Two Interlochen Arts Academy students named 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts
Creative writer Madelyn Dietz and singer-songwriter Calvin Hinds are the 47th and 48th Arts Academy students to receive the prestigious designation.
Calvin Hinds and Madelyn Dietz
Interlochen Arts Academy seniors Madelyn Dietz and Calvin Hinds have been selected as 2021 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts.
Dietz, a creative writer from Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Hinds, a singer-songwriter from Wayland, Michigan, were among the 20 students selected by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars to receive the prestigious honor. Arts Camp alum Is Perlman (IAC 15-17), a visual artist from Miami Beach, Florida, is also among the honorees.
“The 2021 Presidential Scholars represent extraordinary achievements for our extraordinary times,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement. “I am delighted to join President Biden in saluting these outstanding young people for their achievements, service, character, and continued pursuit of excellence.”
Since the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was founded in 1964, 48 Interlochen Arts Academy students have been selected as presidential scholars—more than any other high school in the nation. (The last time two Arts Academy students were honored in one year was in 2005.)
“Maddy and Calvin are both exceptional students and leaders in our Interlochen Arts Academy community, and I am thrilled for them,” said Interlochen Center for the Arts Provost Camille Colatosti. “It is a tremendous honor to have one student selected as a presidential scholar—to have two is absolutely incredible and a testament to the passion and purpose that permeate our Interlochen community.”
Presidential Scholars in the Arts candidates are identified through the national YoungArts competition, a highly regarded national recognition program for young artists ages 15-18. As presidential scholars, Dietz, Hinds, and Perlman will participate in several days of activities in Washington, D.C., this summer and showcase their work in an exhibition and performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
