NEWPORT BEACH, CA —One Orange County student and eleven Los Angeles-area high school students were nominated Thursday as 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, honoring artistic and academic excellence.

They are among 60 overall nominees from 19 states, and from across 10 artistic disciplines, chosen by the National YoungArts Foundation.

Ultimately, the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars will select 20 honorees. Each will be recognized for their academic and artistic accomplishments, demonstrated leadership, community service and outreach initiatives, and overall creativity, according to Foundation Executive Director Jewel Malone.

“National YoungArts Foundation is proud to nominate these 60 extraordinary artists to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars,” Malone said in a statement. “This past year has brought great challenges to us all, but seeing these artists persevere and overcome such immense uncertainty, change and upheaval has given us all hope. We look forward to seeing what each of them accomplish next.”

The local nominees are:

— Michelle Lu, Orange County School of the Arts;
— Shaman Magic Aponte, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts;
— Ella Fields, Charter High School of Arts;
— Oliviana Marie Halus-Griep, Laurel Springs School;
— Chloe Hoffman, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts;
— Joseph Karz, Brentwood School;
— Kacey Kim, Harvard-Westlake School;
— William Lula, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts;
— Chiemeka Offor, Harvard-Westlake School;
— Allison Park, Harvard-Westlake School;
— Charlotte Sedaka, Viewpoint School; and
— Theodore Taplitz, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.