YoungArts Announces The 2022 U.S Presidential Scholars In The Arts

YoungArts congratulates the 58th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, with special acknowledgement to the 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts (full list below) who are YoungArts award winners and were nominated for the honor by YoungArts. The U.S. Presidential Scholars award-one of the nation's highest honors for high school students who exemplify academic excellence, leadership qualities and community service-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. Students who would like to be considered for U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts must be YoungArts award winners. Applications for the 2023 YoungArts competition will open on June 7, 2022 at youngarts.org/competition.

The 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts are:
Name	Hometown City, State		School	YoungArts Winner Year and Discipline
Ayana Askew	Norfolk, VA		Booker T. Washington Senior High School	Writing, 2022
Caroline Berthin	Miami, FL		Design and Architecture Senior High School	Visual Arts, 2022
Joshua Brown	Interlochen, MI		Interlochen Arts Academy	Theater, 2022
Quoc Bui	Fargo, ND		Interlochen Arts Academy	Visual Arts, 2021
Madeleine Case	Woodland Hills, CA		Viewpoint School	Writing, 2022
Zoe Goldemberg	Miami Beach, FL		Design and Architecture Senior High School	Design Arts, 2022
Grace Gramins	Bronxville, NY		Bronxville High School	Voice, 2022
Isabella Gueck	Grand Prairie, TX		Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy	Voice, 2022
Anya Jiménez	Brooklyn, NY		Professional Performing Arts School	Writing, 2022
Maya Koenig	Arlington, VA		Washington-Liberty High School	Film, 2022
Stella Lei	Paoli, PA		Conestoga High School	Writing, 2022
Jordin MacKenzie	Leawood, KS		Blue Valley North High School	Voice, 2022
Tomek Marczewski	Dallas, TX		The St. Mark's School of Texas	Design Arts, 2022
Ella Reaugh	Lucas, TX		Lovejoy High School	Visual Arts, 2022
Eason Rytter	New York, NY		Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts	Theater, 2022
Malavika Singh	Salt Lake City, UT		West High School	Dance, 2022
Reva Srivastava	Fremont, CA		Mission San Jose High School	Dance, 2022
Miye Sugino	La Cañada Flintridge, CA		La Cañada High School	Visual Arts, 2022
Kailey Worontsoff	Wellington, FL		Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts	Dance, 2020
Sean Yu	Rye, NY		Rye High School	Classical Music, 2022

Lauren Snelling, artistic director of YoungArts, said, "The 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts demonstrate both a dedication to academic achievement and a commitment to creativity in mediums spanning the visual, literary and performing arts. YoungArts is incredibly proud to celebrate these young artists today and to amplify their innovative perspectives as they grow to become the arbiters of our nation's cultural compass tomorrow."

"Our 2022 Presidential Scholars represent the best of America, and remind us that when empowered by education, there are no limits to what our young people can achieve," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "Today, I join President Biden to celebrate a class of scholars whose pursuit of knowledge, generosity of spirit, and exceptional talents bring our nation tremendous pride. Throughout one of the most trying periods in our nation's history and amid our recovery from the pandemic, our students have once again demonstrated their strength and that they have so much to contribute to our country. Thanks to them, I know America's future is bright."

The first step to becoming a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts is to apply to YoungArts, which is the nominating agency for this honor. To be eligible for the YoungArts program, applicants must be 15-18 years old or in high school grades 10-12. To be further considered for a nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, applicants must be high school seniors and meet all of the U.S. Presidential Scholars requirements.

YoungArts award winners demonstrating excellence in the performing, visual or literary arts are selected annually through a blind adjudication process. This year, 720 YoungArts award winners were selected. In January, 157 Finalists from across the nation were invited to National YoungArts Week+, where they participated in a week of intensive virtual classes and workshops with internationally renowned artists.

During National YoungArts Week+, eligible participants are further evaluated, award levels are determined, and nominations are made for that year's U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts candidates. After a rigorous selection process, YoungArts nominates 60 candidates for an invitation to apply to the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Finally, the Commission on Presidential Scholars selects 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts each year.

In 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established by executive order of President Lyndon B. Johnson to recognize and honor the nation's top graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrated talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields.

Scholars are selected annually by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, appointed by the President, based on academic achievement, personal characteristics, leadership and service activities, and writing ability. This year, about 5,000 candidates qualified for the 2022 program determined by outstanding performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams, through nominations made by Chief State School Officers, or other partner recognition programs or YoungArts.

Since its inception, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has honored almost 8,000 of the nation's high-performing students. U.S. Presidential Scholars are honored for their accomplishments during the National Recognition Program each June. To commemorate their achievement, the Scholars are awarded the Presidential Scholars Medallion.

The 161 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars are comprised of one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large, 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, and 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in Career and Technical Education.

YoungArts was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison to identify the most accomplished young artists in the visual, literary and performing arts and provide them with creative and professional development opportunities throughout their careers. Entrance into this prestigious organization starts with a highly competitive application process for talented artists ages 15-18, or grades 10-12 in the United States. Applications are adjudicated through a rigorous blind process by esteemed discipline-specific panels of artists. All YoungArts award winners receive financial awards and the chance to learn from notable artists such as Debbie Allen, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Germane Barnes, Wynton Marsalis, Salman Rushdie and Mickalene Thomas.

YoungArts award winners are further eligible for exclusive opportunities including: nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, one of the nation's highest honors for high school seniors; a wide range of creative development support including fellowships, residencies and awards; professional development programs offered in partnership with major institutions nationwide; additional financial support; and access to YoungArts Post, a private, online portal for YoungArts artists to connect, share their work and discover new opportunities.

Past YoungArts award winners include Daniel Arsham, Terence Blanchard, Camille A. Brown, Timothée Chalamet, Viola Davis, Amanda Gorman, Judith Hill, Jennifer Koh, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Andrew Rannells, Desmond Richardson and Hunter Schafer.

For more information, visit youngarts.org.