Call for Presidential Scholar nominations

Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr. (D-Sag Harbor) is seeking high school seniors with a record of academic achievement and community service to apply for the Presidential Scholars Program.

President Lyndon Johnson launched the program in 1964 to recognize students’ achievements.

Nominees must be high school seniors who are either United States\ citizens or legal permanent residents and be graduating between January and August of 2024.

Nominations of locals will be submitted to the New York State Education Department where Commissioner Betty Rosa will select 20 students — 10 females and 10 males — to represent the state in the national competition.

Ms. Rosa will consider factors, including involvement and service in school and the community; leadership and character; writing samples; academic achievements; heavy workload; family responsibilities and extraordinary achievement or large hurdles students may have overcome.

Ms. Rosa will also want to hear about how each applicant’s family, teachers and school administrators have helped prepare the student for success in college and career pursuits.

The commissioner is also seeking up to five student for recognition for excellence in Career and Technical Education. She will be considering academic rigor, technical competence, employability skills, ingenuity, creativity and real-world problem solving, Mr. Thiele said.

Mr. Thiele is asking each high school in his district to have one female and one male student apply for consideration as a Presidential Scholar candidate and submit a letter of not more than two pages outlining why the students should be considered for the honor.

In addition, she is seeing a CTE student as a candidate for that honor.

Letters must reach Mr. Thiele by Wednesday, Oct. 25. They can be submitted by email to [email protected] or mailed to the assemblyman at 3350 Noyac Road, Building B, Sag Harbor, N.Y. 11963.

Letters must include each student’s name, gender, home mailing address, email address and the name of the high school the student attends.

Students selected by Commissioner Rosa and other recognition organizations will receive letters in January from the Commission on Presidential Scholars and the U.S. Department of Education, inviting them to carry forward with their applications. Those who complete that step of the application process will then be considered to move on in the selection process.

The Commission on Presidential Scholars will select the 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars, who will each receive the Presidential Scholars Medallion.

For more information about the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program and the Commission on Presidential Scholars, visit the website at www.ed.gov/psp.