Gwinnett Seniors Named U.S. Presidential Scholars Semi-Finalists

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — Three Gwinnett County high-school seniors — one a home schooler from Dacula, another from Duluth who attends The Westminster Schools, and the third a student at Grayson High School — have been named finalists for a top national honor.

As semi-finalists for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, Jordan Rice of Dacula; Sarah C. Lao of Duluth, a student at The Westminster Schools; and Skylar Rayelle Hughes of Grayson High School are among only 700 students from the more than 3 million graduating seniors in the nation's class of 2021 selected to advance in the prestigious recognition program. Only 18 students from Georgia were named semi-finalists.

The program was established in 1964 by executive order of the president to honor and recognize extraordinary graduating seniors. Candidates for the invitation-only recognition program are initially selected based on outstanding performance on the ACT or SAT; semi-finalists and finalists are chosen based on an application that considers overall academic excellence, personal character, leadership and service activities.

The next level of recognition to be announced later this spring finalist. Last school year, of the 700 scholar semi-finalists, 161 students were named scholars and received national recognition and an invitation to an all-expenses paid trip to the White House.

Read here about the U.S. Department of Education's U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.