Ritvik Pulya Named US Presidential Scholar

"Ritvik is a senior at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School whoâ€™ll be attending Johns Hopkins University next fall. As a Biomedical Engineering major at JHU and 2021 Regeneron Scholar, Ritvik hopes to continue pursuing his interests in interdisciplinary research and medicine at Harvard Medical School, combining his passion for biology with computer science. In his free time, Ritvik enjoys playing in chess tournaments and exploring Indian culture, giving Carnatic Music vocal concerts, and teaching Sanskrit. Further, he dedicates a significant portion of his time to initiatives such as IPARS, an international research organization he founded and volunteers at a local soup kitchen and Acton senior center."

As part of the award, Ritvik could nominate a teacher for the National Distinguished Teachers award, and Mr. Brian Dempsey with AB High School, Science Department has been his guide and mentor. Under his guidance, Ritvik founded a research club that helped many students to go to the state science fair.

Press Release from the Secretary of Education

Dear U.S. Presidential Scholar:

I am thrilled to congratulate you on being named a 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholar! You are a member of the 57th class of Presidential Scholar honorees. Only 161 students from across the country are named U.S. Presidential Scholars each year.

President Joe Biden has said, â€œLet us help all of our students to love learning; seek lives of dignity, decency, and respect; and work together for the common good.â€ As an honoree of the 2021 class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, you embody this worthy goal. You study hard, challenge yourself every day, exude a love for learning, and give back to your community. These qualities are exceptional; even more so given the challenges faced during the global pandemic.

I encourage you to celebrate this well-deserved prestigious recognition with your family, friends, and community. Your country is proud of your accomplishments and perseverance. Moments such as this bring us together, make us stronger as a Nation and get us excited for the future. You have succeeded a great deal during your academic school career. We are excited to see what more you will accomplish in the future.

Best wishes,

Miguel A. Cardona, Ed.D.

The candidates for the 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholars program from MA included:

Mahima Das, Lexington - Lexington High School

Venkata S. Dasuri, Norwood - Norwood High School

Rohil Dhaliwal, Weston - The Roxbury Latin School

Sreetej Digumarthi, Belmont

Vibha M. Kamath, Franklin - Moses Brown School

Anaya Kaul, Southborough - Massachusetts Academy of Math & Science

Divyasri S. Krishnan, Acton - Acton-Boxborough Regional High School

Poonam Sahoo, Acton - Acton-Boxborough Regional High School

Anhad S. Sawhney, Lexington - Lexington High School

Bharathan Sundar, Southborough - Algonquin Regional High School