Nine Arkansas semifinalists named in 2025 Presidential Scholars Program
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The U.S. Department of Education has announced nine Arkansas-based students have been selected as semifinalists for the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.
According to a letter to Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva, the nine students selected as semifinalists come from a field of 621 students nationwide.
The Arkansas students who were selected are:
Taylor Matthew Conran – Farmington High School
Nideaya E. Fassler – Russellville High School
Xavier Christopher Herzig – Alma High School
Scarlet Moore Hudgins – Elkins High School
Prerana R. Kodakandla – Bentonville High School
Siddhartha R. Milkuri – Bentonville High School
Aubrey Scherer – Rogers Heritage High School
Sylvia Ann Smith – Fayetteville High School East Campus
Yahya Younus – Little Rock Central High School
Department of Education officials said that the final selection will be made in the coming months for high school seniors who will be named as the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars, and the names will be announced by U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has honored over 8,200 of the nation's top-performing students since its 1964 inception.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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