San Angelo Central Senior Named to U.S. Presidential Scholars Program

SAN ANGELO,  TX – San Angelo ISD and Central High School proudly celebrate Bobcat senior Aryan Shaik who was named as a candidate in the prestigious 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, one of 163 students in the state, one of only three in West Texas and the only candidate in the Concho Valley area. Aryan joins more than 5,000 scholars candidates nationwide selected from the nearly 3.6 million students expected to graduate from U.S. high schools in 2022.

“CHS is proud of Aryan and this incredible accomplishment!  He represents all that our motto of ‘Central Can!’ stands for,” said CHS Principal Bill Waters. “He is a true ambassador for our school!  He is an outstanding young scholar that truly has earned this recognition.” 

Inclusion in the program is one of the highest honors bestowed upon graduating high school seniors nationally. Aryan and fellow scholar candidates are selected on the basis of superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character and involvement in community and school activities. Not one to shy away from hard work, Aryan is currently balancing an intense course load at CHS of College Board Advanced Placement and Dual Credit courses including AP/Dual Credit English 4, AP Statistics, AP Environmental Science, AP/Dual Credit Physics 2, AP Computer Science and AP Computer Science Principles. AP/Dual Credit courses provide students the chance to tackle college-level work while still in high school and earn college credit and placement. He will also ‘challenge’ for two additional AP courses meaning he will independently study subject matter in preparation for taking tests for the two additional subject matter areas. 

“If you can put aside time to do the work, to keep working toward your classes and stick with it, you’ll be a success,” said Aryan. “AP courses in general are fulfilling because they give you a chance to show what you’ve learned, earn credit for work you’ve done over the past year and save money in college.” He expressed appreciation to SAISD for offering AP and Dual Credit courses, and hopes to enter college with 70 to 80 credit hours as a result of his hard work and the classes. 

Aryan exemplifies the attributes of the SAISD Learner Profile as a critical thinker, collaborator, creator and communicator. He scored exceptionally high scores on his SAT and ACT tests, is highly active in UIL Academics, holds the office of President for the CHS Chapter of the National Honor Society, and was a member of CHS Varsity Tennis Team his freshman through junior year. Aryan attributes his success and candidacy to the program in part to his time management skills, inspiration from his parents and a cohesive, supportive effort from all of his teachers throughout his high school and middle school experience in SAISD. 

“I was genuinely surprised to learn I was a candidate for the U.S. Scholars Program. My parents were surprised as well due to the nature of it being really hard,” said Aryan. “Advice I would give to other students to be successful is communicating with teachers. SAISD has amazing teachers. In my four years at Central and in middle school, if I needed a tutorial, they would support me.”

Aryan is passionate about his UIL Academic Team participation. He started with math his freshman year and then expanded to science, earning awards like First Place Overall in Science, Top Chemistry and Top Physics scores, and most recently in an Academic Meet in Abilene, placing first in two categories and third in a category at an Academic Meet in San Antonio. He competes both individually and on a CHS UIL team. In May of his junior year, 2021, Aryan placed first in the 11th grade division at the Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering (TAME) STEM Science Competition. Aryan reflects on his UIL, NHS, and tennis experiences as combining to help him get where he is today, noting aspects like hard work, collaborating with UIL teammates and fellow NHS board members, and instilling determination and persistence.

After tossing his cap this May at the CHS Class of 2022 Graduation Ceremony, Aryan plans to attend a four-year Texas college to major in a science like biology or physics as a step toward a longer term plan to attend medical school. He is not sure yet what type of medicine he would like to practice, but is dedicated to the medical field, saying, “I love the combination of service with science that comes into play with medicine. I love community service and giving back to the community.” 

Following his selection as a candidate, a distinguished panel of educators will review candidate applications to select semifinalists for the 58th class of U.S Presidential Scholars who will be announced mid-April, with the final Scholars announced this May. 

San Angelo ISD extends proud congratulations to Aryan, and commends his dedication to hard work, continued learning and community service, while exemplifying the attributes of the SAISD Learner Profile. We look forward to seeing his hopes and dreams take flight. SAISD also thanks our committed SAISD educators who have helped him along his educational journey from middle school to high school to develop and cultivate his talents in celebration of all the ways students are smart.

To stay up-to-date on San Angelo ISD, please visit the SAISD website at www.saisd.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

More About the U.S. Scholars Program

The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by Executive Order of the President to recognize some of our nation’s most distinguished graduating seniors for their accomplishments in many areas: academic success, leadership, and service to school and community. It was expanded in 1979 to recognize students demonstrating exceptional scholarship and talent in the visual, creative, and performing arts. In 2015, the program was expanded once again to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical fields.  To see the full list of 2022 Candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program click here.

Annually, up to 161 U.S. Presidential Scholars are chosen from among that year’s senior class, representing excellence in education and the promise of greatness in America’s youth. A distinguished panel of educators will review these submissions and select approximately 600 semifinalists in early April. The Commission on Presidential Scholars, a group of up to 32 eminent citizens appointed by the President, will select the finalists, and the U.S. Department of Education will announce the Scholars in May. U.S. Presidential Scholars are honored for their accomplishments during the National Recognition Program each June. To commemorate their achievement, the Scholars are awarded the Presidential Scholars Medallion.

Since 1964, this unique federal program has honored almost 8,000 U.S. Presidential Scholars, who have demonstrated scholarship, leadership, artistic excellence and selfless service to others. The work of the Commission on Presidential Scholars, on behalf of the President and his Administration, reflects recognition of the immense value and potential of our Nation’s youth, and a deep commitment to ensuring that every child in America receives the benefits of a world-class education.