Hamilton High School senior Angela Zeng was named one of 139 students from throughout the U.S. who was named a 2008 Presidential Scholar, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school seniors.
Zeng and Jim Penn, the teacher she named in her application as her most inspiring and challenging, will travel to Washington, D.C., June 21-24 for National Recognition Week. The highlight of the week, which includes meetings with government officials, educators, authors, musicians, scientists and other dignitaries, will be the presentation of the Presidential Scholars Medallion at a ceremony sponsored by the White House.
Students chosen as Presidential Scholars were among 3,000 candidates who qualified based on ACT or SAT college admissions tests or nomination through the nationwide young ARTS competition, conducted annually by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. The Presidential Scholars Commission selected this year’s scholars from a pool of about 500 semifinalists, choosing one male and one female from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and from families of U.S. citizens living abroad. In addition, 15 students were chosen at large; and 20 were chosen as Presidential Scholars in the Arts.
The Presidential Scholars program was established in 1964 to honor academic achievement. In 1997, the program expanded to include students with exceptional talent in the visual, literary, and performing arts.