Throughout the summer, sixteen outstanding Southern Illinois high school students will attend highly selective enrichment programs across the country in STEM and the Fine Arts through scholarships from the Garwin Family Foundation (GFF).
Marsha Ryan, MD, JD, FACS, and GFF Director: “The GFF is proud to sponsor its 11th cohort of regional high school students. These are the brightest and most dedicated students in science, math, and the arts. It is our privilege to know them and to be able to contribute to their learning this summer. We are pleased to be able to send them to prestigious campuses throughout the country where they will study hard, experience life in the dorm, and make life-long friends.
This group of high-achieving students is a tribute to Carbondale Community High School (CCHS), Carterville High School (CHS), and Herrin High School (HHS) which provide them with such extraordinary structure close to home. We are convinced that these students will go on to make a difference in the world. We will be proud to have played this role in their development.”
The 2024 sponsorees are:
- Ahmik Ahmed, CCHS, University of Chicago Summer Immersion Program, Biology and Its Modern Applications
- Myra Anderson, CHS, University of Chicago Summer Immersion Program, Computational Biology
- Tanya Arun, CHS, University of Chicago Pre-College Summer Program, Foundations of Psychological Research
- Liam Batteau, CCHS, University of Cincinnati, High School Jazz Intensive in Bass
- Francis Bu, CCHS, Michigan Math and Science Scholars, Surface Chemistry
- Zoya Chowdhury, CCHS, Michigan Math and Science Scholars, Surface Chemistry
- Ryan Dai, CCHS, University of Chicago Summer Immersion Program, Pathways in Economics
- Seth Daniels, CCHS, Washington University College of Arts & Sciences Pre-College Program, Research Development Institute
- Sydney Davis, CCHS, Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop
- Madeline Deiters, Homeschooled, Texas Academy of Figurative Art, Summer Teen Program
- Jordan Johnson, CCHS, Michigan Math and Science Scholars, From Physics Through Biology to Medicine
- Alexei Kadyrov, CCHS, Awesome Math, Algebra 2.5
- Addison Krotz, HHS, Michigan Math and Science Scholars, Forensic Physics
- Robert Wigfall, CCHS, Washington University, Bioethics
- Evan Wiggs, HHS, University of Chicago Summer Immersion Program, Physics of the Stars
- Bill Xu, CCHS, Harvard University, Computer Science
The GFF program has a lasting impact on recipients. It enhances their academic and artistic excellence through advanced studies, provides a competitive edge in college applications, and prepares them for college life through the development of time management and independent living skills. Previous scholarship winners have pursued undergraduate majors in the areas of their GFF-sponsored programs, and several have attended the elite university where they participated in summer enrichment activities.
This is CHS’s second year of participation in the summer program. Their principal, Todd Rogers, “is excited that a couple of students from CHS have been given the opportunity to explore prestigious summer enrichment activities. We are grateful and proud to partner with the Garwin Family Foundation, and we look forward to seeing the impact this opportunity has on our students.”
HHS is also in its second year of participation with GFF. Dr. Tammy Gwaltney, Executive Director of Herrin Education Foundation believes that “the Garwin Family Foundation is a priceless treasure in southern Illinois. This foundation has for many years seen the value in supporting both STEM and arts students. While some think of these disciplines as polar opposites, the truth is, they have many overlapping skills and compatible properties. Herrin High School is honored to be part of the GFF and grateful for this life-changing experience for our students.”
CCHS is currently in its eleventh year of participating in GFF’s summer program. Now with their graduates excelling in college and completing their master’s degrees, the administration has witnessed the personal and academic growth of students who have participated in GFF’s programs. “Thanks to the Garwin Family Foundation’s financial sponsorship, our students will have the opportunity to learn, create, and immerse themselves at some of the most distinguished academic institutions in the country. Their experiences at these institutions will open countless doors and create endless opportunities. It will also continue to put CCHS students on display as some of the strongest in the country,” according to Ryan Thomas, CCHS principal.
Daniel Booth, CCHS superintendent, believes that “the Garwin Family Foundation’s (GFF) support for Carbondale Community High School students is a national model of how to give back, and this partnership is one of the beautiful examples of our community supporting the next generation of leaders through opening their eyes to the learning possibilities available throughout the country. The experiences that our students partake in from the GFF scholarships awarded are mind-stimulating, thought-provoking, and direction-giving for students who are working to chart their path in life. The support given to our students through the GFF is appreciated by our school community in ways that cannot be measured through words, and we look forward to continuing this partnership for years to come.“
The GFF, a tax-exempt operating foundation based in Carbondale, IL, was established in 1993 by Leo and Ruth Garwin. The Foundation’s principal objectives are furthering the study and fostering achievement in the arts and sciences, humanities, law, and medicine. In the three decades of its operation, it has underwritten many education programs, its latest being the Southern Illinois Student Sponsorship Program for Talented Students in Arts, Sciences and Math.
For more information, contact Vanessa Sneed GFF Student Sponsorship Program Administrator, at garwinffpm@gmail.com.
