West High graduate Jonathan Chen a U.S. Presidential Scholar

IOWA CITY — West High School 2022 graduate Jonathan Chen is being honored as a U.S. Presidential Scholar, one of only 161 high school seniors recognized nationwide for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields.

The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic and technical excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as a commitment to community service and leadership.

“It’s a really big honor,” Chen said. “Having some recognition for my work is always good, and I think will motivate me to do more.”

Chen, 18, plans to go into a career in paleontology, the scientific study of life that existed more than 11,700 years ago since the end of the last major ice age. It includes the study of fossils to classify organisms and study their interactions with each other and their environments. He is attending Northwestern University in Illinois this fall to study earth and planetary sciences.

Chen remembers from a young age being fascinated by fossils and “never grew out of it,” he said. He went to every and any paleontology museum he could.

One of his most vivid memories is visiting the Museum of Natural History at the University of Iowa. Walking through the museum, he turned the corner and came face to face with a sculpture of a giant ground sloth, an extinct mammal that’s similar to a tree sloth.

At the Paleozoological Museum of China in Beijing, an elementary-school-age Chen was frightened by a replica of a T-Rex dinosaur that appeared to be “charging out of the dark.”

“I got really scared and started crying then,” Chen said. Citing a quote — “Out of fear comes fascination” — Chen said he thinks those episodes “made me curious of this very mysterious field.”

After he graduates from Northwestern University, Chen plans to continue his studies in paleontology with the goal of going into academia as a professor or working in a museum, he said.

“The larger significance of this type of research is looking at how changes in life over time can show us how organisms in general respond to climate change,” Chen said. “I think that’s the main point of relevance for paleontology today as we’re living in a time of extreme climate change. If we look at the past, we can predict the future.”

Chen received a score of 1600 — a perfect score — on his SAT, qualifying him for the U.S. Presidential Scholar nomination.

Chen also has been heavily involved in the music programs at West High. Chen, who has played piano for 12 years, started a musical charity club called Cadenza, gathering a group of musicians from West High to perform and raise money for nonprofits. Through Cadenza’s three years of operation, it has raised $6,700 for organizations including the Iowa City Music Auxiliary, UNICEF and local cultural organizations, Chen said.

West High Principal Mitch Gross said he is “extremely proud” of Chen. Gross said he has gotten to know Chen through music.

“Usually when there’s a musical event, there’s Jonathan,” Gross said. “It’s a real pleasure to watch him perform and watching him play piano at commencement was mesmerizing.”

Of the 3.7 million students expected to graduate from U.S. high schools this year, more than 5,000 qualified for the 2022 awards determined by outstanding performance on the SAT or ACT exams or through nominations made by Chief State School Officers, other partner recognition organizations and YoungArts, the National Foundation for the Advancement of Artists.

“Our 2022 Presidential Scholars represent the best of America, and remind us that when empowered by education, there are no limits to what our young people can achieve," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a news release.

Created in 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has honored over 7,900 of the nation’s top-performing students. The program was expanded in 1979 to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, literary and performing arts. In 2015, the program was again extended to recognize students who demonstrate ability and accomplishment in career and technical education fields.

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