Thirteen Harker seniors were named U.S. Presidential Scholar candidates for 2016. Each year, about 4,000 graduating seniors nationwide are selected, based on their SAT and ACT scores. As many as 161 graduating seniors are then named Presidential Scholars. Students must be invited to apply for the program. 

This year’s candidates from Harker are Akshay Battu, Anthony Luo, Evan Lohn, Elina Sendonaris, Jonathan Ma, Karen Tu, Michael Zhao, Janet Lee, Vineet Kosaraju, Anika Mohindra, Natalie Simonian, Allison Wang and Richard Yi.

Scholars are chosen in April based on various criteria, including academic and artistic achievement, leadership and community involvement. They are invited to travel to Washington, D.C., in June for a National Recognition Program that will include a variety of activities. There, they also will be presented with a Presidential Scholars Medallion at a ceremony sponsored by the White House.