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Solon student is one of four Ohio Presidential Scholars
(by Sue Hoffman - May 06, 2009)
Solon student is one of four Ohio Presidential Scholars
By SUE HOFFMAN
Kathy Qian, a senior at Solon High School, has been named a 2009 Presidential Scholar. She is one of four high school seniors in Ohio and 141 in America to win the award, which recognizes exceptional academic achievement, artistic excellence, leadership, citizenship and service at school and in the community.
"The honor of Presidential Scholar is so significant and we are very proud of Kathy's accomplishments," Solon High School Principal George Steyer said Tuesday. "Her resume of achievements at the high school level is quite extensive and demonstrates her dedication and commitment to not only her studies but to so many other extra-curricular pursuits as well."
Mr. Steyer said Kathy is the fourth student to win a Presidential Scholar award while he has been principal and the fifth in the school's history. He said the senior class also has a Principal's Leadership Award winner, Sloan Zimmerman, among 100 students selected nationally.
"To have two of the top 250 graduating seniors in the nation at one high school is amazing. We know Kathy will go on to do great things in college and throughout her career."
Presidential Scholars are selected by the 29-member Commission on Presidential Scholars appointed by the president of the United States.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the winners on Monday. The Presidential Scholars will be honored for their accomplishments in Washington, D.C., from June 20 to 24.
Kathy, a National Merit Scholarship finalist who shares with four others the class's top grade average of 4.5193, said the award was an honor and a surprise.
"They don't give you a release date for this. I was just checking my e-mail, and there it was. It's always a shock to get an e-mail from the U.S. Department of Education."
Kathy, who will study business and economics at the University of Pennsylvania, has had numerous leadership positions at Solon High School. As captain of the Future Problem Solving Team, she spearheaded an organ-donation-awareness program called "Pass the Pulse." She also has held leadership positions in mock trial, Science Olympiad, speech and debate and orchestra.
Kathy discussed what she believes set her candidacy apart from others. "When you apply to something like this, everyone has great GPAs and great SAT scores. It comes down to the essays."
In her essay, Kathy said she decided to "not talk about what you do but why you do it," in other words, "what makes you tick." She discussed how she was pushed not by her parents but "because I loved what I was doing." Her message was that people motivated by love of their work and studies will be more successful.
The 141 Presidential Scholars include 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 and 20 Presidential Scholars in the Arts.
Ohio's winners include three students chosen for their academics, including one chosen at large, and one student selected for artistic achievement. The state's other winners were two students in the Columbus area and one attending Western Reserve Academy in Hudson.
Last month 18 semifinalists were named in the state from 66 candidates originally selected on the basis of SAT and ACT exams or by nomination through a nationwide art competition.
"Every year for nearly half a century we've been honoring America's best and brightest students and every year they continue to make outstanding contributions to society while reaching milestones in their academic pursuits," Mr. Duncan said. "This year's Presidential Scholars continue that trend. They are shining examples of excellence in academics and in the arts and are role models that all students should emulate."
Since 1983, each Presidential Scholar has invited his or her most inspiring and challenging teacher to travel to Washington, D.C., to receive a teacher recognition award from the U.S. Department of Education and to participate in the recognition events.
Kathy chose to recognize Daniel McKeen, of Hinckley.
"I was one of the lucky students who had the opportunity to take Mr. McKeen's AP Computer Science course in my junior year," Kathy said. "He was an absolutely brilliant teacher who drove me to explore the deepest crevices of my reasoning skills and pushed me to code programs that were not only a solution but the most efficient, most elegant solution. He was the type of inspirational man who made me wish that I had not tested out of his intro class because a year was simply not enough to learn all he had to offer about Java, not enough to learn all he had to offer about life."
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