There are only 19 University of Washington (UW) Presidential Scholar awards to go around in Washington state. This year, three of those awards went to students in Lake Washington School District (LWSD). Two of the students are from Redmond High School: Pranav Vaid and Sarah Raza. The other LWSD student attends Nikola Tesla STEM High School: Sonika Tayade. Each of the three students were presented with their award on Friday, March 1. The senior associate director of admission from UW surprised the students, who had no idea they were getting the award.

The Presidential Scholarship is a $10,000 award given to selected Washington residents who show exceptional leadership, community engagement and promise. It is renewable for up to four years. Washington residents are considered automatically with their application to the UW.