“Despite the challenges presented by a year of distance learning, pandemic-related stress, civil unrest, and uncertainty about the future, these amazing students found the motivation to remain committed to their academic pursuits and serve as leaders in their schools, homes, and communities,” says Mike Ammerman, scholarship program manager at the LANL Foundation. “The resilience and determination exhibited by this class of LANL Scholars is inspiring, and they all deserve a heartfelt ‘congratulations’ for their many accomplishments.”
Gold Scholarship recipients
Three graduating seniors—Adriana Cordova, Cuba High School; Britney Hsu, Taos High School; and William McTeigue Vasquez, Los Alamos High School—were awarded the top-level $20,000 Gold Scholarship. Cordova plans to pursue a career as a wildlife biologist, while Hsu is going to attend Rice University with a view to treating neurodegenerative diseases and improving healthcare in her community. McTeigue Vasquez will major in biology at MIT and plans to attend medical school to become a cardiac surgeon.
Jeraldine De Los Santos of Capital High School was awarded the $20,000 Sheila Morris Luna Memorial Scholarship, designated for an outstanding female student pursuing a degree in a STEM field at an in-state college or university.
Scholarships administered by the LANL Foundation support graduating high school seniors and current undergraduate students pursuing a four-year degree in any field of study. All recipients live in one of the seven Northern New Mexico counties surrounding the Los Alamos National Laboratory and have demonstrated excellence in academic achievement, leadership, and service, as well as met rigorous academic and merit-based requirements.
Scholarship amounts range from $1,000 to $20,000 with certain awards focused on students pursuing degrees in education, nursing, health care, engineering, business, STEM, or the arts.
The scholarships are funded in large part by LANL employees, and the LANL Foundation also partners with Triad National Security, Anchorum St. Vincent/Christus St. Vincent, and private donors to provide scholarships and support services for students from Northern New Mexico.
