Sixteen outstanding Southern Illinois high school students have earned merit-based scholarships from the Garwin Family Foundation (GFF) to attend highly selective enrichment programs in STEM and the Arts.
Marsha Ryan, MD, JD, FACS, and GFF Director: “The GFF is proud to be sponsoring its 12th cohort of regional high school students this year. 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 residence halls, and make life-long friends.
This group of high-achieving students is a tribute to Carbondale Community High School, Carterville High School, and Herrin High School which provides 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:
- Amik Ahmed, Carbondale Community High School, 16, Biotechnology
- Myra Anderson, Carterville High School, 16, Biology
- Tanya Arun, Carterville High School, 15, Psychology
- Liam Batteau, Carbondale Community High School, 15, Jazz Bass Guitar
- Francis Bu, Carbondale Community High School, 14, Anatomy and Physiology
- Zoya Chowdhury, Carbondale Community High School, 15, Anatomy and Physiology
- Ryan Dai, Carbondale Community High School, 16, Economics
- Seth Daniels, Carbondale Community High School, 16, Applied Mathematics
- Sydney Davis, Carbondale Community High School, 17, Creative Writing, Poetry
- Madeline Deiters, Homeschooled, 16, Figurative Art
- Jordan Johnson, Carbondale Community High School, 17, Physics
- Alexei Kadyrov, Carbondale Community High School, 15, Mathematics
- Addison Krotz, Herrin High School, 15, Anatomy and Physiology
- Robert Wigfall, Carbondale Community High School, 16, Psychology
- Evan Wiggs, Herrin High School, 16, Astrophysics
- Bill Xu, Carbondale Community High School, 16, Computer Science
Since last fall, sponsorees have actively applied to elite summer programs at MIT, Harvard, the University of Chicago, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop, and many more. In the upcoming weeks, students will receive their summer program acceptance letters. These programs enhance their academic and artistic excellence through advanced studies, provide a competitive edge in their upcoming college applications, and prepare them for college life through the development of time management and independent living skills.
The GFF program has a lasting impact on recipients. Previous scholarship winners have pursued undergraduate majors in the areas of their GFF-sponsored programs, and several have attended elite universities where they participated in summer enrichment activities.
The GFF, a tax-exempt operating foundation based in Carbondale, Illinois, was established in 1993 by Leo and Ruth Garwin. The Foundation’s principal objectives are furthering study and fostering achievement in the arts and sciences, humanities, law, and medicine. In the three decades of its operation, it has underwritten many educational programs, its latest being this 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.
