North Central Florida students recognized as semifinalists in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Three North Central Florida students have been recognized as semifinalists in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

Pranay Gadikota is a senior at Buchholz High School in Gainesville. Despite dealing with a family crisis his sophomore year due to his great-grandmother’s severe illness, he says support from Buchholz helped him turn things around.

He is one of the school’s top graduating seniors, and took many Advanced Placement courses and received high scores.

“I have been incredibly impressed by Pranay’s growth over the last five years,” said Alex Payne, Gadikota’s science teacher, “His improvement and success are the result of his commitment to excellence and a willingness to challenge himself.”

Gadikota will head to Harvard University this fall on a $70,000 scholarship from the Education Foundation. He plans to study neuroscience and eventually become a doctor.

Another student from Gainesville shares this success as well. Michael Wei, student from Frazer School, is one of less than 630 finalists in the nation for the U.S. Presidential Scholar Program. 25 of these semifinalists are from Florida.

Harrison Jackson has also been selected as a semifinalist. He graduated from Lafayette High School in Mayo as the Salutatorian. He will advance to the University of Florida in the fall as a Florida Academic Scholar and a Foundation for Future Scientists Scholar in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

In the coming months, the final selection of seniors will be announced for this prestigious award by U.S. Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon.

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