GRAND FORKS – Two Grand Forks students have been selected to receive one of the highest awards given to the most outstanding high school seniors in the country.
Grand Forks Central High School student Hanson Du and Red River High School student Serena Wu have been selected as U.S. Presidential Scholars for North Dakota.
Two students from each state are selected each year to be recognized for outstanding academic achievement, and students may also be selected in the Career and Technical Education and Arts program categories.
Federal records show that never before in the past 11 years has the Grand Forks area had two recipients selected in the same year.
“These two North Dakota students coming from Grand Forks Public Schools is unprecedented and to my knowledge has never happened before in our district,” said Eric Ripley, executive director of career technical education and technology for Grand Forks Public Schools.
Wu and Du are among 121 students from across the country to receive the Presidential Scholar award, he said. Additionally, 20 students were selected in the Career and Technical Education category and 20 in the Arts category. Teagan Elbel, a senior at Napoleon (North Dakota) High School, was named a Presidential Scholar in the Career and Technical Education category.
Both Wu and Du, Class of ’24, will be attending Harvard University this fall, where Du plans to major in economics and Wu plans to major in biomedical engineering.
The Presidential Scholar award is “a reward for all the hard work I put in during my high school years,” said Wu, who was a dedicated robotics student, played violin in the school orchestra and participated in track and field, among other activities.
She said she was impressed by the message included in the award that the recipients “represent the future of all high school students” and that “our generation will be the next generation to change society.”
Being selected as a Presidential Scholar “is definitely a really big honor,” Du said, “I'm very grateful, and it encourages me to continue striving for excellence.”
Du's younger brother, Dennis, was a Presidential Scholar in his senior year at Grand Forks Central High School in 2021. Dennis Du is attending Harvard University, where he is studying computer science.
Hanson Do said he was inspired by his older brother: “I always looked up to him.”
He called his brother a “role model” and said, “My parents encouraged me. … I'm thankful to all the people who helped me get to this point.”
Wu and Du said they have been influenced and encouraged by their parents and teachers, and Ripley said they have participated in advanced placement and CTE course options, extracurricular activities and leadership opportunities at school.
Wu credits science educator Joseph Ostgarden, her VEX Robotics and Advanced Placement Chemistry teacher, as a key mentor during her high school years.
Wu’s many accomplishments include being named the 2023 RRHS Outstanding Student, serving as president of the VEX Robotics Club, co-captain of the Science Olympiad, and winning multiple first place, individual and team awards at the UND Math Track Meet and Science Olympiad. She is a three-time state champion in VEX Robotics and a state champion in the Health Occupations Students of America competition, Skills-USA and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).
Wu serves on her school’s leadership council and is active in Girls Who Code, Science Bowl and the Northern Valley Youth Orchestra.
The first girl to earn the Eagle Scout title in Grand Forks Wu is a member of BSA Scouts Troop 130G. As a community project, he designed and built a nature trail on the north side of the East Grand Forks campground.
She has her sights set on becoming a doctor.
“I've always been interested in medicine,” says Wu, the daughter of doctors, “and my parents encouraged it.” Her father is a psychiatrist at Artur Health System. Her mother died of cancer six years ago, at age 43, she said. “It's ironic, because she was an oncologist. And the lives she could have saved, I want to follow in her footsteps.”
She hasn't decided on a specific specialty yet.
“I've become very interested in cardiology lately,” she says, but “I'm only 18, so my interests could change.”
Du serves as a member of Superintendent Baesler's Student Cabinet, a group of 25 students from across North Dakota that meets regularly to provide advice and suggestions to the superintendent on how to improve the state's education system.
He also said he received encouragement and support from his business education teachers, including Trevor Lennon and Megan Sullivan, and his interest in business was nurtured by his school's FBLA club advisors.
Du served as Vice President of the Student Council at Grand Forks Central, served as President of the FBLA chapter at Grand Forks Central, North Dakota FBLA State Vice President and is a member of the National FBLA Executive Committee. Du has been an AP Distinguished Scholar, National Distinguished Scholar Semifinalist, FBLA, State Tennis, Science Bowl and Scholastic Chess State Champion.
He was selected for the All-State Choir and earned a perfect score of 36 on the ACT exam, Ripley said.
Doe is also active in the community, volunteering as a coach for the Grand Forks Public Library's chess club, for example.
“Basically I work with a lot of people, mostly kids but sometimes adults too, and it's a lot of fun,” he said, “and FBLA also puts a lot of emphasis on community service.”
“It is an incredible honor to have two Presidential Scholars from the same school district in the same year, and a notable achievement to have two students from the same area earn one of the most prestigious national honors a high school student can earn,” Baesler said.
“The U.S. Presidential Scholars program is highly competitive. … Students like Serena and Hanson are recognized for their academic excellence, artistic talent, leadership and civic qualities, and service and contributions to their schools and communities,” Grand Forks Public Schools Superintendent Terry Brenner said.
“Our whole district is very proud of them,” Brenner said.
“Having two students selected in the same year from the same school district demonstrates that our district has excellent educational resources and a strong culture that values academic and extracurricular excellence,” he said. “Being selected as a U.S. Presidential Scholar is an incredible accomplishment. This prestigious honor is a testament to Selena and Hanson's motivation, determination and drive, as well as the support of their families.”
Other area students have been named Presidential Scholars in the past. Last year, Grand Forks Central High School student Kaylee Kirkby was named a Presidential Scholar in Career and Technical Education.
In 2021, Ellen Gregoire, a senior at Larimore Public Schools in Larimore, North Dakota, received the honor. In 2017, Evan Welsh, a senior at Grand Forks Central High School, was named a Presidential Scholar in Career and Technical Education.
In 2003, Stephanie Brockman of Grand Forks-Red River was named a Presidential Scholar.
Since 2003, Fargo School District is the only North Dakota school district to have two students named Presidential Scholars in a single year: in 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2013.
