Added: 05-26-10
Hail to the chief
Senior named Presidential Scholar, readies for college at Princeton
At the close of his senior year, Matt Brailas had just finished taking the four-hour-long United States Government AP exam. As he was exiting the testing room, his mother informed him that he was a final qualifier for the Presidential Scholarship.
“My mom stopped me in the PAC lobby and told me she had gotten an email that I was a finalist,” Matt said. “I was so fried from the test, I honestly didn’t believe her when I heard.”
The Presidential Scholarship is a nationwide honor that is bestowed upon up to two high school seniors from each state, one boy and one girl. The scholarship aims to honor some of the most high-achieving students in the country. Among the recipients this year, Matt was named a Presidential Scholar in the arts division of the program after participating in the YoungArts competition in New York.
“YoungArts is a separate contest, but the organization that runs, it, NFAA (the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts) is the sole nominating body for the arts side of the Presidential Scholar program,” Matt said. “NFAA sends the Presidential Scholar organization the 60 nominees based entirely on artistic merit. Once the 60 nominations arrive at the Presidential Scholar office, the top 20 are chosen by a panel of people who aren’t artists. They’re supposed to make their decision based on recommendations from the YoungArts judges but also based on the application we had to send in, which was focused on academics and community service. I think I got selected because the YoungArts judges liked me a lot, and I do well academically.”
Matt is one of 140 students who were named a Presidential Scholar this year. Although the Presidential Scholarship is a recognition program and not a monetary scholarship, all recipients will receive the opportunity of a lifetime to meet the President of the United States.
“They’re flying all of the finalists down to D.C. in June,” Matt said. “I get to go to the White House and meet President Obama. They’re also blowing up some of my poetry to poster size and hanging it in the Smithsonian, and I get to do a short reading of my poetry in the Smithsonian.”
With this significant achievement behind him, Matt will attend Princeton University in the fall, and intends to pursue a college experience centered on his aptitude for the arts and literature.
“I think out of all the schools I got into, [Princeton] offers the best opportunity for a broad liberal arts education,” Matt said. “Right now I’m planning on majoring in English with a focus in creative writing. I also might take a double major or minor in Art History. I’m basically just going to try to get a broad liberal arts education, then go for an MFA after college.”
Receiving recognition for his passion in the field of liberal arts has reinforced Matt’s ambition to eventually become a writer.
“I think more than anything, [this award] has given me that confidence to pursue creative writing even though it’s not practical at all,” Matt said.
At the close of his senior year, Matt Brailas had just finished taking the four-hour-long United States Government AP exam. As he was exiting the testing room, his mother informed him that he was a final qualifier for the Presidential Scholarship.
“My mom stopped me in the PAC lobby and told me she had gotten an email that I was a finalist,” Matt said. “I was so fried from the test, I honestly didn’t believe her when I heard.”
The Presidential Scholarship is a nationwide honor that is bestowed upon up to two high school seniors from each state, one boy and one girl. The scholarship aims to honor some of the most high-achieving students in the country. Among the recipients this year, Matt was named a Presidential Scholar in the arts division of the program after participating in the YoungArts competition in New York.
“YoungArts is a separate contest, but the organization that runs, it, NFAA (the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts) is the sole nominating body for the arts side of the Presidential Scholar program,” Matt said. “NFAA sends the Presidential Scholar organization the 60 nominees based entirely on artistic merit. Once the 60 nominations arrive at the Presidential Scholar office, the top 20 are chosen by a panel of people who aren’t artists. They’re supposed to make their decision based on recommendations from the YoungArts judges but also based on the application we had to send in, which was focused on academics and community service. I think I got selected because the YoungArts judges liked me a lot, and I do well academically.”
Matt is one of 140 students who were named a Presidential Scholar this year. Although the Presidential Scholarship is a recognition program and not a monetary scholarship, all recipients will receive the opportunity of a lifetime to meet the President of the United States.
“They’re flying all of the finalists down to D.C. in June,” Matt said. “I get to go to the White House and meet President Obama. They’re also blowing up some of my poetry to poster size and hanging it in the Smithsonian, and I get to do a short reading of my poetry in the Smithsonian.”
With this significant achievement behind him, Matt will attend Princeton University in the fall, and intends to pursue a college experience centered on his aptitude for the arts and literature.
“I think out of all the schools I got into, [Princeton] offers the best opportunity for a broad liberal arts education,” Matt said. “Right now I’m planning on majoring in English with a focus in creative writing. I also might take a double major or minor in Art History. I’m basically just going to try to get a broad liberal arts education, then go for an MFA after college.”
Receiving recognition for his passion in the field of liberal arts has reinforced Matt’s ambition to eventually become a writer.
“I think more than anything, [this award] has given me that confidence to pursue creative writing even though it’s not practical at all,” Matt said.