30 Chinese-Americans receive highest U.S. educational award

30 Chinese Americans have received one of the United States' highest educational honors.

Created in 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars program is described as one of the nation's most important awards for high school students.

Of the 3.5 million graduates expected in 2017, 5,100 were qualified to compete for the prestigious honor.

There were 161 recipients from every state in the country this year, including 30 Chinese Americans, accounting for 19% of the total, according to the U.S. department of Education.

The awards are given out based on the "academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals" of the selected candidates, according to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars.

"I congratulate this year's class of Presidential Scholars for their devotion to academic excellence and their parents and teachers who have guided them along the way," Betsy DeVos, the U.S. Secretary of Education, is quoted as saying.

The 2017 honorees will receive their Presidential Scholar Medallions during a ceremony to be held in the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 18, 2017.