Andy Parchman named Presidential Scholar

Parchman, who will be attending Harvard in the fall, was one of a group selected from more than 2,700 candidates on the basis of superior academic achievements, leadership qualities, personal character, and involvement in community and school activities.

Final selection of the Scholars was made by the Commission on Presidential Scholars, a group of eminent citizens appointed by the President. The commission selects one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia , Puerto Rico, and U.S. students living abroad; up to 20 students representing the visual, literary and performing arts; and 15 students at-large. A Baltimore native, Parchman is representing the state of Maryland .

Scholars will be invited to Washington , D.C. , June 23-27 to receive the Presidential Scholars medallion at a recognition ceremony and to participate in various activities and events held in their honor. Fred Haase, an economics and history instructor at the Academies, will also be invited because Parchman cited him as an influential figure in academic career. Haase will be honored with the Teacher Recognition Award, given during a special reception.

Parchman and fellow senior Megan Millard, of Greer, S.C.,  were two of the 508 semifinalists in the program’s academic component initially selected for their exceptional performance on either the College Board SAT or the ACT Assessment. Semifinalists were chosen by a panel of distinguished educators after a review of students’ essays, self-assessments, descriptions of activities, school recommendations, and school transcripts.

Parchman and Millard, Marisa Gilmore (San Juan, P.R.) and Cynthia Shi ( Austin, Texas ) were selected by the program as this year’s Presidential Scholars Program candidates from Culver.