Two Nebraska high schoolers named 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars

WASHINGTON (WOWT) - Two Nebraska high school students have been named U.S. Presidential Scholars for 2024.

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced Thursday the selection of 161 high school seniors for their academic and career accomplishments. Among them are Christina Xu of Lincoln East High School and Mark Bausch of Creighton Prep in Omaha.

The selections are comprised of two students per state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico and American families living abroad. 15 more are chosen at-large, along with 20 scholars in the arts and 20 scholars in career and technical education. Over 5,700 candidates qualified for the awards this year based on outstanding performance on the SAT or ACT exams or through being nominated by chief state school officers, YoungArts and other partner organizations.

The program has honored over 8,200 students since its inception in 1964. This year’s honorees will be recognized this summer with an online program.