Every year, the US Department of Education selects one male and one female student from each state to be honored as a Presidential Scholar. Application is by invitation only, and potential honorees are evaluated for academic excellence, outstanding leadership, and community service activities. I was selected as one of Michigan's two scholars for 2019, and recognized at the national ceremony in DC that same year.

Eta Kappa Nu is the honors society for the IEEE, the world's largest and most prominent professional organization for Computer Science. Admission to the University of Michigan's chapter is restricted to those who are in the top of their respective classes, and applicants are evaluated for character, attitude, and service to their community before they are formally inducted into the society.

The University gives this award to freshman who are at in the top 5% of their class, recognizing their efforts to surpass expectations and distinguish themselves academically from even their highly skilled peers. As a student in Michigan's challenging College of Engineering, this award is even harder to achieve. This recognition reinforced the value of my efforts, and motivated me to continue achieving at the highest level possible.

The Regents Merit Scholarship is issued to top high school graduates in Michigan every year, in recognition of outstanding academic achievement, scholarly promise, and potential contribution to the University community. I believe that I have lived up to this potential, and am proud of the work I have done to serve my community at the University of Michigan, which is why this award is meaningful to me.

While this award is little known outside my immediate community, it's one of the most valuable to me. As a two time honoree of the BYA Youth Citizen Award, I'm incredibly proud to have contributed to my local community in a way that was worthy of such recognition.

Recipients of this award are secretly nominated by community leaders, who fill out applications on their behalf. From there, the number is narrowed down to a slate of finalists, and a panel of educators make the final determination of who to honor. Students aren't even informed they've been nominated until they've been selected as one of the year's honorees.

The surprise and gratitude I experienced when I unexpectedly received this award is not a feeling I'll soon forget, and it helped me realize that my service to my community was noticed and valued by others. It motivated me to continue achieving, and to continue giving back. I'm proud to count it among my awards.

The University of Michigan recognizes successful students every year with two main awards, University Honors and the Dean's List. For each year I've been at the University, I've earned both awards.