NORA B. DEVINE OF SEVERNA PARK HIGH SCHOOL NAMED 2026 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR SEMIFINALIST

Severna Park High School’s Nora B. Devine received her high school diploma along with her classmates Monday. She may have at least one more honor in store.

Nora is one of 14 high school students across the state of Maryland and 627 in the nation to be named a semifinalist in the 2026 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. She is the lone semifinalist from Anne Arundel County.Nora is the valedictorian of Severna Park High School’s Class of 2026. 

Throughout high school, Nora distinguished herself as a leader, scholar, and community advocate, excelling in both academic and extracurricular pursuits. She completed the most rigorous high school curriculum, focusing on her studies in the STEM field and excelling in Severna Park's Project Lead The Way engineering program.

As a leader of multiple and varied student organizations, she has championed STEM outreach, environmental stewardship, and student engagement while focusing her service towards mentoring and serving younger students in her community. Her commitment to service is reflected in initiatives such as co-founding Falcon Thon, which has raised more than $15,000 for hospitalized children, as well as volunteer work supporting youth literacy, community programs, and cancer patients. 

Nora has been accepted to the University of Maryland School of Engineering, where she will begin her studies this fall as a mechanical engineering major.

The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964. It recognizes as many as 161 students across the country based on criteria that includes academic and artistic achievement, career and technical education (CTE) success, leadership, and school and community involvement.“We are unbelievably proud by the national recognition for our students' academic, artistic and career and technical education accomplishments,” Dr. Carey M. Wright, State Superintendent of Schools, said in announcing the semifinalists. “These students are among the best and the brightest and we wish them well during the final round of the selection process.”U.S. Presidential Scholars are expected to be announced this summer.

More information about the program can be found online at www.ed.gov/pspwww.ed.gov/psp.