20 YoungArts Winners Named 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholars In The Arts
Recipients From 14 States and Representing Eight Artistic Disciplines Receive High Honor Bestowed to Talented High School Seniors
MIAMI, May 8, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) congratulates the 54th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, with special acknowledgement to the U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts. The U.S. Presidential Scholars award—one of the nation's highest honors for high school students who exemplify academic excellence—is presented on behalf of the President of the United States and honors up to 161 graduating high school seniors of high potential each year. The 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts are all YoungArts winners, and were nominated by the organization to The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and selected based on academic and artistic excellence, leadership qualities and community service.
The list of 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts can be found here.
The 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts include actors, dancers, singers, classical musicians, filmmakers, visual artists, photographers and writers, and join an illustrious group of YoungArts and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts alumni, including Tony Award-nominated performer and choreographer Desmond Richardson; Los Angeles Music Center President Rachel S. Moore; novelist and National Book Award Finalist Allegra Goodman; Grammy Award-nominated violinist Jennifer Koh; Bravo's "Work of Art" winner Abdi Farah; Obie Award-winning actress Donna Lynne Champlin; and RCA Records award-winning singer-songwriter and Grammy Award-nominated artist Chris Young.
From June 24–26, the U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts will join the other 141 U.S. Presidential Scholars from across the country in Washington, D.C. for the annual National Recognition Program, during which all Scholars receive a Presidential Medallion presented on behalf of the President of the United States. On June 25, the Arts Scholars will present their work to the public at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts through a free multidisciplinary showcase directed by Tony and Grammy Award-nominated actor and singer and 1985 YoungArts Winner in Theater Michael McElroy. That evening, an exhibition of works created by the recognized photographers, visual artists and writers will also be on view in the Hall of Nations until July 1.
| Name |
Hometown, State |
School |
YoungArts Winner Year and Discipline |
| James Balo |
Miami, FL |
Design & Architecture Senior High School |
2018, Visual Arts |
| Aaron Choate |
Lexington, KY |
Lafayette Senior High School |
2018, Dance |
| Natalie Choo |
Cincinnati, OH |
Seven Hills School |
2018, Voice |
| Aidan Forster |
Taylors, SC |
South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities |
2018, Writing |
| Nathan Ginter |
Kalamazoo, MI |
Interlochen Arts Academy |
2018, Cinematic Arts |
| Elena Gonzalez |
Cutler Bay, FL |
New World School of the Arts |
2018, Theater |
| Ishmael Gonzalez |
Hialeah, FL |
New World School of the Arts |
2018, Theater |
| Jacqueline He |
San Jose, CA |
Harker School |
2017, Writing |
| David Hou |
Hawthorn Woods, IL |
Adlai E. Stevenson High School |
2018, Classical Music |
| Noah Lee |
Oakland, NJ |
Don Bosco Preparatory High School |
2017, Classical Music |
| Sanna Legan |
Los Angeles, CA |
New Roads School |
2018, Visual Arts |
| Xavier Lightfoot |
Milwaukee, WI |
Pius XI High School |
2018, Photography |
| Anilee List |
Los Angeles, CA |
Los Angeles County High School for the Arts |
2017, Voice |
| William McGregor |
Malvern, PA |
Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School |
2018, Classical Music |
| Shreyah Mohanselvan |
New Albany, OH |
Columbus Academy |
2018, Dance |
| Ameya Okamoto |
Portland, OR |
Catlin Gabel School |
2018, Visual Arts |
| Emir Price |
Dallas, TX |
Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts |
2018, Theater |
| Julian Rhee |
Brookfield, WI |
Brookfield East High School |
2018, Classical Music |
| Jace Weyant |
Clemmons, NC |
University of North Carolina School of the Arts |
2018, Dance |
| Alisha Yi |
Las Vegas, NV |
Ed W. Clark High School |
2017, Writing |
For more information, visit youngarts.org, To watch a brief video about YoungArts, click here.
For images, click here.
Media Contacts:
Heike Dempster, National YoungArts Foundation
[email protected] / 305.377.1140
Usamah Andrabi, Berlin Rosen
[email protected] / 646.992.8305
SOURCE National YoungArts Foundation
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