Semifinalist From Big Island Named US Presidential Scholar

Lysha Matsunobu, a student at Parker School in Waimea, has been named a 2014 US Presidential Scholar.

Matsunobu will join Matthew Beattie-Callahan of Iolani School on Oahu and the other 139 Presidential Scholars for a ceremony to be held June 22-25 in Washington DC.

The program, established by a presidential executive order in 1964, recognizes some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors.

“The extraordinary young men and women being honored for the 50th anniversary of the Presidential Scholars have excelled in their educational, artistic and civic pursuits,” Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in announcing the winners.

The scholars consist of one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and from US families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large. There are also 20 US Presidential Scholars chosen on the basis of scholarship in the visual or performing arts or creative writing.

Of this year’s 565 semifinalists, six were from Hawaii including Matsunobu, the only one from the Big Island.

More than 3,900 candidates qualified for the program this year based on their performance in SAT and ACT exams, and through nominations by chief state school officials or the YoungArts competition.

Information on the program and its winners is available here.