Four Iowa high school students have been named as part of the 59th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, which is one of the highest honors for high school students in the United States. The program recognizes up to 161 high school seniors from across the country for their achievements in academics, arts, and career and technical education fields. Iowa’s U.S. Presidential Scholars are Eshaan S. Chandani from Johnston High School, Claire Gu from Valley High School, Tejas Kishan Gururaja from Linn-Mar High School, and Alaina Marie Whittington from Diagonal Junior-Senior High School. The students were selected based on their academic success, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership and commitment to high ideals. The Presidential Scholars Class of 2023 will be recognized for their achievement this summer with an online program. The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has honored over 8,000 of the nation’s top-performing students since its creation in 1964.