Six Utahns are semifinalists for Presidential Scholars program

Six graduating Utah students have been chosen as semifinalists for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

• Park City High School: Zachary R. Laufer of Park City.

• Judge Memorial High School: Allyson I. Dugan of Salt Lake City.

• West High School: Sarah R. Silcox of Salt Lake City and Mirae L. Parker of Tooele.

• Skyline High School: Rajdeep Trilokekar of Salt Lake City.

• The Waterford School: Maxwell Xiong of Sandy.

Students chosen as presidential scholars receive an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. in June and receive a medallion at a ceremony sponsored by the White House.

They are chosen based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, community service, leadership, and commitment to high ideals.

One young man and one young woman are chosen from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living abroad; as well as others chosen at large and as U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts.

More than 50 Utah students were named as candidates earlier this year.

The program was established in 1964 to honor some of the nation's most distinguished graduating high school seniors.