By Krista Roberts
Staff Writer
In the midst of the college application season for high school seniors, two Mira Costa students were nominated for an award that challenges the prestige of even the most impressive college acceptance letters.
In early February, Mira Costa seniors DJ Stanfill and Riley Thomasson were announced as semifinalists for the Presidential Scholar Award. The United States Presidential Scholars Program honors some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors.
Each year, up to 141 students are named as Presidential scholars. Though Thomasson was nominated for the academic merit and Stanfill for musical merit, both have shown talent and dedication in all that they have done.
“Riley was selected for the award based on his ACT and SAT performance, while DJ was chosen through the YoungARTS program, “ Principal Ben Dale said.
Thomasson was one of the 3,000 national candidates identified for the academic component of the program, based on having scored exceptionally well on the SAT or the ACT. Approximately 20 females and 20 males were selected as candidates from each state to be considered as one of the 500 semifinalists.
For the arts component of the program, students are initially selected based on their artistic ability through YoungARTS, a national program that identifies and recognizes young people who have demonstrated excellence in the arts.
“I was chosen to attend YoungARTS week in Miami, Florida, where I was adjudicated and interviewed by a panel of judges,” Stanfill said. “After the YoungARTS week, 60 of the 150 of us were nominated to become Presidential scholars.”
With the help of their counselor Sue Bertran, Stanfill and Thomasson submitted candidacy materials for review. To pick the semifinalists, a review committee of qualified individuals evaluated the candidates based on their academic achievement in school, personal characteristics, leadership and community service activities and the quality and content of their college essays.
“Though the process is confidential, I basically answered general information about them, including information about their GPA’s, AP classes taken, AP scores, and answered a series of essay-type questions about them,” Bertran said.
These included essay questions about their leadership skills and evidence of strong character in school and in extra curriculars after school.
“I worked with both Riley and DJ, as well as their teachers to make sure they were presented as top-notch applicants. I want to do everything I can to help these students get the award. I just think of it more as a labor of love,” Bertran said.
Bertran discussed the completed service work each student had done to answer the question on leadership and character. Both Stanfill and Thomasson have participated in Boy Scouts since elementary school and have completed Eagle Scout projects.
“I’ve recently completed my Eagle project, renovating the Roundhouse Aquarium at the Manhattan Beach Pier,” Stanfill said. “The work itself wasn’t as arduous as the planning; the project proposal took me over a year to plan and complete. The volunteers and I completed items in my backyard to be installed in the Roundhouse, where they still are being put to use today.”
Thomasson focused on his extracurricular interests for his Eagle Scout project. He constructed and made a set of 10 custom rolling uniform carts for the Mira Costa Marching Band, of which he is the drum captain.
“The project itself was planned for several months, took place over three weekends, involved over 30 volunteers from Scouts and the community and eventually racked up over 500 man-hours,” Thomasson said. “The carts are still in use today.”
Stanfill has been a musician his whole life, and plays the piano and trombone in addition to singing. He is the leader of the tenor section in vocal ensemble, which he has been a member of all four years at Mira Costa.
“DJ’s work ethic is at the collegiate level, certainly approaching professional,” choir director Michael Hayden said. “He understands the effort it takes to get a job done.”
Likewise, Thomasson has been in band since third grade and has played percussion since fifth. He joined wind ensemble, the top band at Mira Costa, when he was a sophomore, and became a section leader during his junior year. Thomasson also plays in the symphony orchestra.
“In marching band, I play the tenor drums, and I’ve been section leader for the past two years,” Thomasson said. “There’s also a percussion studio, which sort of takes marching band’s place after the season ends in December. We will hold a percussion concert in May featuring a ton of all-percussion literature.”
In April, the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars reviews the applications of all semifinalists and applies the same criteria used by the review committee. The Commission will select up to 121 academic scholars and up to 20 arts scholars.
All scholars are honored for their accomplishments during the program’s national recognition events, held in June in Washington, D.C. During this trip, Presidential scholars enjoy an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with government officials, educators, authors, musicians, scientists and the President of the United States.
“Meeting the President, spending a week in Washington, D.C. and hanging out with the nation’s brightest students, what an amazing dream. That would truly be one of the most amazing experiences so far in my life,” Thomasson said.
To commemorate their achievement, the scholars are awarded the Presidential scholars medallion at a ceremony sponsored by the White House.
“I’m extremely excited to be nominated as a Presidential Scholar,” Stanfill said. “Even receiving a nomination is such a huge honor that I never would have expected to receive.”
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