Lucy LeBuhn, Jude Williams, Elijah Cagle, and Angelique Hernandez, seniors at Paducah Tilghman High School, have been named Candidates in the 2026 United States Presidential Scholars Program by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the United States Department of Education. Angelique is recognized for her talent in visual arts and Elijah for his accomplishments in the career and technical education (CTE) field.
Of the nearly 3.6 million high school seniors graduating this year, approximately 5,000 students from across the country have been selected to participate in the prestigious recognition program, including approximately 90 Kentucky high school seniors (with five students in CTE and six in the arts). 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 have the opportunity to become Presidential Scholars based on three paths of accomplishment. The majority of the Scholars are selected on the basis of broad academic achievement. Approximately twenty additional students are selected on the basis of their academic and artistic scholarship in the visual arts, the performing arts, or creative writing. Another twenty students are selected on the basis of their outstanding scholarship and accomplishment in CTE fields.
The Commission on Presidential Scholars will select 500 semifinalists from the national pool of honored students. In the spring, up to 161 of those students, 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 as U.S. Presidential Scholars. These students will be recognized at the White House later this summer.
Lucy is an AP Scholar and graduate of the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program and the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Youth LEAD program, and was recently named Miss Tilghman by school faculty and administrators. She’s Secretary of the Interact Club, has traveled to El Salvador with Interact to perform service work, and enjoys regularly volunteering in our school and community. She’s a member of Beta Club, National Honor Society, Student Council, Concert Choir, Concordia, Future Problem Solvers, and is a PTHS Student Ambassador and Pep Club Leader. She’s a member of Tilghman’s Soccer Team and Tennis Team and has been named to the Academic All-District Teams in both sports. She has competed with the Speech and Debate Team in duo-interpretation, storytelling, and dramatic interpretation and garnered awards at the regional level. She’s also been a student of piano for 10 years.
Lucy has competed in Saddlebred Horseback Riding for over 10 years and has won numerous awards and Grand Champion level honors in national championship horse shows. She’s a member of First Presbyterian Church of Paducah and Youth Group, sings with the Youth Choir, and attends the Montreat Youth Conference each summer. She was selected for and attended the Camp Skyline Ranch Leadership Training Program and thereafter served as a Junior Counselor and received the Honor Junior Counselor award.
Lucy’s parents are Drs. Polly and Carl LeBuhn.
Jude is an AP Scholar with Distinction and graduate of the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program. He’s received numerous academic awards, including the 21st Century Scholar, DAR Youth Medal, American History Award from Woodman of the World, the College Board’s Rural and Small Town Recognition Award and National School Recognition Award, and the Solidworks CAD Design Associate Certification.
Jude is a member of National Honor Society, Concert Choir, Bowling Team, and Interact Club. He’s a four-year member of Tilghman’s Track and Field Team and Cross Country Team, placing individually and as part of his team at local and regional meets. He’s active in indoor/outdoor rec league soccer and co-founded a local pickleball team. Jude’s a member of Reidland Church, Youth Group, and is a leader and member of the Worship Team. He serves regularly both at church and in the community and has been a part of many summer domestic mission trips to aid in food preparation and distribution, inner city churches, children’s programs and camps, tornado cleanup, community farms, and other areas of need.
Jude’s parents are Randi and Andrew Williams.
Elijah is an AP Scholar with Distinction and has received the College Board’s National School Recognition Award, Rural and Small Town Recognition Award, and the First-Generation Recognition Award. He has passed the national exams for the designation of both Certified SolidWorks Associate (CSWA) and Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP). He’s the only Tilghman student ever to have achieved the professional level CSWP certification. His skills include CAD, 3-D modeling, assemblies, drawing packages, Bill of Materials (BOM), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and Computational Fluid Dynamic Analysis (CFD). He’s also garnered awards at regional physics and chemistry competitions at MSU.
His experience includes an airplane restoration requiring reverse-engineering and 3-D printing plane parts to refurbish a dash of a Piper Cub, optimizing a prototype turbulator design to fit into a new water purification system for a non-profit helping third world countries to gain more access to water, creating a digital twin for the inventor of a novel powered wheelchair design which required remaking parts in CAD, and reverse-engineering a plat map for a real estate developer to optimize a new home’s square footage which required creating a dragging package with precise dimensions.
Elijah is a founding member of both the HUB Club and Robotics Club, and member of DND Club, Beta Club, and National Honor Society. He’s proficient with the mechanical processes of automobiles and enjoys helping others with mechanical issues.
Elijah’s mother is Sarah Beck.
Angelique is an AP Scholar and graduate of the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts (in visual arts) and the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Youth LEAD program. Her oil paintings have received state-wide awards the past two years at the KyAEA All-State Purchase/Pennyrile Regional High School Art Exhibition. She has had numerous pieces selected for the annual Yeiser Art Center regional Teen Spirit exhibit and competition and has had her pieces selected for exhibit at local art venues and coffeehouses. She was recently voted “Most Artistic” by her senior class.
She was selected as one of two students to be a Junior Board Member for Paducah Public Schools. She is President of Tilghman’s National Honor Society and PT PageTurners Club, and is a member of the Interact Club and the Upward Bound Math and Science Program TRIO. She has been 1st Chair Bass (and Virtuoso Grand Master Award recipient) in Tilghman’s Orchestra all four years as well as 1st Chair Bassist in the Paducah Symphony Orchestra Honor Strings Academy, and was selected as bassist for the Quad-State Strings Orchestra. She’s also a member of the African American Leadership Club, a student ambassador for Paducah Bank, and is a PTHS Student Ambassador. She’s a four-year varsity soccer player, a member of the Pumas traveling team, and has been a state qualifier in cross country and track. She has many hours of volunteering at our community agencies, and traveled to El Salvador as the translator for our school Interact Club. She’s a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church of Paducah.
Angelique’s parents are Alma Lemur and Isidro Hernandez.
“In addition to demonstrating exceptional scholarship, talent, and service to others, Lucy, Jude, Elijah, and Angelique have each shown a genuine and longstanding commitment to endeavors that bring meaning to the lives of everyone around them,” said Dr. Donald Shively, Superintendent of Paducah Public Schools. “We are very proud to see their efforts recognized and their names listed among the nation’s most outstanding high school seniors.”
Pictured L to R: Lucy LeBuhn, Jude Williams, Elijah Cagle, Angelique Hernandez