The 2018 scholarship winners for the GFF’s CCHS Student Sponsorship Program for Talented Students in the Arts, Sciences, and Math are: (Back Row) Ian Kinsel, Eli Tsung, Gabriela Benyas, (Front Row) Charlie Du, Maya Benyas, and Aisha Ruperto.
Six outstanding Carbondale Community High School (CCHS) students have earned merit-based scholarships from the Garwin Family Foundation (GFF) to attend top-level summer enrichment programs focused on the arts, sciences, or math.
“This is our fifth year sponsoring CCHS students for summer enrichment programs at some of the most prestigious academic and arts institutions in the country,” said Marsha Ryan, MD, JD, FACS, GFF director. “It is a testament to these students and their CCHS faculty and staff that they can compete so successfully for admission into these highly selective programs. We are proud to be part of such an exciting process, as we fully expect these young adults to change the world.”
The 2018 sponsorees are:
- Gabriela Benyas, a CCHS sophomore, who will attend the University of Michigan Math and Science Scholars program, where she will study “Catalysis, Solar Energy and Green Chemical Synthesis”;
- Maya Benyas, a CCHS freshman, who was accepted to Brown University’s Pre-College Program, where she will be enrolled in STEM II.
- Charlie Du, a CCHS freshman, who was admitted to AwesomeMath at the University of Texas –Dallas Campus, where he will focus on coursework in “Computational Geometry” and “Modular Arithmetic”;
- Ian Kinsel, a CCHS junior, who gained admission to the University of Missouri – St. Louis Students and Teachers as Research Scientists (STARS) program, where he will engage in research on photovoltaic biomaterials;
- Aisha Ruperto, a CCHS sophomore, who was approved for the Tom’s Place Mentorship-model Summer Internship in Culinary Arts to apprentice under Executive Chef Lasse Sorensen; and
- Eli Tsung, a CCHS freshman, who matriculated into the Stanford University Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes, where he will concentrate on “Introduction to Programming.”
“The Garwin Family Foundation Student Sponsorship Program for Talented Students in Arts, Sciences, and Math broadens the scope of opportunities for CCHS students,” said Steve Murphy, CCHS superintendent. “Our students are beyond fortunate not only for the life-changing opportunities the scholarships provide, but also for the benefits of participating in the program’s rigorous interview and reporting processes. The Garwin family has developed a truly unique program to foster responsibility and reward excellence, and I am sincerely grateful for the GFF’s support of our students.”
The program’s lasting impact on recipients: enhances their academic excellence through advanced studies in an area of proven ability and interest, provides a competitive edge in college applications, and readies them for college life through the development of time-management and independent-living skills. Previous scholarship winners have pursued undergraduate majors in the area of their GFF-sponsored programs, and several prior GFF sponsorees have attended the elite universities where they participated in summer enrichment studies.
“We are extremely appreciative of the support that the Garwin Family Foundation offers our students to further their studies in the arts, sciences, and math,” said Daniel Booth, CCHS principal. “It’s tremendously rewarding to see students from CCHS attend to the most prestigious academic institutions in the country and learn from the best in the field. These students’ enrichment through such programs, with the financial sponsorship awarded by the Garwin Family Foundation, is another example of why our students are nationally competitive on an academic level.”
The GFF, a tax-exempt operating foundation based in Carbondale, IL, was established in 1993 by Leo and Ruth Garwin. The GFF’s principle objectives are furthering study and fostering achievement in the arts and sciences, humanities, law, and medicine. In the two decades of its operation, it has underwritten many educational programs; its latest project is the CCHS Student Sponsorship Program for Talented Students in Arts, Sciences, and Math.