Cerritos : 16-Year-Old Senior Becomes Presidential Scholar

Cerritos High School senior Paras P. Mehta, 16, has been selected one of the 1990 Presidential Scholars. It is the highest federal honor given to high school seniors.

Mehta was among six students from California to be chosen. Of the 141 scholars selected throughout the nation, 121 were chosen on the basis of academic achievement, leadership and community and school involvement. The other 20 selections were based on achievement in the creative or performing arts.

Mehta has a 4.0 grade-point average and has received numerous academic awards. He currently serves as the student representative on the state Board of Education. He will enroll in Harvard University in the fall, but has not selected a major field of study.

The students will be given the Presidential Scholar medallion at a White House ceremony in June. They also will receive $1,000 each from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, a private philanthropic organization in Morristown, N.J.