Des Moines Sun

The Johnston City Council gathered on Feb. 6 and recognized four high school students who are candidates for the U.S. Presidential Scholars program, and the council also swore in its newest police officer.

The students recognized were: Aarushi Gupta, Eshaan Chandani, Anita Dinakar and Alan Kang. Mayor Paula Dierenfeld asked them about the process of how they were chosen, and they said they needed to write a series of essays and gather recommendations from teachers. The students shared their future plans, which included biology, social justice, computer science, environmental science, engineering, psychology and social equity. 

“I was sitting at home maybe a couple, three or four weeks ago at about 9 at night,” said Dierenfeld. “And I get this email from the Johnson School District saying, 'You need to be aware of this. We have four students that have been selected to be candidates for the 2023 U.S. Presidential Scholar program.' I couldn't believe it. And I immediately responded to that email and said, 'We've got to get them to the Johnson City Council, and we need to recognize them.”

There are only 5,000 candidates chosen out of the 3.6 million high school students in the country, with only 64 students from Iowa chosen. There will be 161 winners named in June, which will include scholarships.

The council also swore in police officer Nick Collins at the meeting. He was a lateral transfer officer who came from the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado. Collins grew up in the area and wanted to return to serve the community. He was in the U.S. Navy for eight years after high school, where he was a combat medic for the Naval Special Warfare Development Group’s East Coast Special Operations. He also worked as a park ranger and has certification as an emergency medical technician. Police Chief Dennis McDaniel spoke highly of Collins, saying he felt Collins would be a great addition to the department.