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2017 State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists

Alabama

State Honoree

Louise Adair, Tuscaloosa
Elizabeth Lipp, Mountain Brook

Distinguished Finalist

Grace Abernathy, Alpine
Ruth Adams, Auburn
Hayden Burch, Auburn
Eli Wright, Dothan

Alaska

State Honoree

Leena Robinson, Nenana
Adam Skelton, Anchorage

Distinguished Finalist

Amy Cordell, Anchorage
Tasha Elizarde, Juneau

Arizona

State Honoree

Lauren Basye, Gilbert
Emery Miller, Gilbert

Distinguished Finalist

Brandon Barkwell, Scottsdale
Makenna Breading-Goodrich, Surprise
Yixue Cheng, Chandler
Erika Gustafson, Prescott
Joshua Kaplan, Phoenix
Victoria Lily Sheahan, Phoenix

Arkansas

State Honoree

Emily Richey, Paris
Gable Sloan, Fayetteville

Distinguished Finalist

Jackson Eaton, Huntsville
Jessa Goodeaux, Lonsdale
Bradi Matlock, Springdale
Abigail Torres, Warren

California

State Honoree

Kenan Pala, San Diego
Meghana Reddy, La Mesa

Distinguished Finalist

Dominic Barandica, Modesto
Caterina Therese Casalme, Chino Hills
Gabriela Goldberg, Santa Barbara
Nathaniel Goodman, San Diego
Natalie Hampton, Sherman Oaks
Sharleen Loh, Placentia
Ryan Maloney, Carlsbad
Brandon Nance, San Diego
Emma Storkersen, Temecula
Ryan Traynor, Emerald Hills

Colorado

State Honoree

Emma Albertoni, Arvada
Breanna Remigio, Aurora

Distinguished Finalist

Bethany Dykson, Fort Collins
William Gordon, Littleton
Alec Greven, Castle Rock
Andrew Kent, Arvada

Connecticut

State Honoree

Isha Dalal, Trumbull
Rachel Weintraub, Trumbull

Distinguished Finalist

Sivani Arvapalli, South Windsor
Nicole Cennamo, New Fairfield
Cynthia Dias, Wolcott
Jack Kealey, Bethany

Delaware

State Honoree

Kayleigh Barnes, Bridgeville
Rachel Mackie, Dover

Distinguished Finalist

Nicole Hemphill, Newark
Samantha Sawyer, Clayton

District Of Columbia

State Honoree

Debora Abera
Ayomide Okuleye

Distinguished Finalist

Gaia Jacobs
Daniela Romualdo Castro

Florida

State Honoree

Annie Farrell, Miami
Chase Hartman, Tampa

Distinguished Finalist

Patricia Abely, Maitland
Joaquin Borggio, Lutz
Maisy Lam, Miami
Phoebe O'Neill, Lake Wales
Leslie Purvis, Doral
Katherine Quesada, Davie
Olivia Russo-Hood, Deltona
Jordan Thorp, Newberry

Georgia

State Honoree

Amal Bhatnagar, Duluth
Kelsey Norris, Bonaire

Distinguished Finalist

Andrew Benson, Savannah
Srija Dutta, Atlanta
Anne Hardin, Atlanta
Katie Lowenstein, Duluth
Lauren Seroyer, Lawrenceville
Nitish Sood, Alpharetta

Hawaii

State Honoree

Cierra Nakamura, Honolulu
Emma Tandara, Ewa Beach

Distinguished Finalist

Evan Liu, Honolulu

Idaho

State Honoree

Shelby Kettler, Pocatello
Joseph Thomasson, Lewiston

Distinguished Finalist

Kassandra Brown, Boise
Cheyenne Quilter, Boise

Illinois

State Honoree

William Bauman, Grayslake
Kayli Roe, Palatine

Distinguished Finalist

Caleb Campbell, Greenville
Maya Esparza, Geneseo
Logan Haskill, Rock Island
Paige Hollendonner, Darien
Eden Jacoby, Deerfield
Mallika Luthar, Champaign
James Mathew, Hinsdale
Samantha Newman, Deerfield

Indiana

State Honoree

Tara Harmon, Zionsville
Grace Zhang, Carmel

Distinguished Finalist

Katherine Dorsey, Huntertown
Emily Greggs, Sullivan
Elayna Hasty, Angola
Isabelle Hemenway, Boonville
Rachel Kent, Indianapolis
Phillip Yang, Granger

Iowa

State Honoree

Jennifer Jenks, Aurora
Aliza Woodford, Emmetsburg

Distinguished Finalist

Courtney Brinkley, Burlington
Sydney Conrad, Cedar Falls
Sean Griffen, Red Oak
Molly McCunn, Long Grove

Kansas

State Honoree

Grace McGowan, Overland Park
Sydney Smith, Hiawatha

Distinguished Finalist

Ann Hrdy, Olathe
Hayley Nitz, Olathe
Kaleigh Salzman, Falun
Fiona Tokach, Abilene

Kentucky

State Honoree

Anna-Maria Beck, Louisville
Andrew Dunn, Louisville

Distinguished Finalist

Gavin Howard, Hawesville
Jillian Morrison, Goshen
Kennedy Sabharwal, Lexington
Holly Zoeller, Louisville

Louisiana

State Honoree

Zach Morgan, Denham Springs
Anna Katherine Tollett, Ruston

Distinguished Finalist

Nelson Gueho, Livonia
Miranda Hawthorne, Woodworth
Elizabeth Hughes, Coushatta
Macy Wells, Loranger

Maine

State Honoree

Bella Rossborough, Kennebunk
Kathleen Waeldner, Yarmouth

Distinguished Finalist

Kate Newman, Ludlow
Max Pushaw, Hope

Maryland

State Honoree

Michaela West, Beltsville

Distinguished Finalist

Kathleen Abell, Frederick
Caroline Collins, Bel Air
Randall Davidson, Timonium
Lauren French, Silver Spring
Chloe Lenker, Clarksburg
Sahil Menon, Bel Air

Massachusetts

State Honoree

Casey Arruda, Somerset
Ella Morrison, Middleboro

Distinguished Finalist

Yun Min Cho, Weston
Kerry Manuel, Andover
Benjamin McEvoy, Dunstable
Shaylin McMains, Medway
Samantha Newbury, Georgetown
Hailey Petruzzelli, Grafton

Michigan

State Honoree

Ewan Drum, New Haven
Sarah Maisano, Clinton Township

Distinguished Finalist

Addy Battel, Cass City
Carolyn Cohn, Huntington Woods
April Johnson, Houghton Lake
Anna Meyers, Grand Rapids
Nick Rutledge, Tipton
Soroosh Sabouni, Battle Creek
Stephanie Sills, Bloomfield Hills
Nikki Sorgi, Shelby Township

Minnesota

State Honoree

Ariana Feygin, Excelsior
Miranda Mead, Plymouth

Distinguished Finalist

Eloise Berdahl-Baldwin, St. Paul
Olivia Brammer, Burnsville
Theresa Eckel, Rochester
Stephanie Makredes, Edina
Samantha Wheeler, Minneapolis
Egeziharya Yilma, Burnsville

Mississippi

State Honoree

Luke Kelly, Water Valley
Davian Powell, Lexington

Distinguished Finalist

Annabeth Breeden, Vicksburg
Dylan Carpenter, Carthage
Caroline Spell, Hernando
Kristen Taylor, Crawford

Missouri

State Honoree

Madeline Domian, Fenton
Meredith Sharp, Springfield

Distinguished Finalist

Haley Farris, Oldfield
Cameron Gehlert, Linn
Brenna Heavin, Rolla
Madelyn Hubbs, Bridgeton
Caleb Wolf, Kearney

Montana

State Honoree

Hannah Halvorson, Laurel
Sophia Skwarchuk, Kalispell

Distinguished Finalist

Natalie Bova, Frenchtown
Colin Norick, Columbia Falls

Nebraska

State Honoree

Ella Alberts, Omaha
Mary Degraff, Plattsmouth

Distinguished Finalist

Linda Kennedy, Omaha
Ryan Woitalewicz, Wood River

Nevada

State Honoree

Athena Morales, Las Vegas
Pranit Nanda, Reno

Distinguished Finalist

Griffin Becker, Las Vegas
Kristen De Guzman, Las Vegas
Scott Harrison, Stateline
Kelly Tay, Las Vegas

New Hampshire

State Honoree

Alexandra Macdonald, Thornton
Jacob Parker, Windham

Distinguished Finalist

Arielys Liriano Trejo, Manchester
Jillian MacGregor, Nashua

New Jersey

State Honoree

Bradley Ferguson, Northfield
Kierstyn Kuehnle, Ocean City

Distinguished Finalist

Kate Atschinow, Highland Park
Avika Bansal, Livingston
Jordyn Cascone, Hamilton Square
Sharwani Kota, Edison
Nastassja Kuznetsova, Basking Ridge
Renita Zaparde, Plainsboro

New Mexico

State Honoree

Peter Alarid, Silver City
Alexandra Burnham, Farmington

Distinguished Finalist

Jade Denninger, Las Cruces
Lithany Devontenno, Belen

New York

State Honoree

Ariana DeMattei, Center Moriches
Victoria Bonavita, N. Babylon

Distinguished Finalist

Sophie Kartzman, Big Flats
Elizabeth Klosky, Cornwall-On-Hudson
Sarah Moelis, Hewlett
Truth Muller, Rock Hill
Jothi Ramaswamy, Mohegan Lake
Christian Ranieri, Northport
Rebecca Reich, New York
Matthew Taboni, Tonawanda

North Carolina

State Honoree

Victoria Kosinski, Kinston
Caleb Lumpkin, Winston-Salem

Distinguished Finalist

William Baldwin, Fletcher
Grace Ferebee, Shawboro
Hannah Scanlon, Raleigh
Patterson Sheehan, Raleigh
James Willett, Asheboro
Tina Y, Charlotte

North Dakota

State Honoree

Annabelle Barcomb, Minot
Nidhi Mahale, Fargo

Distinguished Finalist

Shane Anderson, Fargo
Ashlen Wright, West Fargo

Ohio

State Honoree

Mackenzie Lewis, Columbus
Adam Sella, Cincinnati

Distinguished Finalist

Erinn Aulfinger, Liberty Township
Milan Bhandari, Cincinnati
Lily Kwiatkowski, Cleveland
Matthew Oh, Dublin
Vishnu Paranandi, Wyoming
Taylor Powers, Cincinnati
Ananya Tawde, Mason
Madison Wagner, Strongsville

Oklahoma

State Honoree

Brooke Bollinger, Blanchard
Ellie Neidel, Oklahoma City

Distinguished Finalist

Makenna Marchbanks, Blanchard
Stephanie Royer, Tulsa
Olivia Woodrich, Broken Arrow

Oregon

State Honoree

Leah Burian, Portland
Carlie Steele, Amity

Distinguished Finalist

Adrian Chavez, Medford
Isabelle Cullen, The Dalles
Paige Olson, Oregon City
Isabelle Zheng, Portland

Pennsylvania

State Honoree

Lorelei McIntyre-Brewer, Duncannon
Amanda Yang, Dresher

Distinguished Finalist

Sravya Alla, Exton
Issac Avery, East Berlin
Mary McCans, Havertown
Prithvi Parthasarathy, Exton
Ryan Poisker, Pittsburgh
Saramia Suarez, Philadelphia
Erica Wang, Hummelstown
Ethan Woodfill, Pittsburgh

Rhode Island

State Honoree

Haylee Balme, Coventry
Max Hempe, Wakefield

Distinguished Finalist

Michaela Bellisle, Exeter
Megan Roy, Westerly

South Carolina

State Honoree

Harmonie Frederick, Columbia
Abigail McCarter, Greenville

Distinguished Finalist

Thomas McClinton, Ware Shoals
Tanvi Mehta, Columbia
Isabella Polanco, Columbia
Amanda Robinovitz, Mount Pleasant

South Dakota

State Honoree

Donnie Stoltz, Sioux Falls
Anneliese Taggart, Vermillion

Distinguished Finalist

Rachel Rucker, Yankton
Chelsea Warren, Rapid City

Tennessee

State Honoree

Mallory Fundora, Clarksville
Wills McAdams, Murfreesboro

Distinguished Finalist

Rachel Fan, Memphis
Ashley Hawkins, Brentwood
Ashlyn Hodges, Knoxville
Hannah Kimbro, Nashville
Zachary Mills, Jonesborough
Andrew Sweatt, Memphis

Texas

State Honoree

Ryan Almusawi, Fort Worth
Micah Pinson, Shady Shores

Distinguished Finalist

Chowdhury Bari, Grand Prairie
Anna Connolly, Dallas
Sabrina Epstein, San Antonio
Henry Hernandez, Irving
Lauren Holtkamp, Conroe
Elijah Johns, San Antonio
Daniel Kurtenbach, Duncanville
Carissa Mallory, Austin
Eesha Nayak, Austin

Utah

State Honoree

Kara Hughes, Bountiful
Rebekah Reno, Orem

Distinguished Finalist

Alyssa Baer, Holladay
Jessica Cox, Fruit Heights
Emma Ebert, North Salt Lake City
Jensen Hughes, Elwood

Vermont

State Honoree

Riley Callen, Pawlet
Gabrielle Metz, St. Albans

Distinguished Finalist

Victoria Reed, Alburgh
Maria Wiles, Brandon

Virginia

State Honoree

Lucia Hoerr, Charlottesville
Shishir Sriramoju, Ashburn

Distinguished Finalist

Morgan Lewis, Richmond
Meredith Polk, Richmond
Varanika Sharma, Virginia Beach
Sydney Tune, Fredericksburg
Julie Vranches, Ruckersville
Arianna Wright, Leesburg

Washington

State Honoree

Patricia Bell, Kirkland
Tyler Fiorino, Spokane

Distinguished Finalist

Ethan Choi, Auburn
Alina Guyon, Seattle
Aidan Ryan, Vancouver
Afeef Sheikh, Sammamish
Zoe Sheill, Mercer Island
Chickadee Snow, Kenmore

West Virginia

State Honoree

Mallory Marks, Mineral Wells
Elena Polinski, Moundsville

Distinguished Finalist

Lydia Freeman, Barboursville
Brooke Welch, Scott Depot

Wisconsin

State Honoree

Sarah (Katie) Eder, Shorewood
Julianna Bauknecht, Bryant

Distinguished Finalist

Meaghan Buckholdt, Wauwatosa
Claire Endres, Sauk City
Gabrielle Every, Suamico
Erin Keliher, Slinger
Caragan Olles, De Pere
Katie Pollock, Kenosha

Wyoming

State Honoree

Grace Estes, Farson
Rhett Pimentel, Powell

Distinguished Finalist

Sadie Gruntmeir, Buffalo
Liam Guille, Cheyenne