30 Years, 30 Scholars

1996

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

1997

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

1998

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

1999

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2000 - Anthony LeCounte

Anthony Derek LeCounte, who goes by Rek, was awarded a Carson Scholarship in 2000 when he was in fifth grade. Growing up with his parents in the army, Rek moved through eight different schools before graduating from Mount Vernon High School in Virginia with an International Baccalaureate Diploma in 2007. He then earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Yale University in 2011.

After Yale, Rek went on to develop a career in communications and media in the Washington, DC area. Across different roles at multiple organizations, he learned the ropes of strategic communications, brand management, public relations, crisis communications and digital media strategy. He drafted news articles and press releases, led effective social media campaigns for major legislative conferences, worked with state and local lawmakers on critical policy reforms, secured interviews with major news networks, prepped for clients for radio and TV appearances, and much more!

In 2019, Rek left DC on a full scholarship to the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, where he earned his MBA in 2021 with concentrations in marketing and international business. While at Darden, Rek held leadership positions in the Adam Smith Society and Pride at Darden, and was appointed to the Charlottesville Minority Business Commission by the Charlottesville City Council, which elected him Vice Chair. He was also awarded the C. Stewart Sheppard Distinguished Service Award for service to the Darden School.

After graduating from Darden in 2021, Rek moved with his husband (who simultaneously graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law) to Atlanta, where he began the next stage of his career. He was recruited by Google for a role on the YouTube Civics team. As a Strategic Partner Manager, he worked with government officials, political candidates, and third-party organizations to help them develop their YouTube content strategy to be maximally effective creators on the platform. He later transitioned to an Editorial and Content Strategy Lead for Google’s Digital First Team and then was promoted to Communications Delivery Program Lead for Google’s performance management process.

Continuing his passion for community, Rek also served as Co-Lead for Google’s Pride@Georgia ERG, where he has represented Google at events with the City of Atlanta and been an active member of the Black Googler Network and the Google Atlanta office Culture Club. He also serves on his HOA and organizes events around his local community.

2001

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2002

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2003

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2004 - Dr. Bowen Jiang

Dr. Bowen Jiang
Funder: Carson Scholars Fund

Dr. Bowen Jiang, a 2004 Carson Scholar, is a highly accomplished neurosurgeon, primarily dedicated to practicing and advancing in the field of spinal neurosurgery. His expertise lies in robotic assisted spine surgery, minimally invasive spine surgery, and complex revision spine surgery. In addition to his focus on spinal surgery, he has ample experience in cranial neurosurgery with a focus on brain tumors, intracranial hemorrhage, and microvascular decompression for trigeminal neuralgia.

Dr. Jiang earned his bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Stanford University and went on to earn his M.D. from Stanford University School of Medicine. He completed his neurosurgical residency and fellowship in complex spine surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. During his time at Hopkins, he was honored with the following awards: The Frank Coulson Jr. Distinction for Clinical Excellence and the Walter Dandy Award for Excellence in Neurosurgery.

Today, he serves as the Director of the Providence St. Jude Neuroscience Institute, which is one of the premier stroke and neurosurgery programs in Southern California. Dr. Jiang is also serving as the Site Director for the only ExcelsiusGPS robotic spine training centers in California.

Dr. Jiang has been published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and frequently presents his work at national conferences. He is also the co-founder of Petal, an organization dedicated to biotechnology research and incisionless patient care. His approach to giving each of his patients care emphasizes minimal invasiveness, compassion, and clarity to ensure that the patient and their families understand every step of the treatment journey.

In recognition of his achievements and service to the Carson Scholars community, Dr. Jiang was honored with the Sonya Carson Award at the 2023 Carson Scholars Fund West Coast Banquet. His career and ethic exemplify the heart of the Carson Scholars Fund’s mission – recognizing, rewarding and supporting the transformation of academic excellence and service into meaningful leadership and lifelong humanitarian impact.

2005

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2006 - Else Drooff Valenzuela

Else Drooff Valenzuela
Funder: Costco Wholesale

Else Drooff Valenzuela is a 5-time Carson Scholar, first awarded the scholarship in 2006. In 2013, Else served as the student member of the Anne Arundel County Board of Education—at the time, the only student in the nation with full voting rights on a local school board.

Else graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in 2018 with a B.A. in Geography. At Dartmouth, Else received the Dean & Chaplain’s Award, the Student Legacy Award and the Student Life Excellence Award. In 2024, Else earned her M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and her MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

Prior to graduate school, Else worked for the Santa Fe Dreamers Project (now Contigo Immigrant Justice), an immigration nonprofit in Santa Fe, NM dedicated to providing free and low-cost legal services and representation to immigrants. Today, Else serves as an Enrollment Growth Consultant for Rize Education, partnering with small colleges and universities to develop and launch high-demand academic programs. She lives in Dallas, TX, with her husband, nephew and two cats. Else is an avid CrossFit athlete and spends her free time working with The Migration Opportunity.

We asked Else what advice she would give to our current scholars and she shared, “My advice to current scholars is to build their identity around their character versus their credentials.”

2007

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2008

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2009

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2010

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2011

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2012

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2013 - Alexandra Vlk

Alexandra Vlk
Funder: Mount Moriah Lodge Charitable Fund Endowment

Alexandra Vlk, who earned her Carson Scholarship in eleventh grade, joined our recognition program in 2013 as a senior in high school. After graduating high school as a 2-time Carson Scholar, Alexandra stayed committed to academic excellence and community service, earning her a spot in the CSF’s inaugural 2016 Hall of Fame class of Carson Scholars.

Alexandra earned a B.S. from Towson University, where she studied Biology and Chemistry with a minor in Physics. She continued her education at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Medical Scientist Training Program where she earned her M.D. (2023) and Ph.D. (2025) in Immunology. She is now a Pathology Resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Throughout her undergraduate and medical school studies, Alexandra participated in several research experiences. Her fields of research include experimental physical chemistry, molecular ecology/genetics, virology, cancer immunology, and inmate immunology. Alexandra has been mentored by the experts in these fields that she has been fortunate to work with, who have each guided her toward her goal of becoming an independent physician scientist. She has contributed to six peer reviewed journal articles, and given numerous proffered communications to local, national and even international audiences. In addition, she has secured grant funding for several of these projects including earning the American Association of Immunologists Careers in Immunology Graduate Student Fellowship. She is currently working on a research project in clinical immunology during her residency training.

Alexandra has always been a leader among her peers. At Towson University she was the president of Beta Beta Beta National Biological Honor Society. In medical school, served on the Medical Alumni Association Student Advisory Committee, and during graduate school, she co-organized the weekly Immunology Journal Club. Alexandra has served as a professional development committee member for the Society for Leukocyte Biology, a panelist for multiple scientific and premedical panels, a peer tutor, and a moderator for the Office of Student Research’s Medical Student Research Day.

Alexandra has earned many awards and honors through her educational career. At Towson University, she earned numerous academic scholarships and became a member of multiple honors societies. In the spring of 2017, she was asked to be the commencement speaker for the Towson University Fisher College of Science and Mathematics. As a medical student, she earned an alumni and service-learning award, earned awards for conference research presentations, and was a keynote speaker at a research retreat.

Volunteering and helping those in her community is very important to Alexandra. She has volunteered at an emergency shelter for domestically abused women and children and in the ER for the local VA hospital. She joined a running group with the homeless population in her community, taught anatomy to visiting international high school students at a local summer camp, and much more. Each of these experiences has allowed her to share her passions with others and she is grateful for the opportunity to learn from everyone she has the privilege of interacting with.

Amidst all of these activities and accolades, she has built a family of her own. Raising her three children with her husband has been one of her greatest blessings and dream come true.

Alexandra is an extraordinary example of the qualities our amazing scholars and alumni embody. She is an outstanding student excelling academically, participating in groundbreaking research, leading her peers and serving her community in multiple ways. And despite sometimes long and challenging days, you will always find her smiling – grateful for each of these experiences and fortunate to be alive.

We asked Alexandra to share a piece of advice with our current scholars and she said, “Be proud of your journey and who you are. I think all too often we compare our experiences to others, only to feel disappointed in ourselves. I want to gently remind you that each of our life experiences differ and our reactions to those experiences shape who we become. You have the power to make your dreams come true. If we see the world with gratitude, there will be plenty of room for joy in our lives and our hearts will be at peace.”

2014 - Elizabeth Wesdock

Elizabeth Wesdock
Funder: Southampton Middle School

Elizabeth Wesdock, a 7-time Carson Scholar first awarded in 2014, brings a full-circle perspective to her role as Scholarship Program Coordinator at the Carson Scholars Fund. As a proud two-time graduate of Penn State University, she earned both her B.S. in Education and Public Policy and her M.A. in Educational Theory and Policy from the College of Education’s Department of Education Policy Studies.

“Being a Carson Scholar is part of my identity and means so much to me. It deepened my confidence in my abilities to learn and lead, which led me to not only get a college education, but become a student leader, a dedicated academic, and leave a mark on my college community.”

While at Penn State, Elizabeth was deeply involved in campus life. She served for two years on the Homecoming Executive Committee, leading major events that engaged students, alumni, faculty, and staff in acts of service and school spirit. Her commitment to building community and fostering connections now carries into her professional work at CSF and beyond.

In 2025, Elizabeth was selected as a Young Alumni Ambassador for the Penn State Alumni Association, where she works alongside other recent graduates to strengthen alumni engagement and promote professional growth. Her responsibilities include attending leadership conferences and contributing to events that support the university’s broader young alumni network.

Elizabeth is passionate about education, public service, and helping students thrive. As a former Carson Scholar herself, she now helps facilitate the very program that helped shape her own academic journey – supporting scholars through every step of the process, from nominations to award notifications. She believes in the power of recognition, opportunity, and community, exemplifying the CSF’s mission in action: to uplift young people who are using their education to make a difference in their communities.

“Carrying the values of a Carson Scholar close to me, I have never felt too far away from that 6^th grade version of me who was overjoyed to feel worthy of recognition, just for being herself. Now, being part of the Carson Scholars Fund staff, I have a renewed sense of pride in awarding new scholars, celebrating their achievements and welcoming them into this community that has shaped me and so many others.”

2015

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2016 - Matthew Dormus

Matthew Dormus
Funder: Carson Scholars Fund

Matthew Dormus is a 7-time Carson Scholar and a 2024 Carson Scholars Hall of Fame Inductee. Matthew was first awarded in 2016 when he was in sixth grade. Matthew is currently a student at Oakwood University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy.

As a student at Oakwood University, Matthew has been very involved in various organizations. Matthew was awarded the title of Mister Oakwood University; the title is given to students by winning a campus pageant and being a community role model. During his time as Mister Oakwood University, Matthew created an on-campus mental health room and produced a fifteen-episode video series that had over 150,000 views. He also co-founded and hosted Good Morning OU, a talk show at his university. The show has over 185,000 views and it spotlighted student life and campus news. Matthew is currently the student government academic vice president and was previously a senator for the student government.

Matthew is not only involved in his university’s government, but local and federal government as well! Matthew was a County Committee Intern in Georgia in 2025. He was also a White House Historically Black College or University Scholar from June of 2024 until January of 2025. In this position Matthew produced a video series that was promoted by the U.S Secretary of Education, and he spoke at a national conference for the Department of Education.

Matthew was awarded the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship for Public Service in 2025. With the funding from the Obama Foundation, Matthew will be studying mental health on a global level. He will be traveling to six continents in six weeks during the summer in 2026. Matthew is a Harvard Public Policy Leadership Conference Scholar. After being one of only 50 students to be accepted, Matthew got to be a part of intensive policy training hosted and funded by Harvard.

In 2025, Matthew became an intern for Global Ties Alabama, in this position he helps coordinate exchange programs through the U.S. Department of State to create international dialogue and citizen diplomacy. He also became a fellow for American Federation for Children. This fellowship allows Matthew to help expand educational opportunities for children by working with elected officials. He was named the 2025 Community Champion for Redstone Federal Credit Union. Matthew was honored for advancing community well-being. Redstone Federal Credit Union featured Matthew on 40 billboards across Alabama and created a short documentary.

In 2024, he was named an AT&T Rising Future Maker. He was one of only 25 students picked and he was awarded for his innovation and cultural influence. In that same year he was honored by Nike and named Nike Yardrunner, for inspiring change and representing Nike’s commitment to the community and to excellence. Matthew has written a book called, “This is Your Sign to Do Something.” It is set to come out in the coming months.

Along with all of his schoolwork, leadership positions, and internships, Matthew works for the American Red Cross and volunteers for the City Hall of Huntsville, Alabama. Matthew is an ambassador for the American Red Cross and organizes blood drives on his university campus. He was also the founder and director of Operation Radiate, a community service organization, where he led over 150 people, raised money, organized events, and secured grants for Philippine typhoon relief and seniors in low-income housing.

2017 - Ally Dilworth

Allyson Dilworth
Funder: The Kahlert Foundation

Allyson Dilworth, a 2017 Carson Scholar, went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Messiah University in 2021. During her senior year of college, she began an internship with the Carson Scholars Fund. After she graduated, she was offered a position with the CSF and worked on the team for three years.

Being part of the CSF community means so much to Ally. She looks back on her time as a scholar, intern, and staff member with gratitude. As someone who always knew she wanted to work closely with people and find the best way to help organizations, her time at the CSF helped her work towards that mission. The things that she learned as a staff member have helped her in her career and she gained skills that she will use for the rest of her life.

Ally now serves as the Connections Director for her church, responsible for increasing involvement in the church and facilitating community service. A major part of her role is outreach to local charities and nonprofits; they are currently working with 14 local organizations. Ally oversees communications with the local groups and organizes people and events with the church to help them. They support non-profit organizations that help with food insecurity, homelessness, youth organizations, and young and pregnant moms. Ally reaches out to the groups to see what they need, then sends them funds and she encourages the members of her church to go and volunteer with them as well. “As Carson Scholars know, serving is so important and it’s a big part of what makes us productive, good citizens. So, we want to make sure the people going to our church do that.”

One of the first projects Ally oversaw at her current job was a community outreach event, filling backpacks for students before the start of the school year. Around 1,000 people showed up to the event and they put together over 500 backpacks for students in need. The backpacks also included resources for those who needed food or help learning English. Lunch and games were available for students who attended the event.

Reflecting on her Carson Scholarship, Ally shared that becoming a scholar showed her she had something to offer, and that people saw something in her. The Carson Scholarship was the first scholarship that Ally ever received. It gave her motivation and confidence to keep applying for scholarships, ultimately allowing her to graduate from college debt-free. Ally had looked up to Dr. Carson ever since he visited her middle school, and she continues to be inspired by his journey and loves his organization.

Ally’s one piece of advice to our current scholars is, “Do not close any doors for yourself and to try as much as you can and get as many experiences as you can. I never thought that reaching out to Carson Scholars Fund when I was in college would lead to a job and really set me up to learn so much in those first three years of my career. It was all just because I gave it a shot and reached out and I think that sometimes it can be scary, and it takes a lot of courage but it is really important to just go for those experiences to try them and you never know what you will learn and what connections you will make, who you will meet. I think it is very important to try as many things as you can, do internships. I always encourage every young person in my life to do internships, paid or not paid just to get the experience. I think that getting a job now is so much more about the connections you have as opposed to just applying online. You never know what those internships or experiences will lead too.”

2018

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2019 - Gitanjali Rao 

Gitanjali Rao
Funder: Mr. & Mrs. Gerard & Maria Giordana

Gitanjali Rao, a 4-time Carson Scholar and TIME’s first-ever Kid of the Year, is an internationally recognized young scientist, inventor, and STEM advocate whose work has inspired students, educators, and innovators all around the world. She is known for applying scientific thinking to real-world challenges and for encouraging young people to approach problem-solving with creativity and confidence.

“The CSF has enabled me to be motivated and excel in my academics while contributing time to our community. Our generation is growing up in a time where we are seeing problems that never existed before. CSF is developing leaders of tomorrow who not only excel in education but give back their time and solve others’ problems ensuring there is a world where kindness prevails,” Gitanjali shared, just before receiving her recognition as the inaugural TIME Kid of the Year in 2020. Read the blog post here.

She rose to national prominence after winning the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge, gaining recognition for her early work developing a tool to help detect lead in water. That breakthrough sparked a series of technology-driven projects aimed at addressing community-focused issues, and her efforts have since been featured across major media outlets including TIME, Forbes, and other leading broadcast networks. Her ability to translate complex ideas into accessible, meaningful solutions has made her one of the most prominent youth voices in modern STEM.

Alongside her innovations, she has also become a leading advocate for youth STEM education. Through workshops, speaking engagements, and partnerships with schools and organizations, she has introduced tens of thousands of students around the world to the process of inquiry, design, and invention. Her book, A Young Innovator’s Guide to STEM, expands this work even further, offering practical tools to help young people take their ideas from concept to impact.

Gitanjali’s continued work reflects a rare combination of technical insight, communication skills, and a genuine commitment to community impact. As she builds on her research and public engagement, she is contributing to a landscape where young people see technology not just as a field to study, but as a platform for meaningful action.

2020 - Carol Shea Linton

Carol Shea Linton
Funder: Carson Scholars Fund

Carol Shea Linton, a 2020 Carson Scholar, is a passionate advocate, public speaker, and aspiring pediatrician whose drive stems from her personal experience living with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) and Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS). She uses her voice to raise awareness about the rare disease community, healthcare disparities, and educational equity.

Carol made history in 2019 as the first dual-enrolled student in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, to graduate with both a high school diploma and associate’s degree from Northeastern Technical College (NETC). While at NETC, she served as SGA President and became the first dual-enrolled student inducted into the Alpha Kappa Theta chapter of Phi Theta Kappa.

She went on to attend Winthrop University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in biology in December 2022 at just 19 years old – becoming one of the youngest graduates in university history. While at Winthrop, Carol was active in the Close Scholars Program and the Council of Student Leaders, and she pursued research focused on public health disparities. Her Undergraduate Honors Thesis, “Infant Mortality in South Carolina: How Underlying Factors Play a Significant Role,” examined how systemic inequities impacts health outcomes statewide.

Since 2022, Carol has served as a South Carolina Representative with the Young Adult Rare Representatives (YARR) program, where she advocates for better healthcare access and rare disease awareness. Recently, she launched South Carolina Rare, a state rare disease coalition aimed at connecting the South Carolina rare disease community. Through SC Rare, she hopes to bring together all members of the community to raise awareness and educate about the true impact of rare disease within the state. She is currently preparing to apply to medical school, with the goal of becoming a pediatrician and continuing her mission to expand healthcare access in rural and underserved communities.

Carol’s passions – rare disease and chronic illness advocacy, maternal and child health, rural health equity, and access to equal educational opportunity – are all deeply personal. She brings not only professional focus but also lived experience to her work, remaining driven and dedicated to making a lasting impact.

2021 - Gitika Gorthi

Gitika Gorthi
Funder: Mr. Wes & Mrs. Toni Guckert

“Receiving the Carson Scholarship in high school was transformational. It helped me realize at a young age that I can be a leader because leadership isn’t about age or title, it’s about action. It gave me the network and confidence to believe that my ideas and efforts could make a real, lasting impact in the world.”

Gitika Gorthi, a 2021 Carson Scholar, is a senior at Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, where she studies biomedical engineering with a minor in economics as a C. Prescott Davis Scholar. Her ambitions stretch far beyond the classroom – and far beyond the planet.

In middle school, a TechEd teacher and rocketry mentor sparked Gitika’s passion for aerospace. By 8th grade, she channeled that passion into founding IgnitedThinkers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading accessible space education around the world. Today, IgnitedThinkers continues to ignite curiosity and opportunity for students everywhere.

Gitika is an aspiring transplant surgeon and aerospace physician, aiming to use microgravity as a new laboratory to develop personalized organs and help solve the national organ shortage crisis. She has conducted cutting-edge research with NASA Ames Research Center, alongside work at Columbia University Medical School, Harvard Medical School, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she has helped advance the development of gastrointestinal and kidney organoids, as well as glomerular spheroids using stem cell technology.

Currently, Gitika is a student researcher at the Timothy Wang Lab at Columbia, where she was awarded the Young Guts Scholars grant by the American Gastroenterological Association for her work in disease modeling. She also recently interned at 34 Lives, a medical transplant public benefit company rescuing discarded kidneys for transplant.

Beyond her scientific work, Gitika serves on the Coca-Cola Scholars Alumni Board and leads campus outreach efforts at Columbia. She also remains a proud member of the Carson Scholars Fund’s Associate Leadership Council (ALC), helping support and grow connections among CSF alumni.

Named one of the Top 100 Women in Aerospace and Aviation Professionals to Follow on LinkedIn, Gitika exemplifies the Carson Scholars mission: academic excellence, service, and visionary leadership. She’s not just dreaming about the future of medicine and space—she’s building it.

2022

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2023 - Javier Rodriguez

Javier Rodriguez
Funder: Haugh Family Foundation Endowment at McDonogh Upper School

Javier Rodriguez was a 2023 Carson Scholar who was awarded when he was a junior in high school, he was also an intern during the summer of 2024. Javier is currently a student at Brown University majoring in Biology with a focus on planetary health, where he is studying ecology and disease. Once he graduates from Brown, he hopes to win a Fulbright Scholarship and then attend medical school.

Javier is an incredible example of the values that Carson Scholars hold, he is very involved in helping his community and is in constant pursuit of knowledge. He is currently apart of a lab where he is studying Zebrafish and how they respond to waterborne toxins that are in their environment. This is being used as a model for human cardiovascular development and neurological development. Javier is a volunteer at a pediatric hospital in Rhode Island, where he works in the Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP). PHP is a program that the hospital has for children who have a medical and psychological diagnosis to help them get ready to go back to school and their lives outside the hospital. The children attend this program five days a week, similar to school. Javier said, “I’ve learned a lot and I have fun meeting the kids and getting to know them because they often stay for multiple weeks.”  For fun, Javier participates in salsa club.

Along with his busy academic schedule, volunteering at the hospital and participating in fun school activities, Javier is the director of Brown’s chapter of Camp Kesem. Camp Kesem is a nonprofit organization that has multiple chapters across the country at universities. They host a free summer camp for children who have had a parent affected by cancer. Javier describes it as, “…the single best thing I do on campus, maybe one of the best things I have done” He was able to attend camp this past summer where he met many kids who were from different walks of life and have experiences that are different from his own. He has learned a lot about situations that he has never been in and learned the kids stories. Javier said that the kids learn from each other as well and they share their stories creating a shared community, “it’s really awesome to see how much that means to them and how much fun that they have when they go to the camp.”

We asked Javier how the Carson Scholars Fund inspired him in school, work or life and he said, “The Carson Scholarship kind of was a big stepping stone for me in terms of gaining confidence to apply to things and put myself out there, try something new and recognize that I am worthy of achievements and that what I’ve done is notable.”

We also asked Javier if he has any advice for our current scholars, “When I fist applied for Brown I was a Public Health Major, and I kind of hated it. But I took an environmental science class, environmental science 101, and I kind of loved it. I took what I knew I liked and explored deeper into it. I took other things I liked, like biology, and I found a field that essentially intersects environmental health and biology. I’ve been a lot happier since finding that. I would only say that you don’t need to know exactly what you want to do or what you like before you go to college or before entering life. You’re young and you can take time to explore and it’s okay. Find what you’re truly interested about because I think finding something that you are excited to learn about makes all the difference in the world.”

2024 - Vishnu Kannan

Vishnu Kannan

Funder: Jay & Carol Jean Young Foundation in Memory of Columbine Victims

Vishnu Kannan is a 2-time Carson Scholar from Clarksville, MD. As a senior at River Hill High School, he is not only a leader among his peers but also an innovator in the global fields of technology and medicine. Vishnu has a passion for connecting intersecting fields to build solutions to important societal issues. He believes that innovations in mathematics and artificial intelligence can transform how diseases are diagnosed and treated – a belief that has guided his personal and professional research into artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models that can progress the role of technology in medicine.

Becoming a Carson Scholar has motivated Vishnu even further: “I’m extremely honored and humbled to be a two-time Carson Scholar! During my first award ceremony, Dr. Carson talked about the importance of using our knowledge to impact society on a broad scale. It inspired me to focus on translating my lifelong interest in math and computer science into real-world impact.”

Vishnu works with Visilant, Inc. to build computer vision models to detect and grade cataracts from a smartphone image to guide clinical decision making. He validated his technology in a trial of over 200 patients at Aravind Eye Hospital in India—the largest eye hospital in the world. His work directly enables diagnosis of eye disease in low resource settings, improving access to eye care in low-and middle-income countries.

Additionally, Vishnu collaborates with professor Todd Coleman at Stanford University conducting research in the mathematical field of optimal transport to develop and test novel methods for generative AI.

As president of The Youth Project, Vishnu has started an initiative to teach his peers about high-level STEM topics. What started as an after-school program teaching challenging math concepts to 22 students has evolved into broader machine learning and programming courses that have reached several hundred students in Maryland.

Vishnu has partnered with the Carson Scholars Fund to make his AI/ML workshop available to all Carson Scholars to reach many more students nationally this Fall. He will be hosting a virtual workshop on November 20, 2025 at 6:30 pm EDT. If you are interested in learning more about the workshop or signing up, see the event information here.

“Partnering with the CSF to teach AI is a dream come true for me and is an incredible opportunity for me to contribute to their mission! I hope to grow this initiative to impact many thousands of people across the country.”

Event Information

2025

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund

2026

In celebration of three decades of honoring academic excellence and service, we are pleased to highlight 30 distinguished Carson Scholars — one representing each year since the inaugural scholarship was awarded in 1996 — with a commemorative twist.

Each Monday, on our social media platforms, we will share a series of clues reflecting notable milestones from the year in which our next featured scholar received their award. Followers are invited to participate in our weekly story poll to guess the featured year, with the answer and scholar revealed each Friday.

Join us as we commemorate 30 years of the Carson Scholars Fund