BEACHWOOD, Ohio — Two students in Ohio have earned top recognition by being named in the 58th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, which recognizes 161 high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts and career / technical education fields.
The Ohio students include:
- Evelyn K. Zhang: Beachwood High School
- Alexander Joseph Torres: Hilliard Davidson High School
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona made the announcement Thursday morning.
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“Our 2022 Presidential Scholars represent the best of America, and remind us that when empowered by education, there are no limits to what our young people can achieve," Cardona said. "Today, I join President Biden to celebrate a class of scholars whose pursuit of knowledge, generosity of spirit and exceptional talents bring our nation tremendous pride. Throughout one of the most trying periods in our nation’s history and amid our recovery from the pandemic, our students have once again demonstrated their strength and that they have so much to contribute to our country. Thanks to them, I know America's future is bright."
How did they get picked? Here’s how the process is explained…
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 a demonstrated commitment to community service and leadership.
Of the 3.7 million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 5,000 candidates qualified for the 2022 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 YoungArts, the National Foundation for the Advancement of Artists.
As directed by Presidential Executive Order, the 2022 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.
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Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in an unrelated education article on March 16, 2022.
The program was first created in 1964, and has now honored more than 7,900 of the nation’s top-performing students. The program was expanded twice – in 1979 and 2015 – to recognize more students in additional areas of expertise.
The Presidential Scholars Class of 2022 will be recognized for their outstanding achievement this summer with an online recognition program.
You can see the full list of 2022 Presidential Scholars selected from every state in the document below:
