Seven Bay Area high schoolers have been named 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholars, an honor awarded to only 161 students in the nation.

Three were honored for general academic excellence:

• Annmaria K. Antony, San Jose, Harker School
• Elane Kim, Walnut Creek, Stanford University Online High School
• Aaron Hieu Tran, Morgan Hill, Ann Sobrato High School

Three were honored for excellence in the arts:

• Zoe Wijesekara Dorado, Castro Valley, Castro Valley High School (writing)
• Miranda A. Lu, San Jose, Leland High School (visual arts)
• Gavin Ray Trotmore, Berkeley, Berkeley High School (design arts)

One was honored for excellence in career or technical education:

• Sezen S. Musa, Sunnyvale, Wilcox High School (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America)

The awards were announced this week by the U.S. Education Department. The list of semifinalists, released last month, included 16 Bay Area students.

Those in the general academic division qualify through SAT or ACT scores and are invited to submit a packet detailing their school performance. Those in the arts and career/tech divisions are nominated by school officials or the YoungArts program.

In the academic division, two students – a boy and a girl – are chosen from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and from among Americans living abroad, and up to 15 more are selected at large. In each of the other two divisions, 20 students are selected.

The honor does not include a cash scholarship, although many of the winners have received National Merit Scholarships. They do get a trip to Washington, D.C., for the awards ceremony.

Southern California had five winners, all in the arts division.

The full list:

Alaska

Jackson Powell Church, Anchorage – Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School

Lillian Yang, Anchorage – West Anchorage High School

Arizona

Rachana R. Gurudu, Phoenix – BASIS Scottsdale

Tyler Ming-Fei Tam, Paradise Valley – Phoenix Country Day School

Zakiriya Hilal Alem Gladney, Tucson – University High School (arts: photography)

Tej Sandeep Desai, Phoenix – Paradise Valley High School (career/tech)

Arkansas

Sydney Elizabeth Massey, Little Rock – eStem High Public Charter School

Mariam Tariq Parray, Little Rock – Pulaski Academy

Neil Sash, Conway – Episcopal Collegiate School

California

Annmaria K. Antony, San Jose – Harker School

Elane Kim, Walnut Creek – Stanford University Online High School

Aaron Hieu Tran, Morgan Hill – Ann Sobrato High School

Zoe Wijesekara Dorado, Castro Valley – Castro Valley High School (arts: writing)

Raisa B. Effress, Los Angeles – Harvard-Westlake School (arts: photography)

Alejandro T. Lombard, Van Nuys – Harvard-Westlake School (arts: film)

Miranda A. Lu, San Jose – Leland High School (arts: visual arts)

Lauren Mei, Irvine – Orange County High School of the Arts (arts: theater)

Sophia Ann Rabin, Newport Beach – Corona Del Mar High School (arts: voice)

Fallon Carys Sungah Ryu-Dern, Los Angeles – Harvard-Westlake School CA (arts: film)

Gavin Ray Trotmore, Berkeley – Berkeley High School (arts: design arts)

Sezen S. Musa, Sunnyvale – Adrian C. Wilcox High School (career/tech)

Colorado

Dana Ko, Colorado Springs – Pine Creek High School

Karthik Reddy, Westminster – Fairview High School

Katherine Jordan Little, Denver – Thomas Jefferson High School (career/tech)

Connecticut

Ambika Grover, Riverside – Greenwich High School

Lukas Koutsoukos, Wilton – Wilton High School

Delaware

Suhani Bhatt, Newark – Newark Charter School

Tatyana Rashid, Newark – MOT Charter School, High School Campus

Carter B. Ross, Wilmington – Wilmington Friends School

Samra Iman Iqbal, Dover – Caesar Rodney High School (career/tech)

Puiyee Kong, Dover – Caesar Rodney High School (career/tech)

District of Columbia

Sophia Hall, Washington – Holton-Arms School

Saul Villatoro, Washington – Francis L. Cardozo High School

Florida

Ishika Nag, Oviedo – Oviedo High School

Kiran C. Spencer, Delray Beach – American Heritage School Boca/Delray

Luke Linxiao Yang, Palmetto Bay – Miami Palmetto Senior High School

Georgia

Michelle Li, Watkinsville – North Oconee High School

Jack Xu, Marietta – George Walton High School

Aira Dani, Suwanee – Northview High School (career/tech)

Sahil Sood, Duluth – Lambert High School (career/tech)

Hawaii

Annabel Kinsey, Honolulu – Iolani School

Holden Michael Schermer, Honolulu – Iolani School

Vaeanui Paiarii Peck, Kaaawa – Kahuku High School (career/tech)

Idaho

Shiva Aaron Rajbhandari, Boise – Boise High School

Claire S. Yoo, Idaho Falls – Idaho Falls High School

Illinois

Emmet Jeremiah Ebels Duggan, Evanston – Evanston Township High School

Yina Wang, Naperville – Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

Maxwell L. Neri, Naperville – Waubonsie Valley High School (career/tech)

Indiana

Archit Kalra, Carmel – Carmel High School

Amogha Medha Paleru, Carmel – Carmel High School

Bayan Yunis, Fort Wayne – Carroll High School (arts: photography)

Iowa

Claire Gu, West Des Moines – Valley High School

Tejas Kishan Gururaja, Cedar Rapids – Linn-Mar High School

Alaina Marie Whittington, Diagonal – Diagonal Jr-Sr High School

Eshaan S. Chandani, Johnston – Johnston High School (career/tech)

Kansas

Luke Wen-Tsu Chen, Overland Park – Blue Valley North High School

Elizabeth Rushing Place, Leawood – Blue Valley North High School

Kentucky

Arnav Dharmagadda, Russell – Russell High School

Beatriz Oliveira Antunes, Bowling Green – South Warren High School

Cecelia Ann Rogers, Bardstown – Nelson County High School (career/tech)

Louisiana

Ananya Bhatia, Shreveport – Caddo Parish Magnet High School

Daniel Z. Liu, Baton Rouge – Baton Rouge Magnet High School

Khalil J. McKnight, Ponchatoula – Hammond High School (arts: visual arts)

Maine

Patrick Michael Wahlig, Falmouth – Falmouth High School

Coco Leqi Xu, Falmouth – Falmouth High School

Maryland

Maya Naomi Lall, Bethesda – Holton-Arms School

Andrew Z. Yuan, Boyds – Poolesville Senior High School

Cassidy May Reigel, Manchester – Baltimore School for the Arts MD (arts: dance)

Massachusetts

Sol Kim, Westford – Phillips Academy

Ranjana Ramesh, N. Chelmsford – Central Catholic High School

Katherine E. Liu, Wellesley – Wellesley High School (arts: classical music)

Henry C. Knox, East Falmouth – Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational High School (career/tech)

Alijandro Ian Mendoza, Worcester – Worcester Vocational High School (career/tech)

Michigan

Simar Bhatia, Portage – Portage Central High School

Adnan Mahir Khan, Bloomfield Hills – International Academy

Minnesota

Stavya Arora, Maple Grove – Maple Grove Senior High School

Matthew Chen, Maple Grove – Wayzata High School

Mississippi

Madison G. Echols, Hattiesburg – Mississippi School for Mathematics & Science

Leo Mei, Madison – Madison Central High School

Missouri

Diep H. Phan, Farmington – Farmington High School

Max Yang, Saint Louis – Ladue Horton Watkins High School

Hannah N. Rice, Brunswick – Brunswick R-II High School (career/tech)

Montana

Jessie Bough, Big Sky – Lone Peak High School

Marten Cooper Hartshorn, Bozeman – Bozeman High School

Nebraska

Abhirup Chandra Are, Omaha – Millard North High School

Sarah Jane Wood, Omaha – Millard North High School

Nevada

Amy Choi, Las Vegas – The Meadows School

Troy Warren Harris, Henderson – Clark High School

Amy Park, Las Vegas – West Career and Technical Academy (career/tech)

New Hampshire

Aaron Joy, Dover – Phillips Exeter Academy

Sora S. Shirai, Hanover – Hanover High School

New Jersey

Sebastián N. Anderson, Ho-Ho-Kus – Northern Highlands Regional High School

Camryn Nicole Bartone, Howell – Freehold Township High School

Katherine Chen, Mountain Lakes – Mountain Lakes High School

Ian Liu, Cedar Knolls – Packer Collegiate Institute

Andrew C. Noviello, Bridgewater – Lawrenceville School

Christopher Y. Shin, Cherry Hill – Cherry Hill High School East (arts: classical music)

New Mexico

Emma Elizabeth Clayton, Rio Rancho – The ASK Academy

Brian L. Han, Los Alamos – Los Alamos High School

New York

Samara Baksh, Flushing – The Spence School

Sabrina Guo, Oyster Bay – Syosset High School

Samantha Maya Milewicz, Armonk – Byram Hills High School

Kevin Zhu, Old Westbury – Jericho Senior High School

George Porteous, New York – The Dalton School (arts: theater)

North Carolina

Clara Cecilia Brodey, Chapel Hill – East Chapel Hill High School

Nipun Gorantla, Matthews – Marvin Ridge High School

Georgia Elizabeth Greene, Kings Mountain – Cleveland Innovation Academy (arts: dance)

Josiah Hailey Young, Harrisburg – Hickory Ridge High School (career/tech)

North Dakota

Srinath B. Kandooru, Bismarck – Century High School

Annelise Klein, Bismarck – Century High School

Kaylee Mae Kirkeby, Grand Forks – Grand Forks Central High School (career/tech)

Ohio

Pranav Sompalle, Highland Heights – Mayfield High School

Sanjana M. Velu, Mason – William Mason High School

Jay G. Patel, West Chester Township – Butler Tech Bioscience Center (career/tech)

Oklahoma

Jeffrey Connor Evans, Oklahoma City – Casady School

Lindsay Flores, Oklahoma City – Western Heights High School

Joyce Yang, Bartlesville – Bartlesville High School

Oregon

Caroline Xingyan Gao, Albany – West Albany High School

Rishab K. Jain, Portland – Westview High School

Pennsylvania

Hannah Gao, Wynnewood – Harriton High School

William L. Pan, Chester Springs – Downingtown High School-East Campus

Vibha Janakiraman, West Chester – PA Leadership Charter School (arts: classical music)

Rhode Island

Julia Martins, Cranston – The Greene School

Cayetano Sanchez IV, East Greenwich – East Greenwich High School

South Carolina

Cam Srivastava, Spartanburg – Spartanburg Day School

Cathy Tang, Columbia – Spring Valley High School

South Dakota

Evelyn Violet Haar, Rapid City – Stevens Senior High School

Andrew J. Nguyen, Sioux Falls – Sioux Falls Jefferson High School

Tennessee

Mara Wren Klein, Sevierville – Gatlinburg-Pittman High School

Nate Martinez, Thompsons Station – Independence High School

Texas

Zhuo Qi Chen, Spring – The Woodlands College Park High School

Hannah Guan, San Antonio – BASIS San Antonio Shavano Campus

Siddhu Pachipala, The Woodlands – The Woodlands College Park High School

Zariyah M. Perry, Dallas – Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts (arts: theater)

Cole Willis, Dallas – Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts (arts: film)

Utah

Michael Ogden Chen, Salt Lake City – Hillcrest High School

Priyanka Mathews, Salt Lake City – Hillcrest High School

Aaron Wang, Salt Lake City – Skyline High School (career/tech)

Vermont

Adowyn Mulligan Byrne, Essex – Essex High School

Samuel John Yager, Williston – Champlain Valley Union High School

Virginia

Emma E. Cox, McLean – Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology

Teja Koduru, Fairfax – Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology

Emily Ocasio, Falls Church – New School Northern Virginia

Mayra Rios, Vienna – James Madison High School

Mira Iris Kim, Fairfax – Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology (arts: classical music)

Washington

Lora Kwon, Redmond – Redmond High School

Arihant Singh, Sammamish – Nikola Tesla STEM High School

West Virginia

Dalton S. Cook, Lynco – Westside High School

Rania Zuri, Morgantown – Morgantown High School

Isabella Mackenzie Herrod, Shinnston – Liberty High School (career/tech)

Wisconsin

Ananya Bhatt, Brookfield – Brookfield Central High School

Saskatoon Robert Fuzz Damm, Medford – Medford Area Senior High School

Ethan Mark Zentner, Glendale – Nicolet High School

Wyoming

Cameron Nicholas Reckard, Sheridan – Sheridan High School

Audrey Su-Wai Yeung, Laramie – Laramie High School

Puerto Rico

Alia Sofia Marrero-Alttar, Dorado – St. John’s School

Jose Antonio Puig Camacho, Dorado – Tasis School in Dorado

Americans abroad

Jin Z. Chung, Tumon – St. John’s School

Ashley Zhou, Beijing – St. Paul’s School

Related Articles

• Education |
  Oakland Unified school district warns graduations in jeopardy if teachers strike continues
• Education |
  Letters: Ready for RCV | Deserve to know | Suspensions useful | Positive results | Ease transition | Fox light
• Education |
  Editorial: Irrational Oakland teachers strike continues harming kids
• Education |
  Oakland teachers strike Day 7: Union calls district’s $1 billion common good price tag ‘ridiculous’
• Education |
  Volunteer middle school coach accused of recording sex with 12-year-old student