Princeton High Senior Victoria Gebert Is Named U.S. Presidential Scholar

Gebert
Gebert

Princeton High School senior Victoria Gebert  is the recipient of a 2015 United States Presidential Scholars Award, according to an announcement this week by the U.S. Department of Education.

The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, appointed by President Obama, selects top-performing high school seniors for the award based on such factors as academic success, artistic excellence, essays, and evidence of community service and leadership. The program has been in place since 1964. Gebert is one of 141 winners across the country this year.

An accomplished sculptor, Gebert will have her artwork displayed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She and the other honorees will be presented with  medallions at an official ceremony on June 21.

“Presidential Scholars demonstrate the accomplishments that can be made when students challenge themselves, set the highest standards, and commit themselves to excellence,”  U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a press release about the winners. “These scholars are poised to make their mark on our nation in every field imaginable: the arts and humanities, science and technology, law and medicine, business and finance, education and government—to name a few. Their academic and artistic achievements reflect a sense of purpose that we should seek to instill in all students to prepare them for college, careers, civic responsibilities, and the challenges of today’s job market.”

Gebert will continue to study her favorite subjects — art, psychology and music — when she attends Yale University in the fall.

“I’m especially grateful to all the educators in my life,” Gebert said. “I don’t know where I would be without all the intellectual curiosity and knowledge they shared with me.”