The United States Department of Education nominated a senior at Revere High School because of his academic excellence and his score on the ACT for the Presidential Scholars Award.

Carl Ahlborg is a candidate for the Presidential Scholars Award which, according to the United States Department of Education, has been around since 1964. The purpose of the award is to recognize high-achieving seniors in the United States.
Nick DePompei, Ahlborg’s guidance counselor, spoke of how one qualifies for the award.

“There are two ways: one is artistic and visual arts, but Carl qualified for his academic status. Since they pull students based on ACT scores, and because he got a perfect score, Carl became a candidate,” DePompei said.

Ahlborg voiced his reaction when he found out that he was a candidate.

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I got a letter at the beginning of February telling me I had been nominated for the Presidential Scholars Award [and] I was very excited for it.

— Carl Ahlborg

Ahlborg spoke of how he became a candidate.

“I was invited as a candidate purely on merit but I had to apply. Mrs. Gillette wrote me a recommendation and Mr. DePompei filled out the counselors report,” Ahlborg said.

Ahlborg also discussed the application process.

“After I filled out the background portion of the application, I wrote four short essays and one extended essay. The four essays were on four different topics but the long essay was about a picture of something significant in my life and why it was important. I actually chose a math formula, Heron’s Formula, because it inspired me to get into math and math contests have had a huge impact in my life,” Ahlborg said.

DePompei explained the significance of the award.

“Even as a candidate, Carl will be seen by colleges. Hopefully, he can get scholarship money for this,” DePompei said.
Nagwa Ahlborg, Ahlborg’s mother, mentioned how she helped Carl obtain the nomination.

“[Carl’s father and I] always provided Carl with opportunities in and out of school to challenge his academic skills,” Nagwa said.

Ahlborg listed some of the groups that he has participated in over the years that have helped him as a student.
“Most of the groups I have done have been analytical or competitive such as Science Olympiad, Academic Challenge, Chess Club, Speech and Debate, and a large number of math contests,” Ahlborg said.

Ahlborg also explained how these groups aided to his score on the ACT.

“On the ACT, a number of the groups helped me out greatly. For example, Speech and Debate dramatically improved my grammar and other writing skills and Science Olympiad helped prepare me for the science portion of the ACT,” Ahlborg said.

DePompei mentioned some of Carl’s outstanding characteristics that have helped him to obtain his nomination.

“[Carl] is very hardworking and intelligent. He is committed to academics both in and out of the classroom. [His involvement] in activities like Academic Challenge and doing math contests have helped him for the ACT,” DePompei said.

Carl will find out if he is a semifinalist in the middle of April. If Carl becomes a semifinalist, he will find out if he is a finalist in early May.