Graduating high school seniors to be honored by the President

WSBTV.com News Staff
·1 min read

Ayush Gundawar prides himself on being calm, cool, and collected.

“I immediately ran downstairs and started screaming. Mom! Look what I got,” Ayush said.

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An invitation from the White House has that kind of effect on a person. The graduating senior from South Forsyth High School has received one of the nation’s highest academic honors, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Award.

“Since pre-K he has been loving school,” Ayush’s mother Anshuja Gundawar said.

“We didn’t really have to push him much, father Brashant Gundawar said.

A total of 161 winners are selected every year from a pool of 3.6 million.

“I had the pleasure of teaching him three times,” Business Education teacher Carla Yonk said. Carla says the scholars not only have the grades, but they’re heavily involved in activities at school and work to make their communities better as well. Ayush set up a non-profit that offers free peer-to-peer tutoring. When he travels to Washington for the ceremony, he’ll be in good company.

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“All the people who have been presidential scholars in the past will be there, and you get an opportunity to network with them—as well as shaking the President’s hand—which is one of the greatest honors in this nation,” Ayush said.

Ty Hubert, a graduating senior from Creekview High School in Cherokee County, was also named a U.S. Presidential Scholar. The ceremony is next month. This fall, Ty is off to the U.S. Air Force Academy. Ayush will attend the University of Illinois.

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