Two valedictorians from Kealakehe High School just made Hawaiʻi history, becoming the first pair of students from the same public school in the state to be named U.S. Presidential Scholars in the same year. Daniel Chen and Zachariah Smith, both members of Kealakehe's Class of 2026, were named two of the three Hawaiʻi students to earn the distinction this year, joining a national cohort of 161 high school seniors recognized for the 2026 class.
According to the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, the pair graduated from Kealakehe this past May as valedictorians and completed the school's STEM Academy program before heading off to college — Chen to Yale University and Smith to Rice University, both to pursue engineering degrees. The department's announcement specifically notes it marks “the first time two students from the same Hawaiʻi public school have earned the prestigious national recognition in the same year.”
Their path to the honor was built on years of overlapping extracurricular work. Both students earned awards at the Hawaiʻi State Science and Engineering Fair, medals at the state SkillsUSA competition, and national recognition through the CTE Momentum program, the state education department reports. They were also teammates on Kealakehe's Tiki Techs robotics team, which has qualified for multiple FIRST Robotics Competition world championships, and both served as project leaders for Kona STEM Camp, where they helped introduce younger students to science, technology and engineering.
Distinct Projects, Shared Spotlight
Beyond their shared activities, each student built an individual résumé of national-caliber work. Chen earned recognition through the NASA TechRise Student Challenge, served as captain of Kealakehe's CyberPatriot Platinum Division team, and received a national Model United Nations award, per the department's release. As West Hawaii Today reported last year, Kealakehe had the only team in the state chosen for the 2025 NASA TechRise Student Challenge, and Chen was a junior on that team at the time.
Smith, meanwhile, qualified for the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, participated in NASA's Human Exploration Rover Challenge, and was selected as a San Diego Zoo Native Hawaiian bird genomics scholar, the state education department says. Smith displayed a project on acoustic classification of false killer whales using spectrogram-based machine learning, while Chen showcased a wearable feedback device designed to give visually impaired users real-time spatial resolution, according to the same department release.
School and State Leaders React
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi called the dual honor “an incredible achievement and a proud moment for Kealakehe High School,” describing it as significant that two Hawaiʻi Island students earned the recognition together. Kealakehe High School Principal Kori Takaki praised Chen and Smith for their academic excellence, technical accomplishments, and support of their peers, saying their recognition is historic for the school and the West Hawaiʻi community and shows students that “world-class potential starts at home.”
The two Kealakehe graduates were among nine Hawaiʻi students selected as semifinalists this year, six of them from Hawaiʻi public schools, the state department of education reports. The only other 2026 graduate from Hawaiʻi to win the honor was Arabella Violet Chung Yan Tan of Iolani School on Oahu, according to West Hawaii Today.
A Highly Selective National Program
The scale of the achievement comes into sharper focus against the program's national numbers. Out of 3.9 million graduating high school seniors nationwide, more than 6,700 candidates qualified for consideration this year based on outstanding SAT or ACT performance or nominations by chief state school officers, the state department notes. The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars identifies honorees through a rigorous selection process that evaluates academic excellence, artistic and technical talent, essays, school recommendations, leadership, and community service.
As Maui Now notes, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has honored approximately 8,800 students since it began in 1964. The program expanded in 1979 to recognize artistic excellence and again in 2015 to celebrate achievements in career and technical education, broadening the categories of talent it now honors each year. Each member of the 2026 class, including Chen and Smith, will receive an engraved U.S. Presidential Scholars medallion to mark the distinction.
