2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars

Two Mississippi Students Named 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars

Two Mississippi students are among the 58th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, which recognizes 161 high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts and career and technical education (CTE) fields.

The Mississippi scholars are Petal High School (Petal School District) senior Ritchie Hao-Zun Yang and Pillow Academy (Greenwood) senior Dia Chawla.

Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education, who retired in June, said the students, their families and schools should be proud of this national recognition.

“This honor recognizes the achievements of our nation’s most committed students who fully dedicate themselves to academic and personal excellence,” she said. “I congratulate these students for earning this national honor.”

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.

“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,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “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.”

Senior Amy Zhang of Starkville, the Mississippi State Board of Education’s outgoing senior representative, was a semifinalist for the award along with Kylar DeLoach of Enterprise High School in Enterprise, Jeffrey Jordan of Jackson Preparatory School in Jackson, Sarah Leroux of Madison Central High School in Madison, Madeline Pitre of Biloxi High School in Biloxi, Wesley Smalley of Florence High School in Florence and Yujie Yang of Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg.

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 atlarge, 20 scholars in the arts and 20 scholars in CTE.

Created in 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has honored over 7,900 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 2022 were recognized for their outstanding achievement with an online recognition program.

Yang