Six New Jersey high school seniors are among 161 new Presidential Scholars, recognized for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced the winners of the national competition Thursday. The students were selected by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.
Only California, with nine winners, had more scholars than New Jersey. Florida, New York and Virginia also had six.
The New Jersey honorees are:
- Selina S. Zhang, of Annandale, attending North Hunterdon High School
- Pranav Sitaraman, of Edison, attending Middlesex County Academy for Science Math & Engineering
- Iris Hur, of Paramus, attending Bergen County Academies
- Gabrielle Liberman, of Summit, attending Kent Place School
- Nicholas Yoo, of Ramsey, attending the Delbarton School
- Harmony Zhu, of Cresskill, attending the Brearley School in New York
Zhang and Sitaraman were named traditional Presidential Scholars. Hur, Liberman, Yoo and Zhu were named Presidential Scholars in the Arts.
More than 5,700 candidates scored high enough on the SAT or ACT to qualify for the honor, and others were nominated by state school leaders or arts organizations. Students are chosen based on academic success, or excellence in the arts and in technical education, as seen through their essays, school evaluations and transcripts, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
The students must also excel in community service and leadership.
“The 161 high school seniors selected for the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Presidential Scholars represent the best of our nation’s schools and inspire hope in the bright future of this country,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “On behalf of President Biden, I am delighted to celebrate their accomplishments, and encourage these scholars to continue to aim high, lift up others, and embrace opportunities to lead.”
One of the winners, Gabrielle Liberman of Kent Place School in Summit, is an aspiring opera singer. She is not on social media, but heard Thursday’s news from a friend who saw it online.
Liberman, 17, who is headed to Princeton University, remembers when she heard an arts organization had nominated her for the award.
“It was like, ‘Congratulations, you get to write eight essays,’” she said. But, she learned she could use parts of her college applications to apply for the Presidential Scholar honor.
In an essay, Liberman said she described how her most influential teacher, Jennifer Dwyer, moved the desks in her classroom into rings. The teacher then asked the students in her English class to watch each other speak and decide who among them was the best leader and best listener.
“It’s almost always the best listener is the best leader,” Liberman said.
She also wrote in her Presidential Scholar application about growing up Jewish in Texas before she moved to Summit. For her community service, Liberman said she works in a program through the Union County court system that helps recommend rehabilitative services for juvenile defendants so they can clear their records.
Out of the 3.7 million students graduating from high school this year, two Presidential Scholars are chosen from each state, from families living abroad, from the District of Columbia and from Puerto Rico. Another 15 are chosen at-large, and 20 each are chosen in the arts and in career and technical education.
Students will be honored in an online recognition program in the summer.
New Jersey was also home to six Presidential Scholars last year. The state had three scholars in 2022 and two in 2021 from the same school — the Academy for the Advancement of Science and Technology at Bergen County Academies.
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Tina Kelley may be reached at tkelley@njadvancemedia.com.