Brookline High School Student Wins Prestigious U.S. Presidential Scholar Award

BROOKLINE, MA — The Department of Education announced 161 students as 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholars today. Four of them hail from Massachusetts, including one from Brookline.

The award is considered one of the nation's highest honors for high school students and each scholar will receive a Presidential Scholar Medallion at a ceremony on June 18 in Washington.

Brookline High School Senior Amir Siraj was named a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, he got the email while he was running up and down the stadium stairs for crew training at Harvard University yesterday, he said.

Among his accomplishments his piano playing was recently featured on NPR; he won first prize at the Boston Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition; and is a Young Scholar of the Lang Lang International Music Foundation.

What's he most looking forward to with his latest achievement? "Performing at the Concert Hall of the Kennedy Center in D.C. at the culminating event of the National Recognition Program," he said.

“Today's Presidential Scholars are tomorrow's leaders, and I am confident they will continue to be shining examples as they enter the next phase of their academic careers," said Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

According to the White House Committee on Presidential Scholars, those selected demonstrate exceptional accomplishments in academics, the arts, career and technical education and an outstanding commitment to public service.

The awards are based on the review of each student's academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, on top of demonstrated commitment to community service, leadership, and high ideals.

More than 5,100 students qualified to be considered for the award this year. Created in 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has honored some 7,000 of the nation's top-performing students with the prestigious award given to honorees during the annual ceremony in Washington, by executive order.

The full list from Massachusetts:

Sivaram S. Emani, Newton - The Roxbury Latin School
**Alkenly S. Ortiz, Lawrence - Greater Lawrence Regional Vo-Tech HS
*Amir Siraj, Brookline - Brookline High School
Catherine L. Wang, Lexington - Lexington High School

[*] One asterisk indicates a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts
[**] Two asterisks indicates a U.S. Presidential Scholar in Career and Technical Education

Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images News/Getty Images