Whitewater High School senior Joshua Shad Adair was notified on Tuesday, Feb. 6 that he has been selected as a finalist in the Georgia Tech Presidential Scholarship Program.

The President's Scholarship is Georgia Tech's premier merit-based award. It is offered to approximately 100 outstanding entering freshmen from a pool of more than 4,200 applicants who have demonstrated superb leadership skills, are among the top few in their class in academic performance, and show promise of continuing such performance in college and beyond. Semifinalists typically have earned top grades in the most challenging courses offered at their high schools, have SAT scores ranging from 1440-1560 for the middle 50 percent, and have demonstrated outstanding personal achievements and leadership outside the classroom in a variety of activities.

The amount of the scholarship depends on a student's final ranking in the competition. The top five Georgia residents and the top five non-Georgia residents will be awarded full rides. The remaining scholarships will be split among three levels. Semifinalists are selected based on the application for admission, and are interviewed by Georgia Tech alumni. The program is funded by the Georgia Tech Foundation through contributions by alumni, faculty, staff, and industry.