State Superintendent Thurmond Congratulates California Students Named U.S. Presidential Scholars

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond today congratulated ten California high school students selected as 2019 U.S. Presidential Scholars. The ten students are among 161 national student scholars chosen for their outstanding education accomplishments.

“I am proud of the students who have received this prestigious honor,” said Thurmond. “They are not only wonderful scholastic representatives for our state, but they are also shining examples of the focus, drive, and determination in the next generation of leaders that California has produced. This award is a testament to the talent and promise these young people possess and the future contributions they can make to our state and society.”

The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 to recognize and honor some of our nation’s top-performing graduating seniors. From the nearly 3.6 million students expected to graduate from high school this year, over 5,200 students were identified as candidates for this program and 621 semi-finalists were selected.  Since its inception, the program has honored over 7,500 outstanding high school seniors.

The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects scholars based on a wide range of criteria including academic success, artistic and technical achievement, essays, school evaluations, community service, and leadership.

The 2019 awards ceremony will be held on June 23 in Washington D.C.

2019 U.S. Presidential Scholars (California)

• Michael Chen, San Diego—Canyon Crest Academy
• Alaman Diadhiou, Los Angeles—Brentwood School
• Annette Doeun Lee, Pasadena—Polytechnic School
• Luke Herzog, Pacific Grove—Pacific Grove High School
• Charles Kogen, Los Angeles—Harvard-Westlake School
• Lauren Kong, Rancho Palos Verdes—Palos Verdes Peninsula High School
• Won Bin Lee, San Ramon—Dougherty Valley High School
• Anne Liu, San Diego—Canyon Crest Academy
• Yunhee Park, Valley Village—Oakwood School
• Cynthia Zhou, San Jose—Leland High School

# # # #

Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100