Alexandra DaSilva ’26 and Ajay Purohit ’26 are Michigan’s Only Two Honorees; Dr. Mark Randolph Named 2026 Distinguished Teacher
Alexandra DaSilva ’26 and Ajay Purohit ’26 have been named 2026 U.S. Presidential Scholars, earning one of the nation’s highest honors for high school graduates. Of the 161 students selected nationwide, only two are from Michigan. Both graduated from Greenhills.
It is a remarkable distinction. More than 6,700 students nationwide qualified for consideration as U.S. Presidential Scholars, including 188 candidates from Michigan and 37 who attended high schools in Washtenaw County. DaSilva and Purohit were among four Greenhills candidates, along with Christopher Gregg ’26 and Deeksha Sriram ’26. Of Michigan’s 188 candidates, 19 advanced to the semifinalist round before DaSilva and Purohit were ultimately selected as the state’s only two Presidential Scholars.
For two Presidential Scholars to come from the same school in the same year is exceedingly rare. Greenhills is just the second Michigan school in the past 20 years to accomplish it.
“Alexandra and Ajay are extraordinary students, but what makes this recognition especially meaningful is the way they have pursued excellence,” said Peter B. Fayroian, Greenhills head of school. “They are deeply curious, thoughtful, and generous young people who have challenged themselves while making the people and communities around them better. We are incredibly proud of all they have accomplished, and even more proud of the people they have become.”
For Purohit, the recognition is difficult to separate from the community in which he spent seven years learning.
“Much of what is so powerful about Greenhills is the environment and culture that’s cultivated,” Purohit said. “Greenhills changes you, not just through one interaction, but through repeated interactions with the same people in the same spaces—conversations on long bus rides, or discussions with teachers who keep their doors open between classes and after school. I’m so grateful for that community at Greenhills.”
Purhoit prepares to return a serve during a Greenhills boys tennis match in 2026.
Those relationships figure prominently in both graduates’ memories of Greenhills. As part of the Presidential Scholars selection process, DaSilva and Purohit were each asked to identify an educator who had profoundly influenced them. Both chose the same person: Greenhills English teacher Dr. Mark Randolph.
Randolph was subsequently named a 2026 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program Distinguished Teacher, one of 159 educators nationwide and one of only two from Michigan schools.
“Dr. Randolph’s English Honors class taught me how to write,” DaSilva said. “I learned how to read material critically, how to apply it and think critically, and how I could influence the literature I read through my writing. All of the work he had us do to prepare for college has been extremely impactful.”
The recognition carries an unusual bit of Greenhills history with it. DaSilva and Purohit join Ryan Wang ’22 as Washtenaw County’s three most recent Presidential Scholars. When Wang received the honor four years earlier, he, too, nominated Randolph for Distinguished Teacher recognition.
In the past decade, only four students from Washtenaw County have been named Presidential Scholars. Three attended Greenhills.
But DaSilva and Purohit’s Greenhills experiences extended well beyond their academic accomplishments. Both participated broadly in the life of the school, including athletics, student government, forensics, and Ethics Bowl. During their senior year, they served as co-captains with Aoife Tang ’26 of the Ethics Bowl Green Squad, leading the team to a perfect 7–0 record and Michigan state championship, followed by a Central Division title and a trip to the national championship.
The Greenhills Ethics Bowl Green Squad after winning the 2026 Ethics Bowl State Championship.
For DaSilva, having the freedom to pursue those interests helped her discover where she wanted to go next. During her junior year, DaSilva took Rights, Justice, and the U.S. Supreme Court, an experience she credits with helping crystallize her interest in law, government and public policy.
“It was my first time encountering how to study legal works and what goes on in the government today and our rights,” she said. “That class, specifically, had such an impact on my future career—my interests, what I want to do, and my major. I’m really grateful for that class and the opportunities Greenhills gave me to explore and dive into my passions.”
DaSilva shares her Advanced Research Program poster, titled A Pursuit of Justice, during Advanced Research Night.
Today, those explorations are continuing on two new campuses. Purohit is attending Harvard University, where he is studying history, government and philosophy. DaSilva is at Princeton University, studying public policy and international affairs with plans to ultimately attend law school.
“Greenhills channeled my appreciation for knowledge and allowed me to challenge myself academically,” DaSilva said. “It has given me a lot of academic confidence, so even though I go to Princeton, I never feel overwhelmed.”
Established in 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program recognizes distinguished graduating high school seniors for achievement in academics, the arts, and career and technical education, as well as leadership and service. Each honoree receives an engraved Presidential Scholars medallion.
