IALR Awards 16 Students STEM Scholarships

Abby Argabright
Franklin County High School
George Mason University

“Bioengineering is the same as biomedical engineering, which is what I like to think of the place where the medical world and the engineering world unite. There are so many different directions that this major can go into
as well, ranging from imaging technologies to medical devices.”

Pragya Chaturvedi
Tunstall High School
University of Virginia

“Science is leading a revolutionary
progression to better health care; yet even
with all the advancements in technology,
there was still uncertainty present and
surgeries failed all the time. Instead of letting that dishearten me, I decided to use that as motivation to learn more about science and further research ways to help reduce
risks in the future.”

Matthew Condecido
Park View High School
University of Virginia

“Overall, through my completion of the
TEALS program, I was enthralled by how
much computer science intertwined with the different careers of the working world today.”

Jillian Crews
Halifax County High School
College of William and Mary

“What many people do not realize is how
little is known of their own minds, and to me
that is an incredible journey to embark on. To think, my mind is just as complex and
uncharted as the sea below
and galaxies above.”

Georgia Daniel
George Washington High School
North Carolina State University

“By stimulating my critical thinking skills, inspiring me to make a difference, and
affirming my career path, the STEM summer camp I attended at the Institute completely changed my academic perspective.”

Grace Holland
George Washington High School
University of Virginia

“A moment I can recall that sparked my
interest in STEM was learning about Pi on
March 14 (Pi Day) in the sixth grade.”

Abigail Laine
Bassett High School
University of Lynchburg

“It is my desire to pursue a
STEM/healthcare field to help
athletes (and others) recover and
improve their well-being.”

Kaitlyn Lynch
Park View High School
James Madison University

“I feel that if I have helped at least one
person because of the knowledge and
passion that I possess, then I have
succeeded in life and contributed to the
world of science. Science is not one
person making discoveries,but
many people working together
to use their knowledge to help
those around them.”

Tyler Mabe
Halifax County High School
Virginia Tech

“I was never afraid to get my hands dirty
or get hurt; I just wanted to help as much
as I could to be like my dad. STEM has
always been something we
could bond together over.”

Jessica Miller
Bassett High School
University of Virginia

“To be a truly great engineer, capable of
making a real difference, one
must not only have passion but
use passion as their driving force. Understanding the pure power
and possibility that is derived
from passion is a key component when understanding the reason behind
what is going to be the driving factor in life.”

Chloe Newbill
Franklin County High School
University of North Carolina

“After receiving my undergraduate
degree and graduating from medical school,
I would return to Southern Virginia
to pursue my career because
of three factors: family, the need
for doctors in rural areas, and
personal impact. … Being a professional
within a rural hospital allows me
to be much more of an impact by
connecting personally with patients,
not only in the hospital, but outside
of work as well.”

Allison Osborne
Gretna High School
Liberty University

“I was intrigued by how the nurse practitioner could easily see what symptoms the
patients had and knew the possibilities for a diagnosis. I want to be able to apply my STEM skills to help others.”

Justin Sherlock
Tunstall High School
College of William and Mary

“I enjoy spending my time volunteering in the community by teaching the youth about
STEM and that with hard work and dedication, they too can become science and
technology leaders.”

Carly Smith
Franklin County High School
Stanford University

“I used to hate research. It seemed dull and
like endless work with no guaranteed payoff,
but after finding problems that challenged me, research was the only thing on my mind.”

Colby Vernon
Patrick County High School
Wake Forest University

“It is a mission of mine to give
back to the area that made me
want to become the best I
could be. I plan to come back
and use my education and
experiences to set up free
clinics and consultations for citizens
that are not able to financially
have these opportunities.”

Jacob Wageman
Gretna High School
University of Virginia

“With my favorite subjects being math and science and my dream job containing those two, I could not be happier in my career aspirations. Being able to serve the health of others while applying my knowledge is a
dream come true.”