Seniors at two Arkansas high schools are among 161 U.S. Presidential Scholars for 2017 announced Friday by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
Stephanie Zhao, a student at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, and Ryan K. Kim, a student at Fayetteville High School East Campus, are the state's Presidential Scholars. The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars -- appointed by President Donald Trump -- selects one female and one male student per state, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. families living abroad.
The commission also chooses 15 at-large scholars, 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts and 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in Career and Technical Education. The group considers scholars based on academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, and evidence of community service, leadership and demonstrated commitment to high ideals.
The two students will be honored at a June 18 ceremony in Washington, D.C., where they will receive a Presidential Scholar Medallion.
They were among nearly 70 Arkansans who applied for the designation.
Zhao was born in Sweden and moved from St. Louis to Little Rock in her sixth-grade year. She received perfect scores on the SAT and ACT college-entrance exams and participated in extracurricular activities such as Model U.N. and Amnesty International during her tenure at Pulaski Academy. Friday's designation isn't her first: Zhao has won numerous awards, including the 2017 Stephens Award that comes with a $5,000 scholarship.
At age 14, Kim also earned a perfect score on the ACT exam. He has played the piano since second grade and has been a part of the Boy Scouts since kindergarten. His mother told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in 2015 that he was trying to become an Eagle Scout. As a high school freshman, Kim led the Woodland Junior High School academic Quiz Bowl team that won the Junior National Academic Championship in Chicago.
Kim is planning to attend Harvard University in the fall, according to his Facebook page.
Metro on 05/06/2017