Two Rye High Seniors are Candidates for US Presidential Scholars Program

Two Rye High school seniors are candidates for the United States Presidential Scholars Program. The United States Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by Executive Order of the President, to recognize and honor some of our Nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors.

School officials were notified by letter that seniors Andrew Chun and Kiran M. Gounden-Kobes are part of a candidate selection of approximately 4,000 general program candidates, for the most part, made based on SAT and ACT scores. Locally, the school district will be recognizing Chun and Gounden-Kobes with Rye Recognition of Excellence awards in March.

Application is by invitation only; therefore, students may not apply individually to the Program, nor may their schools nominate them. Approximately 650 candidates are named semifinalists and forwarded to the Commission on Presidential Scholars for further review. In April, the Commission on Presidential Scholars reviews the applications of all semifinalists and selects up to 161 U.S Presidential Scholars each year. U.S Presidential Scholars are awarded the U.S. Presidential Scholars medallion each June.