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Jet, July 10, 1995

For the first time in the 32-year history of the White House program, 11 Black high school seniors were named Presidential Scholars.

The students are selected by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. Each year, the commission selects one male and one female student from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico on the basis of scholarship, service, leadership and creativity.

Americans living abroad, and 15 at-large students are also selected.

The Presidential Scholars Program was founded by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

This year's scholars (141 in all) were honored for their accomplishments during the recent Presidential Scholars National Recognition Week. The highlight of the week was a ceremony sponsored by the White House during which they were presented the Presidential Scholars Medallion.

This year's Black Presidential Scholars are: Shauna N. Brown from Dowingtown (PA) Senior High School who will study history at Dartmouth College and prepare for a teaching career; William Copeland, valedictorian of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School, who plans to attend Stanford University to study economics; Eric E. Crump, a top student at Lincoln (Neb) High School; Erika U. Fullwood, of New York's Pittsford Mendon High School who's president of the National Honor Society and will attend Harvard University and major in biochemistry; Troy A. Howard, a honor roll student at James B. Dudley High School who will attend North Carolina A&T University and major in computer science or electrical engineering; Leonard E. Howze, of Los Angeles County High School for the Arts plans to attend Purchase College in New York and pursue a theatrical career; Oluwatumininu (Tumi) Johnson, a poetry winner of the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts, attends Rice University; Aman Khapoya, a top student at Rochester Adams High School in Rochester Hills, MI; Gelan Lambert Jr., from Miami's New World School of the Arts, will attend Julliard School; Catherine Lewis, a senior at Oak Hill High School in Glen Jean, W. VA., will study pharmacy at the University of Kentucky and Jeffrey C. McClean, the valedictorian of the Aviana, Italy American High School will pursue a Harvard medical degree.