Elena Adkins and Corban Williams, seniors at Paducah Tilghman High School, have been named Candidates in the 2024 United States Presidential Scholars Program by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the United States Department of Education. Of the nearly 3.6 million high school seniors graduating this year, approximately 5,000 students from across the country have been selected to participate in the prestigious recognition program, including approximately 80 Kentucky high school seniors.
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 high school seniors. Students are selected based on academic success, leadership, and service to school and community.
The Commission on Presidential Scholars will select 500 semifinalists from the national pool of honored students. In the spring, up to 161 of those students, including one male and one female from each state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and from families of U.S. citizens living abroad, will be named as U.S. Presidential Scholars. These students will be recognized at the White House later this summer.
Elena is an AP Scholar, a Kentucky Governor’s Scholar, and a graduate of the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Youth LEAD Class #12. She’s a recipient of the National Rural and Small Town Award from the College Board National Recognition Program and was recently awarded DAR’s highest student honor, the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award. She also received the Centre College Fellow award and scholarship and was named a Rotary Student of the Month.
She’s Captain of the PTHS Varsity Academic Team and has placed in the top five in the district for Language Arts since freshman year. She placed third in the region for Written Composition last year, qualifying her for state. She’s a member of the PTHS Marching, Concert, and Pep Bands, National Honor Society, Beta Club, Interact Club, National History Day Team, PTHS Student Ambassadors, and Community Crafters. She’s also a member of High Point Pentecostal Church.
She and the National History Day Team were the 2021, 2022, and 2023 Kentucky State Champions in the National History Day Senior Group Documentary division, and the team’s documentary in 2022 won the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War American Patriotism Award for National History Day. The Kentucky Secretary of State also presented the team with the Outstanding Political History Award for National History Day Documentary in 2021. Elena has also received several PTHS annual departmental awards, including Outstanding Junior in Math and Social Studies, the Harvard Book Award for English, Outstanding Sophomore in Math, English, and Social Studies, and Outstanding Freshman in Math and Science.
She is the daughter of Ashley and Bill Adkins.
Corban is an AP Scholar, an alumnus of the Kentucky Governor's Scholars Program, and a recipient of the Centre College Fellow award and scholarship. He was also recently named a Rotary Student of the Month. He’s a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club, and is Co-Captain of the Tilghman Cross Country Team. He has individually placed locally and regionally numerous times while on the Cross Country Team, and was named to the All-District Team. This past season, he and his team won the 2A Regional Championship and took third place at the 2A State Championship.
He’s an inaugural member of Tilghman’s Student Equity Advisory Council (SEAC) and serves as a leader and moderator for community, teacher, and student SEAC forums. In 2022, he was a member of the student cohort that met with MCHS leaders to discuss and propose mutually agreeable solutions for addressing racially charged events.
Corban’s artwork was accepted last year for display in Yeiser Art Center’s regional Teen Spirit exhibit and competition. He’s an employee of Strickland’s Seafood Restaurant and a member of Reidland Church.
He is the son of Randi and Andrew Williams.
“In addition to demonstrating exceptional scholarship, Elena and Corban have shown a wonderful commitment to bringing people together and building community both in and out of school,” said Dr. Donald Shively, Superintendent of Paducah Public Schools. “We are very proud to see their efforts recognized and their names listed among the nation’s most outstanding high school seniors.”
Pictured: Elena Adkins (L) and Corban Williams (R)