PHIPPSBURG

Kai Ellers, 17, of Phippsburg, is one of 141 high school seniors across the United States who was honored as a 2015 U.S. Presidential Scholar.

The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, appointed by President Barack Obama, annually selects students across the country based on academic achievement, artistic excellence, essays, leadership skills and community service involvement.

According to a press release, more than 4,300 candidates qualified for the award through outstanding performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams this year. After an extensive selection process, 141 students will be honored at the White House on June 21 to receive a Presidential Scholar medallion.

Ellers, a home-school student, enjoys studying physics, math and foreign languages, especially Japanese, which he learned while studying abroad in Kawasaki, Japan. His hobbies include playing the piano, his favorite piece being “Bethena,” by Scott Joplin, and gymnastics, a sport he started nine years ago and continues to pursue at the Bath Family YMCA four nights a week.

The Times Record: How do you think your education as a home-school student helped you achieve this award?

Kai Ellers: I have been home-schooled for most of my life, but I attended Phippsburg Elementary School and Woolwich Central School one to two days a week in elementary and middle school. I also had the opportunity to attend a public Japanese school in Kawasaki full-time for two months in the fifth grade and 14 months in the 10th grade, which was a fantastic experience.

Being home-schooled has given me the freedom to design my own curriculum and to pursue my interests in a focused setting, and has also allowed me to audit classes at Bowdoin College, which have prepared me extremely well for college and have also been a lot of fun.

TR: What was the selection process like for this recognition?

KE: In February, I received a letter informing me that I had been named as one of approximately 4,300 candidates for this award, primarily based on SAT scores. I then had to fill out an application, which included several personal essays and a recommendation from my counselor.

I received another letter in April saying that I had been nominated as one of the 565 semi-finalists, and then two days ago I learned that I had been chosen as one of two Presidential Scholars from Maine.

TR: Among your personal acheivements, what do you think stood out the most for your selection in this award?

KE: I really don’t know exactly what stood out; I have really been wondering that myself.

My time in Japan and my experience in gymnastics have been very significant for me, and I think I expressed that well in my essays. In Japan, I had the eye-opening experience of starting out completely lost and gradually understanding more and more of what was going on around me, which gave me a completely new perspective on how much we take for granted in our everyday life.

TR: How did you receive the news of your recognition, and how do you feel about traveling to the White House to be honored for this award?

KE: I was extremely excited and, of course, somewhat surprised to get the letter; I wasn’t actually expecting to hear back until later in the month, so I was quite pleasantly surprised.

The only time I have been to Washington, D.C. was before I can remember — when my parents took me to see dinosaurs at the Smithsonian Institution when I was 1, so I am very excited to have a chance to visit again and see the White House in person.

TR: What are your future plans after graduation?

KE: I will be attending Amherst College next fall, where I tentatively plan to major in physics. I would also like to study mathematics and Japanese linguistics, and if possible, I will try to keep up piano and gymnastics.

I would like to go on to graduate school after college, but for now I am just excited to be starting at Amherst next fall.

dkim@timesrecord.com

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