Kamehameha Schools Kapālama senior Sierra Hirayama of Kane‘ohe is one of two Hawai‘i students to be named to the 51st class of United States Presidential Scholars, one of the nation's top honors for high school seniors. The other Hawai‘i scholar is Jack Wolfgramm, a homeschooled student from Hāna.
Each of the program's 141 scholars receives an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. in June and is presented with a U.S. Presidential Scholars medallion at a ceremony sponsored by the White House. During their visit to Washington, scholars learn from one another and have the opportunity to meet national and international figures including government officials, educators, authors, musicians, and scientists.
Hirayama is an accomplished all-around student. In addition to her stellar academic performance, she is a member of the campus' speech and debate team as well as its water polo and kayaking teams. She also co-founded “Kids for Kids,” a campus club that encourages students to volunteer for community events with school-aged children. And since middle school, she has taken part in the STEMPREP Project summer science program put on by the The Distance Learning Center, a nonprofit dedicated to building minorities in STEM fields.
Her academic achievements also include being named a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship program. Hirayama plans to attend Stanford University in the fall.
Each class of presidential scholars is comprised of one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living abroad. Fifteen students are also chosen at-large and 20 are named U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts.
Created in 1964, the scholars program has honored almost 7,000 of the nation’s top-performing students with the prestigious award. The program was expanded in 1979 to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, literary and performing arts.
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