Orlando high school student selected as U.S. Presidential Scholar
Freedom High School's Sharanya Chatterjee is one of 161 scholarship recipients nationwide
Updated: May 21, 2024 10:16 AM EDT
Florida's Presidential Scholars have been named by the U.S. Secretary of Education, and one of them attends Freedom High School right here in Orlando. Sharanya Chatterjee joins us now as one of those scholars. Congratulations, Oceans. Thank you very much. What an amazing accomplishment! You must be very proud. I was very excited when I found out about it. Yes, thank you very much. So what does it mean to be a Presidential Scholar? What does it mean? Yes, I mean, it was chosen by the U.S. Department of Education. Of the 3.7 million high school students, 161 are high school students. That's a lot. yeah yeah. Well, these people are selected as United States Presidential Scholars and receive a letter from President Biden. And then there's the letter that we show to the viewers at home who are watching right now. This is the letter you received from the president. What did it mean to you when it arrived in the mail? I mean, it just felt so good. Like when I got the email, I literally cried and screamed and hugged my math teacher. Kramer and my English teacher, Miss Cam. And we just celebrated together. Winning this award meant a lot to me. Please provide details such as GPA and test scores. I mean, obviously everything has to be pretty high to receive something like this, right? I mean, he got perfect scores on the SAT and ACT, and he also got perfect scores on three of his AP exams. . In BC, California, I was one of 16 people in the world. AP English is next with 1 out of 22 students and AP Computer Science with 1 out of 369 students. congratulations. oh. Your mom and dad are here, and I'm sure you're all very proud, as are you. And I'm sure. And all your achievements will also be displayed on the screen. Well, let me join the scholarship program. How does that work? Eh, sorry. what? Scotia. How do I receive the Presidential Scholarship? Yes. I mean, I was initially selected as a candidate by the U.S. Department of Education, but then I had to go through a very long application process, and my teachers were there to support me through it. Well, he's a wonderful principal. Franz also helped me with that. And then I was selected as a semi-semi-finalist. When I found out about it, I was so excited and thought, “Oh my god.” Then select her 161 finalists from the United States among the semi-finalists. Understood. It's actually quite a process as well. yes. Understood. So families watching this at home will think, “Okay, we've got a great student.'' What advice would you give to parents who are looking to move forward, or students who want to follow a similar path to yours, and parents who want to help make that happen? I mean, I was very lucky. My parents are amazing and my school, Freedom High School, has been really supportive of me and everything I do. But all I'm saying is, don't be afraid to try new things, step out of your comfort zone, and try things that you don't think are interesting to you. Because I know that's what made me want to major in computer science at Columbia University. That's how I realized that what I wanted to do was try new things and try things like programming. That's great advice. I know I've shown you this already, but if you could see it on screen again, what are some other accomplishments you had during your high school years? Do you have any other highlights besides this award? Hmm, certainly. I got a perfect score on my AP exam. I also got to play the flute solo at Carnegie Hall. It's really exciting. Um, and then I won the President's Volunteer Service Award three times. Well, it was truly incredible. How important is it to you to give back the service? And we're sure it's special for you too. absolutely. So I was very lucky because Miss Asbell, the director of the Orlando Mathematics Circle, really supported me and gave me the opportunity to join the OMSI leadership team. Well, that's very important to me. Because my job is like giving back to the community by helping teach math, math classes, etc. to young girls in the community. Well, especially because I didn't have as much access to math enrichment as younger girls. It was very good. Giving back is really important to me. Understood? The interview is almost over. Last question here. What happens next? Where are you heading? Charania. yes. So, I got into MIT in Columbia. I'm very excited because I'm going to Columbia to study computer science and applied mathematics. I would like to become a scientific researcher and do research such as computational biology to help people around the world with health problems and develop solutions through mathematics. wonderful. congratulations.Thank you for visiting us.
Orlando senior named U.S. Presidential Scholar
Sharanya Chatterjee of Freedom High School is one of 161 scholarship recipients nationwide.
Updated: May 21, 2024 10:16 AM EDT
ORLANDO, Fla. – Sharanya Chatterjee of Freedom High School has been named a 2024 Presidential Scholar by the U.S. Department of Education. Ms. Chatterjee is one of 161 American high school seniors selected for the 60th anniversary of the United States Presidential Scholars Program. . She was accepted to Columbia University and plans to study computer science and applied mathematics. Chatterjee has a list of other accomplishments, including perfect scores on the SAT and ACT, and she is one of 16 students worldwide to get a perfect score on the Advanced Placement Calculus BC test. , the other she also got two perfect her AP scores. She is also a National Distinguished Scholar, an OCPS Super Scholar, has earned the nation's highest score among all woodwinds on the Royal Academy of Music's flute exams (twice), and has received the President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) three times. doing. Over 1,200 hours of community service. The Class of 2024 Presidential Scholars will be recognized for their outstanding achievements in an online recognition program this summer.
Orlando, Florida – Sharanya Chatterjee of Freedom High School has been selected as a 2024 Presidential Scholar by the U.S. Department of Education.
Chatterjee is one of 161 American high school seniors selected to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. She was accepted to Columbia University and plans to study computer science and applied mathematics.
Chatterjee has a list of other accomplishments, including perfect scores on the SAT and ACT, and is one of 16 students around the world to have received a perfect score on the Advanced Placement Calculus BC test, as well as two others. He also received 2 perfect AP scores. She is also a National Distinguished Scholar, an OCPS Super Scholar, has earned the nation's highest score among all woodwinds on the Royal Academy of Music's flute exams (twice), and has received the President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) three times. doing. Over 1,200 hours of community service.
The Class of 2024 Presidential Scholars will be recognized for their outstanding achievements in an online recognition program this summer.
