Fullerton Student Wins National Honor

Eight California high school seniors, including one from Orange County, were among 141 students nationwide who on Friday were named Presidential Scholars.

Jae K. Kang of Sunny Hills High School in Fullerton was among 121 selected on the basis of academic achievement, leadership, character and “commitment to high ideals,” the U.S. Department of Education said in announcing the annual awards. Twenty others were chosen for their accomplishments in the performing or creative arts.

The Presidential Scholars will visit Washington for a week next month and will receive medallions at a White House ceremony. They will each also receive $1,000.

The 27-year-old Presidential Scholars program annually honors two students from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and from U.S. families living abroad. Fifteen additional students may be picked at large.

Students are invited to become candidates based on Scholastic Aptitude Test or American College Test scores. Arts candidates are selected with help from the Miami-based National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Candidates are asked to submit essays, self-assessments, school transcripts and recommendations.

Other Presidential Scholars from California are Matthew T. Rushing of Los Angeles, Michelle M. Kim and Anders D. Martinson of Santa Monica, Dolores Bozovic of Palo Alto, Marisa A. DeSalles of Sacramento, and John D. Owens and Gregory S. Yap of Los Gatos.