The Jefferson Scholars Foundation has announced the names of 46 high school seniors selected to join the Jefferson and Walentas Scholars’ Class of 2028.
These scholarships cover the full cost of attending the University of Virginia for four years. Additionally, recipients benefit from a variety of enrichment opportunities, including a foreign travel studies program, leadership and team-building workshops, career networking opportunities and exclusive access to venture funding through the foundation’s Exploratory Fund.
The foundation conducted two distinct and highly competitive selection processes to build the Class of 2028. First, students had to be nominated by their high schools for their achievements in leadership, scholarship and citizenship. Walentas Scholar nominees also must be among the first in their families to pursue and earn a four-year college degree. This year, the foundation received 2,422 nominations for both scholarships.
Recipients come from 20 different states and two countries. They will join a community of 144 current Jefferson and Walentas Scholars at UVA in the fall.
Here are the Class of 2028 Jefferson Scholars:
- Brian Brady, Lake Placid, New York
- Rhea Choudhary, Little Rock, Arkansas
- Jack Copeland, Norfolk
- Marina Cura, Arlington
- Jackson DeHaven, Mechanicsville
- Pria Dua, Rockingham
- Griffin Franzese, St. Petersburg, Florida
- Anant Gautam, Cumming, Georgia
- Augusta Halle, Chagrin Falls, Ohio
- Adhvika Karthik, Greensboro, North Carolina
- Sophia Krizner, Tallahassee, Florida
- Koshie Larbi-Siaw, Cramerton, North Carolina
- Michelle Lin, Knoxville, Tennessee
- Kriti Maturu, Bangalore, India
- Ava McGoey, Metairie, Louisiana
- Ahryanna McGuirk, Kailua, Hawaii
- Brenton Meade, West River, Maryland
- Coco Meserve, Brunswick, Maine
- Aryan Mhaskar, Glen Allen
- Isabelle Michalski, Chesapeake
- Izzy Mitchell, Franklin, Massachusetts
- Sahasra Molleti, Apple Valley, Minnesota
- Taylor Petrofski, Suwanee, Georgia
- Lei Pham, Batavia, Ohio
- Margot Ross, Nashville
- Charlie Rubin, University City, Missouri
- Jack Schroeder, Wheaton, Illinois
- Shaurya Singh, Broadlands
- Olivia Smith, Houston
- Olivia Velleca, American Canyon, California
- Peyton Walcott, Great Falls
- Ireland Wiley, Charleston, West Virginia
- Ryan Williams, Severn, Maryland
- Lidia Zur Muhlen, Marblehead, Massachusetts
Here are the Class of 2028 Walentas Scholars:
- Doraine Buluma, Charlottesville
- Alissa Chapman, Chesapeake
- Jason Chen, Forest
- Michael DeVeaux Jr., Richmond
- Ashley Hayden, King George
- Rosemary Henriquez, Stafford
- Taneya Jackson, Palmyra
- Hareem Mubashar, Chesterfield
- Nicholas Oh, Fairfax
- Molly Simpson, Chesapeake
- Hannah Swird, Baltimore
- Lance Toapanta-Sanchez, Salem
Media Contact
Director of Communications Jefferson Scholars Foundation
joyce.carman@jeffersonscholars.org 434-982-4703
Article Information
December 21, 2024
