The spotlight is on two Vermont high school seniors for excellence in education. The U.S. Secretary of Education has announced the 59th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, and these two students made the cut.
Since 1964, the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars has recognized the country’s distinguished graduating seniors. Students are chosen based on their SAT scores, overall grades, and teacher recommendations. In this year’s class of scholars, Essex’s Adowyn Byrne and Williston’s Samuel Yager are representing Vermont.
Even though Byrne says she was shocked to find out she had been selected, she’s proud her hard work over the last four years has paid off.
“I was in the middle of physics class and I got an email. Really surprising like I wasn’t expecting it,” Byrne said.
She is the captain of her school’s field hockey team, president of the school’s Japanese club, and sings in the school’s chamber choir.
Sam Yager is a Champlain Valley Union High School senior. He’s a member of the school’s robotic team, and he is the first presidential scholar CVU has had in the last decade. He says although the road to becoming a Presidential Scholar was challenging, he didn’t let it weigh him down.
“I just put my heart into it. I wrote essays that were true to me,” Yager said.
The U.S. Department of Education says that of the 3.7 million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 5,000 candidates qualified for the 2023 awards. Only 161 of them were selected.
Byrne and Yager say becoming Presidential Scholars was a great way to end their high school academic careers, and they’re looking forward to what comes next. They also say they’re proud that the honor recognizes them not just for their academic abilities, but for how they used their skills to help their communities, and are excited to represent Vermont on a national stage.
Click here for the full list of U.S. Presidential Scholars.
WCAX News Story by Kiana Burks and WCAX News Team
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