The Carson Scholars Fund is thrilled to announce the induction of six new members into its Hall of Fame!  Members of the 2025 class are advocates, scientists, researchers, creators and students.  They are champions of equal education opportunities and providing voices and resources to vulnerable populations.  Most importantly, they are changemakers who utilize their unique passions and skills to spread positivity and help those in need.

These Carson Scholar alumni epitomize what it means to be Carson Scholars and we are thrilled to have them join fellow Hall of Fame members.

Dhruv Girish is a 2-time Carson Scholar currently studying biology, biotechnology and health economics as part of a seven-year BS/MD program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Albany Medical College.  He works to bring STEAM research to underserved communities and organizes robotics programs and STEM workshops to engage students in hands-on learning, creativity and critical thinking.

Chase Hartman, a 4-time Carson Scholar, started distributing books to students in need at the age of 10.  To date, he has distributed 225,000 books to 65,000 students in Hillsborough County, FL, while also advocating for more books-with-diversity and dual-language books in schools to help engage readers.  He has raised $165,000 to fund his projects, mobilized hundreds of volunteers and provided over 10,000 service hours to teens.

Joshua Hockman is a 2-time Carson Scholar, long-time Science Olympiad coach and mentor and current student at UCLA where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in physiological science.  His hard work and dedication to his studies has paid off earning him a 97^th percentile MCAT and coveted research assistant positions. He aspires to become a physician and learn the art of healing to help alleviate the suffering of others.

Miguel Iglesias, a 3-time Carson Scholar, is dedicated to making STEM education more inclusive to all.  As an undergrad, Miguel developed a cost-effective, simple method to convert 2D images found in science textbooks to 3D prints that can be interpreted by touch alone. This method serves as a means of assisting people who are blind or visually impaired in pursuing education in a STEM discipline. He is currently a PhD student in quantitative and computational biology at Princeton University.

Abbie Maemoto, a 2020 Carson Scholar, believes in improving access to immersive experiences for under-resourced students.  For the last two years, Abbie has worked alongside two other co-founders to build a robotics startup, Dalus AI, from the ground up, while also pursuing her bachelor’s degree in computer science and product design, with a minor in biology, at Stanford University.

Gabriel Ramos, a 3-time Carson Scholar, is the founder of the nonprofit Ortus Inc. through which he works to impact the lives of unhoused and disadvantaged individuals by assembling and distributing thousands of personal care packages.  He is currently a medical student at the University of Virginia and intends to become a cardiac surgeon, providing a place where patients and their families feel secure, trusted, understood, heard and supported.

The Hall of Fame was created in 2016 as part of the CSF’s 20th anniversary celebration to honor individuals whose lives and careers are integral to the Fund’s history. Its mission is to recognize outstanding Carson Scholar alumni who embody the CSF’s mission: those who have demonstrated success and excellence in the workforce, excelled academically and/or made significant contributions to their communities.

This year’s members join 45 fellow alumni in the Hall of Fame and will be honored at the CSF’s annual awards banquets in the spring.

To learn more about our extraordinary Hall of Fame members, visit our website.