Colony graduate earns top honor

Valley Life editor

Later this month, Adam Berg -- a Colony grad by three days -- is traveling to Washington, D.C. to accept one of the top honors a student can receive -- the Presidential Scholar award.

Berg will meet with President George W. Bush and accept the honor, which is being given out to only 146 Americans this year.

"One of my teachers told me it was the first time in 11 years that a Valley student has been a Presidential Scholar," Berg said.

To even be considered, Berg had to finish in the top 20 in the SAT or ACT in the state. Nationwide, including international students, 2,600 semifinalists were chosen.

"From there, they gave you a whole bunch of essays, six I think, and considered you based on a lot of different things, like academics, community service, leadership, personal qualities -- things like that," Berg said. "Then they cut it down to 500 finalists, and after reviewing them a little more, they announced the 141 winners."

In mid-June, Berg will travel to Washington, D.C., to be honored by the president.

As part of the trip, he will meet with government officials, dignitaries and other influential people, as well as visit the many museums and monuments.

The final event is a ceremony sponsored by the White House, where the scholars receive their Presidential Scholars medallion.

As part of the program, each student identifies one teacher to be honored as a Distinguished Teacher.

Berg chose Shelly Heiserman, his music teacher in seventh and eighth grade at Colony Middle School.

"She was such an awesome, awesome teacher," Berg said. "The class was very difficult, and she was very demanding -- she was a perfectionist -- but the class was so much fun. I can still remember every single person in that class and everything we did. She was such an inspiration for us. Picking her to go with me was an easy choice."

In the fall, Berg will study at Illinois Institute of Technology, which gave him a full scholarship.

He plans to major computer and electrical engineering, but music is always going to be a part of his studies.

"There's a music school right next door, and I'd like to at least minor in music," Berg said. "I want to keep up in music studies."