20 YoungArts Foundation Winners Selected as 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts

The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) congratulates the 52nd class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, announced today by U.S. Secretary of Education John King. The 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts-one of the nation's highest honors for high school students and all of whom are YoungArts Winners-were nominated to The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars for their artistic achievement, and selected based on academic and artistic accomplishments, leadership responsibilities, community service and outreach initiatives, and overall creativity. The award, presented on behalf of the President of the United States, symbolically honors graduating high school seniors of high potential and recognizes up to 161 each year as U.S. Presidential Scholars.

The 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts are actors, dancers, singers, classical musicians, visual artists, designers and writers, joining such YoungArts alumni and leaders in their fields as Tony Award-nominated performer and choreographer Desmond Richardson; Los Angeles Music Center President Rachel S. Moore; novelist and National Book Award Finalist Allegra Goodman; Grammy Award-nominated violinistJennifer Koh; BRAVO's "Work of Art" winner Abdi Farah; OBIE Award-winning actress Donna Lynne Champlin; and RCA Records award-winning singer/songwriter and Grammy Award-nominated artist Chris Young.

"This year's class of Presidential Scholars continues a more than 50 year trend of honoring students who have shown excellence in their educational, artistic and civic pursuits," said U.S. Secretary of Education John King. "Thirty years ago, the program was expanded to include students in the arts, which is critical to providing students with a well-rounded education. Now, we've added 20 more slots to honor our highest achieving students in career and technical education, reflecting the Department's belief that a quality education must be a well-rounded education that prepares students for college, careers and any other civic service."

From June 19-20, 2016 the 20 Art Scholars will join the other 140 U.S. Presidential Scholars from across the country for the National Recognition Program in Washington, D.C. During the program, all Scholars will receive a Presidential Medallion presented on behalf of the President of the United States at an award ceremony on Sunday, June 19, and participate in several other recognition activities.

On Monday, June 20 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, an exhibition of the works of the recognized visual artists and writers will be on view at the Hall of Nations. At 8:00PM in the Concert Hall, the U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts specializing in the performing arts, including dance, theater, music and voice, will participate in "A Salute to the 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars," a free public performance that celebrates all of the awardees. The multidisciplinary showcase will be directed for the second consecutive year by Debbie Allen, three-time Emmy Award-winning actress, Drama Desk Award Winner, Olivier Award Winner, actress, dancer, choreographer, director and producer, and former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

"I am thrilled to participate in this incredible program celebrating the next generation of creative leaders for a second year," said Debbie Allen. "As a YoungArts master teacher and former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, I know the value the arts have in influencing, uplifting and changing lives. These young people are our future. I look forward to working with this year's Scholars and to helping them share their talents with the public."

The 2016 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts are:

Name	School City, State	School	YoungArts Winner Year and Discipline
Jared Brown	Dallas, TX	Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts	2016 YoungArts Winner in Dance/Modern
Victoria Canal Tinius	Gümligen, Bern, Switzerland	International School of Berne	2015 YoungArts Winner in Voice/Singer/Song Writer
Ruwanthi Ekanayake	Rolling Hills Estates, CA	Palos Verdes Peninsula High School	2016 YoungArts Winner in Writing/Creative Non-Fiction
Diana Eusebio	Miami, FL	Design and Architecture Senior High	2016 YoungArts Winner in Design Arts
Zlatomir Fung	Brattleboro, VT	Oak Meadow School	2016 YoungArts Winner in Music/Violoncello
Lydia Graham	Danville, KY	Danville High School	2015 YoungArts Winner in Voice/Soprano
Lauryn Hobbs	Shaker Heights, OH	Shaker Heights High School	2016 YoungArts Winner in Theater
Katerina McCrimmon	Miami, FL	New World School of the Arts	2016 YoungArts Winner in Theater
Pavithra Nagarajan	Fremont, CA	American High School	2016 YoungArts Winner in Dance/Classical Indian
Dario Natarelli	New York, NY	Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts	2016 YoungArts Winner in Dance/Tap
Isabella Nilsson	Shaker Heights, OH	Hathaway Brown School	2016 YoungArts Winner in Writing/Short Story
Aubree Oliverson	West Jordan, UT	Mountain Heights Academy	2016 YoungArts Winner in Music/Violin
Rachel Page	Washington, D.C.	Woodrow Wilson High School	2016 YoungArts Winner in Writing/Short Story
Zachary Rapaport	West Palm Beach, FL	Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts	2015 YoungArts Winner in Visual Arts
Ben Ross	Santa Monica, CA	Santa Monica High School	2016 YoungArts Winner in Theater
Audrey Spensley	Avon Lake, OH	Avon Lake High School	2015 YoungArts Winner in Writing/Poetry
Sean Stack	Miami, FL	New World School of the Arts	2015 YoungArts Winner in Theater
Kaylin Sturtevant	Dallas, TX	Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts	2016 YoungArts Winner in Dance/Modern
Cornelius Tulloch	Miami, FL	Design and Architecture Senior High	2016 YoungArts Winner in Visual Arts & Design Arts
Nadia Wolff	Miami, FL	Design and Architecture Senior High	2016 YoungArts Winner in Visual Arts & Design Arts

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