PARIS — The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the United States Department of Education recently announced that Culiandra Nero of South Paris, Maine, and a senior at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, has been selected as a Candidate for Presidential Scholar in Career and Technical Education.

Students are initially selected based on their accomplishments in career and technical education fields locally. The Maine Department of Education then nominates up to five candidates statewide as Candidates for Presidential Scholar in Career and Technical Education.

The Scholars program was established in 1964. It recognizes the accomplishments of some of our nation’s most distinguished graduating seniors. If selected, Ms. Nero will be invited to Washington, D.C., if circumstances permit, for the National Recognition Program, featuring events and enrichment activities including the Presidential Scholars medallion presentation during a White House sponsored ceremony.

Culiandra is in her third year in the Graphic Design program at Oxford Hills Technical School. She has won numerous awards at the national level. Her instructor, Virginia Valdes, states, “​what I love most about Culiandra is her curiosity to try different mediums from photography to illustration, to typography and design. She has worked with the printed image as fine art photography and book making, but is just as comfortable creating vector illustrations or working in web design or animation. She understands that in order to be successful you need to take chances, have a good understanding of the world around you, have knowledge on many fronts, be able to push yourself beyond comfort, and know how to find opportunities to help you succeed with whatever it is you choose to do. Right now she is designing her own personal branding for all social media platforms, and creating a digital storefront to sell both her digital and printed work.​” Paul Bickford, Director of OHTS, states, “Culiandra is an exceptional student and talented artist. We are proud of her accomplishments and celebrate her worthy recognition as a Candidate for Presidential Scholar in Career and Technical Education.”

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