Shan Reddy, a senior at the Clark High School, along with Pranit Nanda of Davidson Academy, Reno are named semifinalist for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program for 2018.

At Clark High, Shan is currently serving as a President of the Clark Science Olympiad.  Previously, Shan lead a team named Clark Battery Chargers to the Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge.  Shan’s team was declared finalist for the competitive international science competition.  A few years back, The Center for Bright Kids recognized Shan Reddy for his exemplary academic achievements.  The recognition was a part of the Centers’ Western Academic Talent Search.

Shan is a founder of Reddy to Brew website which is devoted to promoting some of the world’s best coffees by featuring roasters, coffee shops, cooperatives, and importing companies.  It’s not only a journalistic effort but also a product review service.  Shan’s Reddy to Brew competed in 2018 Young Innovators to Watch National CES Competition.  Beginning Fall 2018, Shan is set to pursue his higher education at Stanford University.

Pranit Nanda is currently attending Davidson Academy, Reno where he is the Student Body Treasurer. He served a two-year term as a Nevada youth Legislator and is currently a Reno Youth City Council Member. The City of Reno proclaimed April 12, 2017, as Pranit Nanda Day.

At Davidson Academy, Pranit established a Geography Club and is a participant in National Geography Bee.  In December 2017, Pranit received the $10,000 2018 U.S. Senate Youth Program scholarship.

Previously, Pranit was a research intern for the economics department at the University of Nevada, Reno and has also taken 400-level finance courses. He was primarily involved in studying entrepreneurial and regional economies and wrote a report that earned him a place as a finalist in the MIT INSPIRE competition. He was selected as Treasurer of the World Affairs Club at Davidson Academy for the 2017-2018 school year and is a teacher’s assistant for Spanish classes.  Recently, Pranit is honored with the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established to recognize and honor the most distinguished graduating high school seniors from across the United States. Each year, up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students.

The finalists for the 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholars will be announced in early May.

Previous US Presidential Scholars from the local Indian community were –

• 2003 Ravi Chanderraj – The Meadows School; Harvard
• 2006 Shipra De – Green Valley High School; UNLV and Georgia Tech
• 2007 Shaan Patel – Clark High School; USC and Yale
• 2011 Sanchay Gupta – the Meadows School; Stanford and Harvard
• 2013 Justin M. Joseph – Valley High School; Virginia Commonwealth and Michigan
• 2014 Karthik B. Rohtagi – Davidson Academy; Washington University