PRESS ALERT | May 18, 2026 | Caregiving Youth Recognition

Alachua County Public Schools published an article this week recognizing Pranay Gadikota, a senior at Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Florida, as a 2026 U.S. Presidential Scholar Semifinalist. Gadikota is one of fewer than 630 semifinalists in the country and one of 25 from Florida. The article highlights how his caregiving experience, supporting his great-grandmother through a serious illness during high school, shaped his academic journey and his advocacy.

Gadikota has been connected to AACY’s work and spoke at the Caregiving Youth Institute Conference. He has also published an op-ed in the Florida Times-Union calling on pediatricians to ask young patients directly about caregiving responsibilities at home. He is a National Merit Finalist, recently received a $70,000 scholarship from the Education Foundation, and will attend Harvard University in the fall to study neuroscience.

Read the full article here: https://www.alachuaschools.net/article/2905380