While many seniors occupy their time by playing sports or practicing a musical instrument, some spend their last year of high school piling on a colossal amount of responsibility through various clubs and after-school activities.

Austin Ward belongs to the latter group, juggling a busy school life with holding the positions of Editor-in-Chief of The Feather, co-founder of the Planeteers Club and three-year Historian/Secretary of the school’s chapter of the California Scholarship Federation (CSF).

However, on top of these responsibilities, Ward has succeeded on a number of standardized tests, earning a 36 on the ACT and a 2340 on the SAT. These scores have qualified him as a candidate for the United States Presidential Scholars Program, a recognition which honors some of the country’s premier graduating seniors.

The Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by executive order of President Lyndon B. Johnson and was extended in 1979 to recognize students with talent in the fields of the visual, creative and performing arts. About 3,000 students are selected annually, by invitation, to compete for Scholar status and a journey to Washington, D.C., on an expense-paid trip, where they will be able to tour various museums and monuments, as well as meet with government officials, educators, authors, musicians and other accomplished people.

After this year’s candidates (PDF) were announced in late January, Ward learned that he was the first such candidate from Fresno Christian in the school’s 34-year history, according to Academic Adviser Molly Sargent. Another student from Fresno, Dhiraj Holden of University High School, also was named a candidate.

“Until a few days ago, I had no idea that such a program existed,” Ward said. “In English class, Mrs. [Molly] Sargent excitedly showed me the information on it that she had received, so that’s how I learned that I am a candidate. Candidacy for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program is based entirely on ACT and SAT scores, which means my scores must have been high enough to rank me among the top students in California. I am surprised and extremely pleased to have qualified for the program.”

Of the 3,000 individuals nominated, only about 500, after completing an application, will qualify as semifinalists. Then, two students from each state and a few at large will be made Scholars, resulting in up to 141 Scholars for each year.

After observing his involvement in CSF and teaching him for almost two years, Sargent expects that Ward will be named a Presidential Scholar due to his participation and commitments in his extracurricular activities.

“Once a student gets chosen based off of their test scores, the judges look at their community involvement, their leadership abilities and other nonacademic attributes, and I just can’t imagine a student doing more than what Austin has done,” Sargent said. “From the newspaper, to Planeteers Club, to CSF, to all of the things he’s done in his spare time to volunteer, it’s unbelievable. I doubt that there will be many people who can top him as far as pure involvement in the community, so I think he’ll win.”

Principal Todd Bennett says there are a number of characteristics which have made Ward the person he is today and that this nomination is both a reflection of those traits and the education he has been able to receive at Fresno Christian.

“Austin has fantastic parents that support him and have taught him a good work ethic, and he has had, through Fresno Christian, teachers that believe in him, support him and have helped him to understand that he is capable of doing whatever he wants to do,” Bennett said. “He has perseverance, he’s great at setting goals for himself and then he works really, really hard to achieve those high standards that he sets for himself. It’s people like Austin that know how to get the most out of their gifts and are going to be the most successful in life.”

As one of his best friends, senior Ricky Lopez has participated with Ward in a number of events, from completing college courses at Willow International to co-founding the Planeteers Club.

Through these experiences, Lopez says he has recognized a number of qualities in Ward which he considers to be deserving of the Presidential Scholar recognition.

“Austin is the kind of guy who goes beyond what is required to learn as much as he can and uses all of the opportunities at his disposal,” Lopez said. “He can balance being a genius with academics and doing a lot for the school. He always gives 100 percent in everything he does, and I could not think of a more deserving person than Austin for this recognition.”

For more information on academic awards, read the Oct. 18, 2010 article, AP Scholar Award winners recognized.

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