State finalists named for ’26 Governor’s Honors Program

A total of 17 students representing Fayette County Public Schools have been selected to attend the 2026 Governor’s Honors Program (GHP) on the campus of Georgia Southern University, June 14-July 11.

Representing Fayette County High is Jhalani Shambo (Physics).

Representing McIntosh are Haemin Jung (Communicative Arts) and Yoshita Reddycherla (Communicative Arts).

Representing Starr’s Mill are Cason Cauble (Mathematics), Sana Harper (Communicative Arts), Allie Kemp (Communicative Arts), Ethan Kwok (Computer Science), Parth Mahajan (Physics), Michael Panait (Engineering/Electrical & Computational), Jonathan Schiffman (Chemistry), and Briana Taylor (German).

Representing Whitewater High are Benjamin Bobra (Music: Trumpet), Caoimhe Caskey (Voice: Soprano), Aliyah Hayes (Chemistry), Umunatu King (Communicative Arts), Bella Kirchner (Communicative Arts), and Naomi Martin (Social Studies).

GHP is a four-week intensive study of undergraduate, graduate, and professional-level coursework, and experience in a given field. Students spend approximately 27 hours a week in highly-advanced classes in their fields, encompassing 20 areas of study. The Governor’s Honors Program is fully-funded by the Georgia General Assembly, so there is no charge for students to attend.

Nomination to the program is a multi-part process beginning at the school system level with an exam in the students’ selected subject area. If students meet the cut-off score, they participate in a county-level interview, which determines the nominees who are invited to complete a state application. The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement selects a limited number of students to interview at the state level. Finalists are selected from this final group.

GHP has been in operation more than 50 years, making it the longest continually-running program of its kind in the nation.