Abigail Wurth, senior at Paducah Tilghman High School, has been named a Semifinalist in the 2023 United States Presidential Scholars Program by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the United States Department of Education. Of the nearly 3.6 million high school seniors graduating this year, approximately 5,000 from across the country were selected to participate in the prestigious recognition program and out of those, only 628 have advanced to the Semifinalist level. Only 9 Kentucky high school seniors have been designated Semifinalists and Abigail is the only one selected from far western Kentucky.
In mid-May, up to 161 of the Semifinalists, including one male and one female from each state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and from families of U.S. citizens living abroad, will be named U.S. Presidential Scholars. These students will be recognized at the White House later this summer.
The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by executive order of the President to recognize and honor some of the nation's most distinguished high school seniors. Students are selected based on academic success, leadership, and service to school and community. This program has been described as one of the nation’s highest honors for students in the U.S.
Abigail is an AP Scholar with Distinction and has been the recipient of seven of Tilghman’s Annual Departmental Top Student Awards, including three years in Math, three years in Social Studies, and one year in English. She is a graduate of the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Youth LEAD Class #11 and has been a Paducah Bank Teen Ambassador the last two years.
She is President of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), having been a member all four years. She won 2nd place in Kentucky for the FBLA Intro to Financial Math exam in 2021 and won 4th place in Kentucky for the FBLA Intro to Financial Math exam in 2020. In 2022, she placed 4th place in Kentucky for Business Calculations and 2nd Place in Kentucky for Business Calculations. She is Editor-in-Chief of the Tilghman Bell student newspaper, one of the Senior Class Representatives on the Tilghman Student Council, a member of the Beta Blub and National Honor Society, and has been a member of Interact Club, Pep Club, and Tilghman’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes all four years. She is also a Tilghman Student Ambassador.
Abigail has been a member of the Tilghman Varsity Girls Soccer Team all four years, the last two years as Varsity Captain. She ranked 7th in Kentucky for Assists in the 2019 season and 24th in Kentucky for Assists in 2020. She was the recipient of the Silver Boot Award and Best Midfielder Award in 2019, has been named to the All-District Team three years in a row, received Honorable Mention for the All-Region Team twice, and was named to the Second Team All-Region Team twice. She also helps coach and mentor Paducah Middle School Soccer team players. Abigail has played travel soccer with the Pumas Futbol Club since 2011, including the 2018 season when the team won the State Championship.
She was also a member of the Tilghman Varsity Girls Basketball Team for three years as a point guard.
Abigail has been very involved in volunteering and community service, including helping organize, coach, and referee Tilghman Basketball and Soccer Clinics for younger students, assisting at St. Vincent DePaul, Mercy Health Hospice, the Save Our Rivers project to label all storm drains that lead to the Ohio River, helping build raised flower beds at the Paducah Senior Citizen Center, helping with the Mayfield tornado relief through Heartland ACTS Ministry, Tilghman’s Red Cross Blood Drives, Tilghman’s Girls Basketball Little Dribblers Saturday Clinics, and the West Kentucky Launch Career Fair
She is employed as a Referee for McCracken County Youth Soccer and as a Referee for Region 1 Middle School Soccer. She is a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church.
Abigail will attend the University of Kentucky in the fall and major in human health sciences on the pre-physical therapy track. She is the daughter of Renee and Matthew Wurth.
“Abigail has consistently demonstrated exceptional scholarship and outstanding leadership and service in school, sports, and the community. Most importantly, she's known for always seeking the best for everyone around her,” said Dr. Donald Shively, Superintendent of Paducah Public Schools. “Our district is proud that she has been recognized by The U.S. Presidential Scholars Program as one of the nation’s brightest and most outstanding high school seniors. She has a very promising future ahead of her."