Michael Copen ’26 Named Presidential Scholar Semifinalist
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Michael Copen ’26 Named Presidential Scholar Semifinalist
Michael Copen ’26 has been named a semifinalist in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Copen, who plans to attend Brown University in the fall, was among 627 students selected as semifinalists from a pool of over 6,500 candidates, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by Executive Order of the President to recognize and honor some of the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors.
“I’m very grateful to my parents and my teachers for the constant support they’ve given me over the last four years,” Copen said. “This recognition belongs to them as much as it does to me.”
At The Frederick Gunn School, Copen was named the top scholar in his class for the 2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25 school years. At Prize Night in May, he received the Raymond W. Reich Award for Excellence in Physics, and at Commencement, he was awarded the Head of School’s Prize. One of the school’s top prizes, it is presented annually to a member of the graduating class who, by constant excellence and dependability in studies and in extracurricular activities, has contributed outstandingly to the success of the school year. Additionally, he received the Captain’s Award for Boys Tennis, the Graham-Greenwood Tennis Trophy, and an All-NEPSAC Award for Boys Varsity Tennis.
“Michael is the kind of student who comes along once in a great while,” said Kate McMann ’05, Dean of College Counseling. “What has always set him apart is not just his brilliance, but how much he genuinely cares about the people around him. He has made The Frederick Gunn School a better place, and we are incredibly proud of him. We cannot wait to see what he does at Brown and beyond.”
Each year, up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students, the Department of Education states on its website. Application is by invitation only. Students may not apply individually to the program, nor may their schools nominate them. Finalists are awarded a U.S. Presidential Scholars medallion.
“It is a great honor and an exceptional accomplishment to have reached the semifinalist stage in this highly selective and prestigious program,” the U.S. Department of Education said in a letter, recognizing Copen for “the creativity, discipline, and pursuit of excellence you have shown in your various endeavors, and for the inspiration your example provides to countless other young people.”