Buchanan Senior Honored With Prestigious Selection

Buchanan senior Alexander Ewing honored as the Fresno County Superintendent’s Superstar for the month of April by Superintendent Jim Yovino. (Photo courtesy of Kim Ewing)

Alexander Ewing, a senior at Buchanan High School, was named one of only 25 students in the nation to be selected as a National Finalist for the National Honor Society Scholarship.

Ewing was chosen from more than 9,000 applicants and will receive a $4,500 scholarship.

High school seniors who are members in good standing of an active National Honor Society chapter are eligible to apply for an NHS Scholarship. National finalists are selected on the basis of their leadership skills; participation in service organizations, clubs, 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.

“Alexander is an incredibly well-rounded student who has accomplished amazing things at such a young age,” Buchanan Principal Ricci Ulrich said in a statement. “His experience and accomplishments have given him great preparation to continue high achievement at Fresno State in the fall.”

Ewing’s mother, Kim Ewing, knew at a young age that her son was going to be a scientist because he loved to make things out of Legos and he was even very experimental.

“He used to make potions when he was like three, using insect/bug repellent and various different things he could find,” she said. “When we got into our new house, we’d been there about three weeks, he got nail polish, perfumes, everything he could find to make this big concoction and it ruined our brand new carpet. He was notorious, if you turned your back he was creating something new.”

While at Buchanan, Ewing has been Treasurer for National Honor Society, a member of the FIRST Robotics team and a mentor for the elementary FIRST LEGO League. He’s been a member of the International Key Club, a Juror for the Fresno County Youth Court Program, and he has acquired over 1,400 volunteer hours through his extensive involvement with community service projects.

“I have a very miniscule social life,” Ewing said. “The most gratifying thing about it is just doing something significant. A lot of times I just think about not going out and doing anything and I think about what it would be like to just kind of sit there and relax or hang out – and it really seems boring. It kind of sucks, I just can’t picture it.”

Last summer, Ewing completed an internship through UCSF-Fresno Biomedical Research Internship Program where he helped conduct cancer research under the supervision of Dr. Jason Bush at Fresno State. This fall he plans to enroll at the Smittcamp Family Honors College at Fresno State to study Molecular Biology and Mechanical Engineering.

He currently has a 4.24 GPA and is enrolled in five advanced placement classes. When he graduates, he will have taken 11 AP classes at Buchanan. He has even begun to start taking his general education classes at Clovis Community College over the past few summers.

“He’s always been a little bit of an over achiever,” Kim said. “He’s been pretty driven and we encourage education and being involved not just in the basics but community service, school activities, and being well-rounded. He’s really taken that to heart and that has been a big part of who he is and I am proud of that.”

Ewing was also chosen as the Fresno County Superintendent’s Superstar for the month of April by Superintendent Jim Yovino. Yovino selects one student per month out of the 200,000 students in the Fresno County District to be honored due to their academic accomplishments, extracurricular activities, and community service.

“It’s all pretty crazy, it’s really impressive but more than anything it’s kind of shocking. When other people hear about it they’re like ‘That’s so amazing,’ but when it happens to you you’re just kind of like ‘Did that really happen?,” Ewing said. “It’s kind of humbling because out of everyone they chose me to be part of the 25, it’s a great feeling. It really does feel amazing but it’s so amazing that it’s hard to grasp.”