Anderson Weese, son of Scott Weese and Maegan Shields, has been named as a semi-finalist in the 2023 US Presidential Scholars Program, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students. “I am enormously proud of Anderson and his hard work,” Lynette Simpson, Counselor at Raton High School said. “Receiving this honor is not possible without diligence, persistence, and a true desire to seek knowledge. I wish Anderson the very best as selection continues and cannot wait to see what he accomplishes in the future.”
Each year more than 3900 candidates are identified for the academic component of the program. New Mexico then chooses the top 10 male and the 10 female students to move forward toward the nomination portion. Then, from those 10, the top 3 in each category are selected as semi-finalists. “It is truly an honor to be selected at each stage of the process.” said Lynette Simpson.
All academic candidates must submit materials to include essays, self-assessments, secondary school reports, and transcripts. A review committee of qualified individuals from the US Presidential Scholar commission then review the candidate’s academic achievement, personal characteristics, leadership, and service activities and the quality and content of their essays. Names and supporting materials of semifinalists are forwarded to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars to further review, and that Commission selects up to 121 Academic Scholars. The candidates who are selected as Presidential Scholars are honored for their accomplishments in Washington DC in June and will be awarded the Presidential Scholars Medallion at a White House ceremony.
