West has a reputation for its bright students and high test scores. Many awards and recognitions have been showered upon West and its students, and recently, six students were selected as candidates for the Presidential Scholars Program. Getting accepted into the program is one of the highest honors that a high school student can receive, and seniors Jeffrey Chang, Tiffany Chien, Ronbo Fan, Andrew Orland, Chris Sun and Alison Tsai all have a shot at becoming a Presidential Scholar.

“The Presidential Scholars Program gives me an opportunity to be honored alongside my most distinguished peers,” Fan said.

These six students are part of a small percentage of high school seniors who were selected to be nominees based on their outstanding SAT or ACT scores and will compete against the nation’s most intelligent students to become a Presidential Scholar.

“Besides it being a huge honor, it’s also an incredible experience in itself,” Sun said.

Students who are selected to be a part of the program will be invited to Washington D.C. to meet with government officials and other prominent people, as well as past Presidential Scholars.

“The most exciting part of the nomination is the possibility, if I do become a finalist, to be able to travel to Washington D.C. to meet with many other people, both students and adults,” Chang said.

In addition, finalists will be able to attend receptions and ceremonies and sightsee around D.C. They will also be awarded with the Presidential Medallion that displays their inclusion in a group that contains some of the most distinguished seniors in the country.

“I know that being a nominee is truly a great privilege,” Fan said. “I’m very excited to be able to apply to the program and have a chance to become a Presidential Scholar.”

Many of the candidates feel a sense of pride in being nominated but in Sun’s case, something a little more unique occurred.

“After seeing my name on the candidates list, one of my former elementary school friends, who now lives in a different state and was also nominated, messaged me on Facebook to wish me luck,” Sun said. “I never thought applying for this program would let me reconnect with someone from so long ago.”

The candidates also appreciate the nomination because it is an acknowledgement of their remarkable accomplishment.

To me, this confirms that effort does pay off and motivates me to continue to work as hard as I always have as I continue on to university,” Fan said. “I’m really glad that programs like this exist to recognize the efforts of students around the nation.”