2026 NHS Scholarship Recipients

Noah Hernandez

Noah Hernandez is a senior at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix, AZ. As student body president of a 2,500-student campus, he led schoolwide events and launched student council Spanish-language outreach for families and students. He is an NHS officer and the president of his school’s Red Cross Club, where he reestablished campus blood drives. As an athlete, he is the captain of the varsity cross-country and track teams, earning all-state honors and helping secure the program’s first sectional title. He was named a Phoenix Outstanding Youth Leader, a National Hispanic Merit Scholar, and a Flinn Scholarship Semifinalist. He plans to study economics and public policy in college and use those skills as a civic leader in Arizona.

Fatme Khalil

Fatme Khalil is a senior and NHS president at Crestwood High School in Dearborn Heights, MI, where she has dedicated over 550 service hours and earned more than 24 chapter-based awards. She has led tutoring programs at both the high school and elementary school levels and raised over $14,000 for breast cancer and Angelman syndrome research. Her leadership extends across multiple disciplines, including founding captain of the Mock Trial team, president of Debate Club, and captain of her robotics team. She also serves as lieutenant governor chair for the Michigan District of Key Club International, supporting more than 6,000 members and leading statewide service initiatives. A committed civic advocate, she is secretary of service for Michigan’s 12th Congressional Youth Advisory Council and has conducted NASA GLOBE research on microplastics, sharing her findings as a student watershed commissioner in Dearborn Heights.

Isabel Gonzalez Lopez

Isabel Gonzalez Lopez is a senior at Glades Day School in Belle Glade, FL. She serves as president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, NHS, and her senior class, and is captain of Dance Marathon Philanthropy. She is dedicated to serving her community, volunteering as a leader at her local church and with the Panera Bread Back Program. She plans to attend Florida International University to pursue a double major in cybersecurity and business. She aims to become a cybersecurity analyst and eventually open her own practice, bringing essential cybersecurity services to the Everglades region, where resources are currently limited and outsourced.

Matthew Vila

Matthew Vila is a senior at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami, FL. He is an NHS Scholarship National Finalist, a Top 20 National Winner of the Elks Most Valuable Student $30,000 Scholarship, a Coca-Cola Scholar Regional Finalist, Cameron Impact Scholarship Finalist, and Top 15 National Winner of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. He is the founder and CEO of Harmony Hugs Inc., a nonprofit providing music education to youth with disabilities at 10 locations across South Florida, impacting over 70 participants weekly. He also serves in leadership roles within Best Buddies at the school, city, and international levels. Guided by his Cuban-Colombian heritage, he will remain committed to advancing inclusion through service, leadership, and advocacy at Vanderbilt University as a Chancellor’s Scholar.

Diamond Tran

Diamond Tran is a senior at Hamilton High School West in Trenton, NJ. A proud second-generation Vietnamese-American, she established the student-led nonprofit organization You Know Yourself, which is dedicated to addressing period poverty and amplifying youth voices. She’s also raised over $8,000 and distributed more than 10,000 hygiene supplies. Through the Women’s United club, she helped install five free feminine hygiene stations in school and organized drives redistributing hundreds of menstrual products. As founder and co-president of her school’s Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) chapter, she built a driven community to provide exposure for aspiring health care students, creating the support system she searched for herself. Additionally, she served as junior class president and was re-elected senior class president, raising over $7,000 to reduce prom costs so it remained accessible to all students. Appointed by her principal to represent students at district Board of Education meetings, she advocates for student wellness and hopes to pursue a career in medicine.

Zuan Park

Zuan Park is a senior at Sheyenne High School in West Fargo, ND. He is dedicated to advancing equity through health care, public policy, and community service. Selected as one of 100 Boys Nation Senators from over 25,000 applicants, he represented North Dakota in Washington, D.C., debating national legislation and drafting policy. He was also elected the Nationalist Party Chair. Motivated by health care disparities in his community, he engaged with senators and representatives on Capitol Hill. At the local level, he successfully lobbied his school district for funding to launch a hydroponics club and led his Odyssey of the Mind team to the world finals. He is a Division I Public Forum Debate State Champion and National Qualifier, captaining both his Student Congress and Mock Trial teams to state championships. He served as a State Debate Workshop speaker, instructing more than 150 students statewide each year in argumentation and evidence analysis. He serves on the leadership team of True Love, a faith-based ministry anchored at North Dakota State University that brings youth and young adults together through large-scale conferences and outreach initiatives. He also leads volunteer efforts with Urban Promise and the Ronald McDonald House, tutoring underserved youth in math and English while organizing service initiatives that provide meals and support to families navigating pediatric medical care.

Afsana Ali

Afsana Ali is a senior at Maricopa Institute of Technology in Phoenix, AZ. As co-founder of her school’s outreach club, the Muslim Students Association, she has helped organize initiatives that have raised thousands of dollars for global humanitarian causes. Her work is driven by a deep sense of responsibility to give back and uplift communities beyond her own. Outside the classroom, she volunteers regularly and mentors younger students in STEM, hoping to make these fields more accessible and rewarding. Known for her initiative and compassion, she brings both purpose and authenticity to everything she does, striving to create a meaningful impact locally and globally.

Gavin Thier

Gavin Thier is a senior at Fred J Page High School in Franklin, TN. As the state DECA’s vice president of hospitality, he leads 9,000 members in Department of Education student development programs. He founded Tennessee Youth Economic Leaders to provide economic lessons to more than 150 local middle schoolers and youth in mobile home communities, launched his own AI-powered tutor-matching platform that grossed over $13,000 in revenue, and co-founded Cash Compass to teach online financial literacy classes to youth in Jakarta orphanages. He is passionate about civic engagement and founded his city’s Youth Advisory Council alongside his mayor. His school’s student body president, he has been recognized as a Coca-Cola Scholar, Bank of America Student Leader, and Franklin, Tennessee’s 2026 Healthy Democracy Advocate. He plans to study economics and policy in college to empower marginalized communities via legislation.

Suren Sanjay

Suren Sanjay is a senior at Valencia High School in Placentia, CA. As president of Speech and Debate, he has earned national and international recognition while mentoring younger students. He leads the American Cancer Society club and led a global initiative mobilizing teens against e-waste, driving environmental awareness and action. He serves his community through NHS Tiger Tutor, homeless service volunteering, and outreach to underserved populations. His academic work includes cancer research published in a Harvard University journal. As a coach, judge, and clinical and drug repurpose intern, he demonstrates a sustained commitment to service-driven leadership and impact.

Sloane Wolfe

Sloane Wolfe is a senior at Twin Valley High School in Elverson, PA. A professional actor, congressional lobbyist, U.S. Senate Youth Delegate, Coca-Cola Scholars Regional Finalist, and nationally recognized leader, she partnered with the ACLU to file a federal lawsuit challenging her district’s refusal to recognize a student club, securing free speech policy after five years. She has addressed her school board more than 60 times and engaged with the ACLU and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. She is a National Association of Student Councils’ National Distinguished Student Leader, serves as president of her school’s NHS chapter, and serves on the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils executive board. A Rural and Small Town Recognition Award recipient, she is a legislative intern, translator, waitress, fencer, and aspiring U.S. senator.

Eyal Traeger

Eyal Traeger is a senior at Hebrew Academy of Nassau County in Uniondale, NY. He is dedicated to raising awareness of the needs of others, with a strong focus on supporting veterans. He has led multiple programs, including letter and coupon drives for Veterans Day and Memorial Day. He also led an Eagle Scout project, where volunteers built three handmade wooden chess sets for VA hospitals, played chess, and solved puzzles with veterans. These efforts are part of his initiative, Project Mission Military, founded in 2022. To date, the project has donated cards, coupons, and over 1,500 books. He is an avid photographer, Junior Assistant Scoutmaster of his Scout troop, varsity soccer player, NHS historian, and chess team captain.

Azeemah Sadiq

Azeemah Sadiq is a senior at Alief Early College High School in Alief, TX. She is a youth advocate, grassroots organizer, and policy researcher advancing educational equity and civic engagement. Rooted in her experience growing up in Alief, a historically marginalized and diverse community, she was inspired to turn lived inequities into youth-led civic action. In 2023, she founded Generation Vote Alief, leading electoral justice initiatives that have raised over $20,000 and empowered local students to become civic catalysts and community leaders. She has spearheaded more than 25 civic and policy projects in Houston. Representing students at the city, county, and state levels, she serves as vice chair of the Texas SBOE Student Advisory Council, representing over 5.5 million students, and advances student-centered policy through Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT). Her published work addresses intellectual freedom, voter suppression, and youth civic participation, alongside research on juvenile justice reform and restorative approaches to disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline. Her advocacy has been featured in Newsweek, Houston Chronicle, Publishers Weekly, ABC13 Houston, and Asahi Shimbun, Japan’s second largest publication with over 4.4 million readers. She aspires to pursue a career in law and drive lasting change through equity-centered legislation.

Ryleigh Turner

Ryleigh Turner is a senior at Auburndale High School in Auburndale, FL. She has dedicated more than 1,000 hours to working with children with special needs and mentoring youth in literacy and academic growth. She has helped nonverbal children move from isolation to interaction by teaching communication skills that give them not just a voice, but a sense of belonging. As founder and president of Be Golden, she has mobilized students to serve more than 500 families through countywide food drives, built a library for adults with special needs, and distributed over $5,000 worth of clothing to women rebuilding their lives after domestic violence. What began as a school initiative now reaches students across the United States through structured college and scholarship readiness mentorship. As a junior advisor for Peace River Center, she has helped raise over $9,000 for youth mental health advocacy. An Associate of Arts graduate summa cum laude, she serves as cheer and flag football captain, class vice president, student government community liaison, and a four-year HOSA officer and state contender. A 2026 Horatio Alger National Scholar, Ron Brown Finalist, and Coca-Cola and Jack Kent Cooke Semifinalist, she is recognized nationally for scholarship, leadership, and service.

Anisha Mulinti

Anisha Mulinti is a senior at Montville Township High School in Montville, New Jersey. An aspiring engineer and researcher, she is passionate about leveraging AI and robotics to solve global challenges. As a NASA SEES intern and research scholar at the New Jersey Governor’s School of Engineering and Technology, she’s co-authored three smart city publications. She serves as captain of her FTC Robotics Team, spearheading a $40,000 trash-cleaning robot initiative and impacting over 2,750 students through over 130 STEM outreach events in Afghanistan, Colombia, India, and the UK. As a researcher at Montclair State University, she’s co-authored publications for two international conferences. As president of her school’s Future Business Leaders of America chapter and Key Club, New Jersey Key Club’s UNICEF Champion, and a four-time Presidential Volunteer Service Award recipient through Sewa International, she’s committed to creating meaningful solutions locally and globally.

Christian Okafor

Emma Escobar

Emma Escobar is a senior at Roma High School in Roma, TX. Her small-town upbringing and experience with geographically limited educational resources truly shaped her commitment to advocating for rural areas. As a MusicLink nonprofit ambassador, Roma Orchestra student music director, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Roma Varsity principal cellist, and head volunteer at Starr Music Academy, she impacted more than 90 students by organizing music education lessons and workshops and founding her town’s first Cello Education Program. As co-captain of her debate team, she mentored students and made school history by becoming the first four-year qualifier for the University Interscholastic League CX Debate State Championships. As NHS vice president, she spearheaded her school’s first student-led college-access workshops and ACT tutoring and registration for more than 1,600 peers. Through her service, she has increased over 2,000 community members’ access to educational opportunities and equitable arts, earning her recognition as a Coca-Cola semifinalist and Starr Music’s Volunteer of the Year (2024 and 2025). She aspires to advance educational outreach for rural communities by pursuing careers in policy and medicine.

Christopher Tao

Christopher Tao is a senior at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, SD. He is vice president of communications for the National Student Council. An officer on his region and school student council, he is also the director of communications for the Encore Music Initiative, a student-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit expanding access to free music education for students. An editor-in-chief for The Statesman, the school newspaper, he covers student advocacy and public policy, earning South Dakota’s best high school journalism story in 2025. Beyond traditional media, he has built a TikTok platform with more than 90,000 followers focused on skincare education and consumer transparency. He plans to study management, science, and engineering at Stanford University.

Pragna Yalavarthy

Pragna Yalavarthy is a senior at Ralston Valley High School in Arvada, CO. As an International Ambassador of the Global Co Lab Arts Hub, she seeks to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals by creating documentaries, leading webinars, and co-writing a book to promote the Global Co Lab across the world. Her passion for health equity led her to represent Colorado Senate District 19 on the Colorado Youth Advisory Council, where she was the chair of the Healthcare Committee and drafted state law SB25-0211 to expand health literacy resources for 800,000 Colorado youth. To further her love of neuroscience, she interned at the University of Colorado Anschutz and investigated the effect of genes on neuroinflammation to advance treatments for pediatric seizures. She also enjoys giving back to her community by serving on her local library’s Teen Advisory Board and volunteering at her local hospital. At school, she is a captain of her Speech and Debate Team, co-president of Pre-Med Club, and NHS president. She also leads her school’s peer tutoring program. She will attend Stanford University, where she aspires to major in human biology.

Elizabeth Estrada

Elizabeth Estrada is a senior at Southold Jr/Sr High School in Southold, NY. An aspiring mechanical engineer, she is focused on designing medical technologies to improve everyday life for people in under-resourced communities. As vice president and design lead of FIRST Robotics Team R.I.C.E. 870, she leads robot design, fabrication, and competition strategy. She is also a bilingual STEM instructor at Community Action Southold Town (CAST), where she teaches engineering and science to elementary students, helping them build confidence in STEM. As NHS president, she has expanded tutoring programs and supported multilingual learners. As International Club president, she has promoted cultural inclusion. She is also editor of her school newspaper, The Sentinel, and concertmaster of her school orchestra, reflecting her interest in combining technical and creative problem-solving.

Feven Tesfaye

Feven Tesfaye is a senior at Burnsville Sr High School in Burnsville, MN. As the sole student representative on the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School Board, she represents more than 7,000 students and elevates student voice in district decision-making. She also serves on the Minnesota Youth Council, advocating for over 1.3 million young people and partnering with state legislators and agencies to advance equity-driven policy. She previously worked as a statewide youth voter outreach intern in the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office, leading voter registration initiatives that expand access to democracy. Nationally, she serves on the Board of the National Youth Leadership Council and Civic Caucus and hosts the “What Cause Inspires You?” podcast, amplifying student advocates driving change. She has been selected as a delegate to the United States Senate Youth Program, is a two-time Presidential Gold Service Award recipient, and a Speech and Debate academic all-american. At school, she holds leadership roles in NHS, student council, and a blood drive committee, championing student voice and representation at every level.

Nihar Patel

Nihar Patel is a senior at Fairfield Sr High School in Fairfield, OH. He has lobbied at the Ohio Statehouse and U.S. Congress, working with Vice President J. D. Vance to support passage of the Youth Voting Rights Act of 2023 (S.2985) and the Find and Protect Foster Youth Act (S.1146). He organized statewide prevention rallies, led a 2,500-student march, and supported flavored tobacco reform. Through his podcast, “Dare to Be Aware,” he promotes youth mental health and substance-use prevention, contributing to $2.3 million in funding, including a UNESCO-supported collaboration with K-Pop group Seventeen. His PSA video was selected as a Joe Burrow Foundation Super Bowl finalist. He co-founded the BREATHE Initiative to combat asbestos-related lung cancer in construction workers, and has expanded efforts to Nigeria and India; the initiative supported over 20,000 women through antenatal and postnatal care, funded medical devices, and raised $1.6 million via a dengue relief drive. A multi-year class president and valedictorian, he is active in Hope Squad, HOSA, cultural clubs, and music programs. As vice president of TechElevate, he guided over 3,000 peers in AI literacy for seniors. His research, published in the International Collegiate Journal of Science, earned the Project UNITY Best National Youth Research Paper award. A three-time winner of the American Red Cross Lifesaving Award of Merit, he is also a Rotary Student of the Year. He plans to pursue a career in medicine while advancing policy, prevention science, and law.

Yasmine Sakr

Yasmine Sakr is a senior at Lakeside High School in Hot Springs, AR. She is committed to advancing health outcomes in underserved populations. After identifying gaps in dementia care in Arkansas, she conducted research with Brown University evaluating rural cognitive literacy programs, with findings accepted for the 2026 International Neuropsychological Conference. As NHS vice president, she founded a citywide digital literacy initiative for seniors and, through Arkansas Children’s Hospital, conducted a meta-analysis on renal toxicity in neuroblastoma patients. Working in Senator John Boozman’s Youth Cabinet, she advocated for Medicaid expansion to strengthen postpartum care and presented to local legislators. She is also the co-founder and editor-in-chief of her school’s official publication, The Perspective. An award-winning journalist, NHS national finalist, and Coca-Cola Scholar, she will attend Northwestern University and continue advocating for improved brain health and postpartum outcomes for rural and marginalized communities.

Amy Cherian

Amy Cherian is a senior at Freedom High School in South Riding, VA. She uses her love of community outreach and conversation to uncover hidden barriers and innovate programs to overcome them. Collaborating with the National MS Society as the executive director of Address MS, a student-led nonprofit, she advocated for funding for multiple sclerosis (MS) research, hosted speaker panels, and established a Maryland chapter. As NHS president, she created new initiatives, including the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and the creation of an annual literacy event for elementary students. Her position as UNICEF Club president inspired her multi-faceted research on the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, which was published and received a state-level first-place presentation award. She plans to explore public policy and juvenile justice.

Carola Pacheco

Carola Pacheco is a senior at TASIS Dorado High School in Dorado, Puerto Rico.

Jasmine Osorio-Antonio

Jasmine Osorio-Antonio is a senior at McClure Health Science High School in Duluth, GA.