8 New Trier Seniors Named Presidential Scholar Candidates

NEW TRIER TOWNSHIP, IL — Eight New Trier High School seniors are among the candidates for the 57th U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, one of the nation's top honors for high school students.

A pair of Loyola Academy students and a Winnetka resident who attends school in Evanston were also among more than 4,500 seniors named candidates last week and offered a chance to apply during their final semester of high school.

Application for the program is by invitation only. Students are not nominated by school administrators. According to the Department of Education, the vast majority of candidates qualify based on exceptionally high SAT or ACT standardized test scores.

There are a couple of other ways to qualify. Several other recognition organizations partnered with the program. They were each able to individually nominate up to 40 candidates. Additionally, each state's chief state school officer also can nominate 20 students, equally divided by gender.

A total of 153 Illinois students were among those invited to apply.

Local candidates include:

Zara Bedella, of Wilmette — New Trier Township High School
Jiale Chen, of Winnetka — Roycemore School
Sean Dougherty, of Glenview — Loyola Academy
Jacob Hahn, of Glencoe — New Trier Township High School
Alice Hu, of Wilmette — New Trier Township High School
Ryan Kennedy, of Winnetka — New Trier Township High School
Julia Nelson, Wilmette - New Trier Township High School
Ava Nemerovski, of Glenview — New Trier Township High School
Charles Radtke, of Wilmette — Loyola Academy
Eleanor Winkler, of Winnetka — New Trier Township High School

A panel of educations narrows down the applicants to about 600 semifinalists by early April. The Commission on Presidential Scholars, a 32-member group of presidential appointees, then selects a group of finalists.

The Department of Education traditionally announces the approximately 161 scholars in May, and, the Presidential Scholars Medallion has been awarded at recognition ceremonies in Washington D.C.

Last year's group of winners included one female student and one male student from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. families living abroad and 20 scholars in the arts, 20 scholars in career and technical education and 15 scholars chosen at-large.