University of Virginia: Jefferson Scholars Foundation Announces Class of 2028 Scholarship Recipients
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