Mountain Ridge senior named Presidential Scholars Finalist

Congratulations to Mountain Ridge High School‘s Suhani Patel! She has been selected as a finalist for the 2020-2021 U.S. Presidential Scholars in Career and Technical Education.

She is one of five Arizona nominees for this award.

Suhani is a student in David Martin’s AP Computer Science Principles course, previously was in dual enrollment Web Page Development with Renee Woodruff, and a member of FBLA and DECA under advisors Mr. Martin and Debbie Moore. She has also been honored as a Coca-Cola scholarship semifinalist.

Suhani is currently working with an ASU professor on research and development of programming algorithms to detect canal anomalies that will help mitigate current drought situations in Arizona. She also runs her own organization fighting animal abuse called “tech for Tails,” hosting computer programming and web page development workshops with all proceeds going to benefit abused animals.

She is a founder of Girls Who Code at Mountain Ridge High and is employed as a sensei at Code Ninjas in Glendale where she instructs younger students in both advanced coding and working with students with special needs.

A review team consisting of career and technical education stakeholders chose her based on her academic rigor, technical competence, professional employability skills, and ingenuity, and creativity.

Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, Kathy Hoffman was in the selection committee that chose Suhani as a Semi-Finalist.

She will apply to the National Review by the Commission on Presidential Scholars at the U.S. Department of Education.

Suhani will be considered among candidates from all 50 states to be one of 20 named US Presidential Scholars in CTE for 2021. Winners are expected to be named in May.

Way to go Suhani!