Brantley Martin, a graduating senior at West Monroe High School, has been named one of more than 5,000 candidates in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. The candidates were selected from nearly 3.6 million students expected to graduate from U.S. high schools in 2024.
Martin is one of 90 students in the state of Louisiana to be chosen as a finalist for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. He is only 1 of 8 to be from North Louisiana and the only one not from the Shreveport area.
Inclusion in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program is one of the highest honors bestowed upon graduating high school seniors. Scholars are selected on the basis of superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character and involvement in community and school activities.
“It was a huge surprise when I saw it,” Martin said. “I didn’t believe it at first, to be honest. I looked into it a lot as soon as I heard it was announced. I never stopped to think about what I’ve done. I’ve just always kept climbing up the ladder and never really looked down, so it was really nice to be recognized for all the work and achievement I have put in.”
Martin also learned this week that he, along with fellow West Monroe senior John Wesley Floyd, are finalists for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Martin grew up in the Ouachita Parish School System, attending Highland Elementary School and West Ridge Middle School.
“As a kid, I was encouraged to do whatever I was good at, and whatever I was passionate about,” Martin said. “I was always intrinsically motivated with academics, so that was always my priority. I like to keep myself busy, so I always try to pick up new hobbies and new topics and expand my skillset.”
Martin said one of the teachers who pushed him even further to expand his skillset was his middle school gifted math teacher Ms. Virginia Koonce. She introduced him to Duke TIP (Talent Identification Program), a program that provides support to gifted students and their families. It offers weekend courses throughout the country, online e-courses and three-week summer study programs held on various university campuses.
“He was a very bright and intelligent little fellow that could do incredible things but needed to be pushed and challenged to go beyond what he or anyone else thought was possible,” Koonce said. “The times where they are pushed are uncomfortable, but they will grow them tremendously! By the end of his 8th grade year, I knew he was going to be very successful and accomplish whatever path he wanted to take.”
Martin plans on attending Vanderbilt University in the fall and major in Law. He would like to open up his own firm one day and possibly get into politics. In addition to the teachers he had over the years, Martin also gives credit to his mother, Amber Fife, for the position he is in today.
“We followed a similar path growing up, so she knew all my strengths and how I thought and how I approached problems,” Martin said of his mother. “For a lot of it, she just let me take the reins and let me fail and learn from it because she knew that I would build myself back up better. She just knows me better than I know myself sometimes.”
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by Executive Order of the President to recognize some of our nation’s most distinguished graduating seniors for their accomplishments in many areas: academic success, leadership, and service to school and community. It was expanded in 1979 to recognize students demonstrating exceptional scholarship and talent in the visual, creative, and performing arts. In 2015, the program was expanded once again to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical fields. Annually, up to 161 U.S. Presidential Scholars are chosen from among that year’s senior class, representing excellence in education and the promise of greatness in America’s youth.
A distinguished panel of educators will review these submissions and select approximately 600 semifinalists in early April. The Commission on Presidential Scholars, a group of up to 32 eminent citizens appointed by the President, will select the finalists, and the U.S. Department of Education will announce the scholars in May.
The National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced beginning in April.
U.S. Presidential Scholars are honored for their accomplishments during the National Recognition Program each June. To commemorate their achievement, the Scholars are awarded the Presidential Scholars Medallion.
For more information about the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, parents and students can email the U.S. Presidential Scholars Office at PSP@scholarshipamerica.org or call 507.931.8345.
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