Warren Central senior Sam Greer has been nominated as one of the top high school scholars in the country.

Greer was recently recognized as a nominee for the Presidential Scholar Award and is one of five students in Mississippi nominated through the Career Technical Education Program.

“It meant a lot. It means that just because you are from somewhere a lot of people consider small, it goes to show that anyone, anywhere can do anything if they put their mind to it,” Greer said.

Greer was nominated for the award after taking the Introduction to Engineering course offered through a partnership between the Vicksburg Warren School District, Mississippi State University and Alcorn State University.

“That class was pretty great,” Greer said. “It showed me the basics of what an engineering course would be like. It is something that I can be proud of that I was nominated for this really high honor. I am not one to brag, but it is something good for me to know.”

The award has been given out annually since 1964, but was expanded to include students who achieve excellence in the arts in 1979 and students who succeed in Career Technical Education programs in 2015. Up to 161 high school seniors from throughout the country will be selected as Presidential Scholars this year.

“The Presidential Scholar is one of the highest scholars that a high school student can get,” Vicksburg Warren Career and Technical administrator Terence James said. “In the past, career tech used to be looked at as a program for students interested in a trade. That is no longer the case. It is an area that all students can get something out of it regardless of whether they plan on taking a trade or going to college.”

Greer will graduate from Warren Central in May and said he plans to attend Louisiana Tech University and likely pursue a degree in electrical engineering.