Buchanan High student earns national scholarship

Buchanan senior Kelsey Ewing  (Contributed by Kim Ewing)

Kelsey Ewing, a senior and President of the National Honor Society (NHS) at Buchanan High School, recently earned a $5,150 scholarship after being named one of 25 national finalists in the NHS Scholarship program from a pool of over 11,000 applicants nationwide.

High school seniors who are members in good standing of an active National Honor Society chapter are able to apply for an NHS Scholarship. National finalists are selected on the basis of their leadership skills; participation in service organizations, clubs, and other student groups at school and in the community; and their academic record. As a finalist, Ewing is recognized as one of the top 25 NHS members in the  nation this school year.

While at Buchanan, Ewing has been a member of the world champion Team 1671 Buchanan Bird Brains robotics team, the national award-winning History Day team, the Math Team, the National Science Bowl team, the softball and girls basketball teams, Athletic Leadership, California Scholarship Federation, International Key Club, Principal’s Advisory on Student Affairs (PASA), School Site Council, Energy & Environmental Engineering Research Center, and Science Fair. Ewing currently serves the President of the Physics and Engineering Club, the Women in STEM club, and the Computing & Technology for Women club.

She recently founded, directed, and taught a Computing and Technology (CaT) for Girls Program to teach girls in grades 7-11 basic computer programming and game design skills. Her personal mission is to encourage girls to enter STEM fields in order to decrease the gender gap that currently exists in these fields.

During her high school career, Ewing provided over 2,000 hours of community service. She earned the prestigious President’s Volunteer Service Award for providing over 500 service hours in the last 12 months.

This fall, she will enroll in the Lyles College of Engineering Honors Program at Fresno State to double major in Computer Engineering and Biology with minors in Biomedical Physics and Mathematics.

Ewing has also been named a national finalist for the 2018 GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship, the 2018 Coca-Cola Scholarship, and the 2018 Elks Foundation Most Valuable Student Scholarship.