiana 

Ankush Kundan Dhawan, Newburgh – Signature School

Meagan Maureen Hipsky, Guilford – Hipsky Home School*

Ann Ostojic, Munster – Munster High School

Daelyn Quinn, Newburgh – Castle High School

Iowa 

Matthew Ding, Johnston – Johnston High School

Elizabeth Catherine Meyer, Sioux City – Heelan High School

Blake Ronald Van Der Kamp, Prairie City – PCM High School**

Kansas 

Eddie Dai, Olathe – Olathe North High School

Bridget Rose Schippers, Olathe – St. James Academy

Kentucky 

Kathleen Criner, Paducah – Paducah Tilghman High School

Megan Rose Johnston, Danville – Boyle County High School**

Raymond Micheal Suo, Louisville – DuPont Manual Magnet High School

Louisiana 

Sunggun Lee, Baton Rouge – Baton Rouge Magnet High School

Cindy Zheng, Baton Rouge – Baton Rouge Magnet High School

Maine 

Neily Kate Raymond, Hermon – Hermon High School

John Bishop Wahlig III, Falmouth – Falmouth High School

Maryland 

Maria Christina Hancu, Poolesville – Poolesville Senior High School

Nadine Meister, Ellicott City – Centennial High School

Pranav Tadikonda, Boyds – Richard Montgomery High School*

Bill Tong, Columbia – Atholton High School

Robert Wachen, Potomac – Winston Churchill High School

Massachusetts 

Amelia Ao, Wayland – Wayland High School

Jaiden David Edelman, West Tisbury – Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School

Saviel Ortiz, Lawrence – Greater Lawrence Technical School**

Michigan 

Maria Fields, Detroit – University Liggett School

Ansh Patel, Riverview – Grosse Ile High School

Minnesota 

Benjamin Bin Yan, Rochester – Century High School

Aunika Zheng, North Oaks – Mounds View High School

Mississippi 

Vayd Sai Ramkumar, Starkville – Mississippi School for Mathematics & Science

Abigail Wiest, Hattiesburg – Sacred Heart High School

Missouri 

Rahul Suresh Kanna, Chesterfield – Lafayette High School

Jordan Elizabeth Tierney, Chesterfield – Visitation Academy

Montana 

Conrad Lee, Bozeman – Lee Home-School

Gail Parambi, Great Falls – Charles M. Russell High School

Nebraska 

Jarod Michael Harris, Seward – Seward High School**

Luke Partsch, Nebraska City – Lourdes Central High School

Lucy Tu, Omaha – Millard North High School

Nevada 

Dakyung Lee, Henderson – Coronado High School

Clarence Ndubisi, Las Vegas – The Meadows School

Emhyr Subramanian, Reno – Davidson Academy of Nevada

New Hampshire 

Jeffrey Lam, Nashua – Nashua High School South

Claire Emily Reynolds, Nashua – Bishop Guertin High School

New Jersey 

Laura Futamura, Middletown – High Technology High School*

Dong Jun Lee, Fort Lee – Bergen County Technical High School**

NJ – YoungEun Lee, Demarest – Northern Valley Regional High School

NJ – Jason Ping, Fort Lee – Academy for the Advancement of Science & Technology

Alan Yeung, Sparta – Sparta High School**

New Mexico 

Zachary J. Auster, Los Ranchos – Albuquerque Academy

Mireya Cosima Sanchez-Maes, Las Cruces – Mayfield High School

New York 

Olivia Bigtree, Nedrow – Manlius-Pebble Hill School*

George John Eliadis, Newburgh – Newburgh Free Academy

Grant James GianGrasso, Clarence – Clarence Central High School

Nouhoum Koita, Brooklyn – Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts*

Sophia Lynn Li, New York – Hunter College High School

Benjamin Tanchoco Rossen, Great Neck – Great Neck South High School*

North Carolina 

Chase Elliot Johnson, Hickory – Hickory High School

Brianna Elyse Thompson, Winston Salem – Atkins Academic Tech High School

Justin Junpeng Zhao, Cary – Green Hope High School

North Dakota 

Hanna Johnson, Walcott – Richland High School

Jacob Shelver, Fargo – North High School

Gareth Jiarui Wu, Grand Forks – Grand Forks Central High School**

Ohio 

Ryan Nicole Brady, Shaker Heights – Hathaway Brown School

Elizabeth Radway, Cincinnati – Indian Hill High School

Aniv Ray, Worthington – Columbus Academy

Olivia Wenzel, Parma Heights – Laurel School

Oklahoma 

Sukanya Bhattacharya, Edmond – Heritage Hall Upper School

Nicholas Sayegh, Oklahoma City – Western Heights High School

Oregon 

Britton Masback, Portland – The Catlin Gabel School

Dana Marie Smiley, Portland – Lincoln High School

Tina Trang Truong, Portland – Benson Polytech High School**

Pennsylvania 

David Jeffrey Ban, Wexford – North Allegheny Senior High

Neil Deshmukh, Macungie – Moravian Academy

Rhea Malhotra, Allentown – Moravian Academy

Puerto Rico 

Gabriela Cristina García Oruña, San Juan – Academia Maria Reina

Harold Ignacio Peón Castro, San Juan – Academia del Perpetuo Socorro

Sofia M. Villamil, San Juan – Commonwealth-Parkville School

Rhode Island 

Alexander Jedson, West Greenwich – Exeter-West Greenwich Regional Junior-Senior High School

Daniel N. Marella, Cranston – Cranston High School West**

Ishita Rai, Warwick – St. Mary Academy – Bay View

South Carolina 

Lauren Chen, Irmo – Dutch Fork High School

Vamsi Gorrepati, Columbia – Spring Valley High School

Nicholas Michael Dean Turgeon, Greenville – Wade Hampton High School*

South Dakota 

Jonathan Coronado, Rapid City – Stevens Senior High School

Katherine J Pardy, Sioux Falls – O’Gorman High School

Ainsley Powers, Brookings – Brookings High School**

Tennessee 

Sydney Hummel, Nolensville – Nolensville High School

Benjamin Charles Perry, Gallatin – Merrol Hyde Magnet School

Maggie A Wilkinson, Ooltewah – Chattanooga High Center for Creative Arts*

Texas 

Vivian Catrice Coleman, Laredo – J. W. Nixon High School

Sohum Makarand Kulkarni, Dallas – Parish Episcopal School

Christopher Zollino Lloyd, San Antonio – Alamo Heights High School

Ryan McCord, Dallas – St. Mark’s School of Texas*

Utah 

Taylor Fang, Logan – Logan High School

Moses Giles Samuelson-Lynn, West Valley City – Samuelson-Lynn Home School

Emma Grace Sun, Sandy – The Waterford School

Vermont 

Nisha Shah, So Burlington – South Burlington High School

Henry Wu, Essex Junction – Essex High School

Virginia 

Colter Adams, Falls Church – George Mason High School

William B Calli, Woodbridge – Woodbridge Senior High School**

Sophia Eileen Tedesco, McLean – George C. Marshall High School

Washington 

Emily Lei Du, Bellevue – Interlake High School

Courtjoseph Melang Saunders, Richland – Kamiakin High School

Lauren Stubbs, LaCrosse – LaCrosse High School**

Madelynn Jae Wagner, Odessa – Odessa High School**

West Virginia 

Kayli Madison Mann, Lerona – Pikeview High School

William Ryan Tobin, Fairmont – Fairmont Senior High School

Wisconsin 

Dayi Ethan Dong, Madison – West High School

Sanjana Reddy Peddagorla, Brookfield – Brookfield East High School

Wyoming 

Megan Ruth Dufault, Jackson – Jackson Hole High School

Sam D. Miller, Laramie – Laramie High School