Alumna Kendree Chen ’25 Honored as US Presidential Scholar
BUA alumna Kendree Chen ’25 was named a 2025 US Presidential Scholar — one of only 161 students nationwide to be honored with this award, and one of only three in Massachusetts. The 2025 awardees were announced in a press release from US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on September 26. The US Presidential Scholar program “recognizes high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields.” A complete list of the 2025 Presidential Scholars is available here.
Of the 3.9 million students that graduated from high school this year, only 161 qualified for the 2025 award based on their “extraordinary performance in their high school career…outstanding performance on the SAT or ACT exam, or nominations made by chief state school officers and partner recognition organizations,” according to the US Department of Education press release. Following the nomination process, candidates go through a rigorous application process including submitting essays, transcripts, and school evaluations for review. Final selections are made by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.
The US Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964, by executive order of the President, to recognize and honor some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. In 1979, the program was extended to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields. Each year, up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students.
During her time at BUA, Kendree played a leadership role in numerous clubs and activities including the Lobstah Bots (BUA’s robotics team), Vox Caeli, and many more. Kendree wrote her Senior Thesis on “A Community-Based Program Model for Engagement of Underserved Students in STEM,” and also contributed to a joint thesis project called “Poseidon-Bot: A Streamlined Document Parsing RAG Model.” Kendree also serves as the president of gbSTEM (Greater Boston STEM), a non-profit delivering “free introductory computer science, math, engineering, and science enrichment to elementary and middle school students.” She is currently in her first year at MIT and is passionate about software development, STEM education, and robotic controls.
BUA congratulates Kendree on this well-earned recognition!