Keith Hayashi, the superintendent of the State of Hawaii's Department of Education, announced that Kealakehe High School senior Kea Kahoilua-Clebsch has been named by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona as one of two Hawaii scholars in the 58th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars.
According to the Hawaii State Department of Education, this year’s class honored 161 high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, career and technical education fields.
“A huge congratulations to Kea on this extremely prestigious national recognition,” Hayashi said, according to the Hawaii State Department of Education. “Kea’s achievements are so impressive, and her level of academic motivation and dedication are inspiring."
Kahoilua-Clebsch was one of six Hawaii semifinalists for the award and the only semifinalist currently enrolled in a Hawaii public school. Kahoilua-Clebsch has achieved a cumulative grade point average of 4.316, taking 14 advanced placement (AP) courses and four college courses during the course of her high school academic career. She has a scholarship to Stanford University in California, where she intends to major in ethnic studies with a minor in fine arts.
The U.S. Presidential Scholars program has been in existence since 1964. Since then, almost 8,000 high school graduates have been honored. In 1979, the program began including graduates who had been successful in the visual, literary and performing arts. In 2015, the program began including students who have shown talent in career or technical education fields.
The students will be honored with an online program this year. U.S. citizens living in foreign nations were also eligible to be honored with the award.