The inaugural Scholar Showcase was rolled out for the 2025 banquet season.  Scholars were invited to apply for table space at their respective banquets to showcase their small business, nonprofit organizations, research projects and/or passion projects to raise awareness and network with fellow scholars and guests.

Pittsburgh:

Evelyn Butterfield – showcased her work with Beefing Up Backpacks, a program dedicated to helping feed children by providing nutritious beef sticks to those in need through the already established weekend backpack programs. To learn more, visit https://www.pabeef.org/Media/PABeef/Docs/beefing-up-backpacks-the-need.pdf.

Ava Chismar – highlighted her program The Titanium Titans, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on inspiring and creating the next generation of innovators in southwestern Pennsylvania. The program teaches students how to build a multifunctional robot in just six weeks and focuses on STEAM outreach in K-12 programs via camps, workshops, and more. Follow along on Instagram at @titanium_titans4467

Havisha Kalpatthi – founded the Pittsburgh Metro Math competition in 2022 and used this opportunity to try to expand its reach beyond Pittsburgh. To learn more, visit https://pghmetromath.com/index.html.

Ulyana Kubini – showcased her work with the Mtindo Network, a leading free market think tank based in Uganda that distributes books across multiple African countries, for which she runs all international relations.  Visit their website at https://mtindonetwork.org/.

Leo Salerno – highlighted Music4All, a volunteer organization that spreads the joy of music.  Leo co-founded the organization, serves as director of operations and plays various instruments at their monthly concerts for local nursing homes. Check out Music4All on Instagram at @music4all_indiana

Cameron Swope – shared his research project titled How Music Affects Your Brain, which blends his passion for music with his interest in neuroscience.  Cameron spoke on his findings thus far about how music affects behavior, stress and enhances focus. View more on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRE624795zU.

West Palm Beach:

Derron Blake Jr. – shared his Eagle Scout project which aims to honor the past and secure the future by researching, documenting and advocating for the historical designation of the Lantana Composite Squadron building, preserving its legacy as a key site in Civil Air Patrol’s WWII coastal defense efforts. Read more at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J5rO3S66t3pkp0Uf_aSkEivqxv44Rq7Z/view.

Veronica DeMoya – showcased her work with Legal Eagles to promote civic engagement and literacy to youth across Miami Dade County and to provide supplies for the hospital’s veterans by collaborating with the VA Medical Center of Miami. View the Legal Eagles website at https://sites.google.com/view/legaleagles/home or follow along on Instagram at @legaleagles0247

Nathalia Hurtado – shared Elderly Smiles Project, which is dedicated to bringing joy and companionship to older adults, especially those struggling with neurological conditions by visiting nursing homes and organizing engaging activities like bingo, interactive games, and social events. Follow along on Instagram at @elderlysmilesproject

Carter Kassis – presented his work thus far on his Eagle Scout project – creating and installing a pollinator-friendly butterfly garden at Okeeheelee Nature Center to connect youth with nature.

Graham Kassis – showcased the Sensory Pathway that he is currently creating for special needs students at his school as part of his Eagle Scout project.

Chattanooga:

Natalie Talley – shared her baked goods and flowers that she sells through Nat’s Blossoms of Hope & Bakery to raise money to purchase items for homeless communities. Follow along with her ministry’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/share/g/151Uav4tKc/

Kyleigh Conley – presented her research project on how fertilizer use affects water quality to engage others in thinking critically about the environmental impacts of human activities. Watch her video presentation to learn more about her findings: https://youtu.be/VAwMbiNHaR4?si=G6e_BN_gXfPRdAHd

Ashley Nevison – showcased Sargeant’s Army, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization she founded that has donated over 35,000 hygiene “Hope Bags” to organizations that support vulnerable communities. Visit www.sargeantsarmy.org to learn more.

Maryland:

Tamara Cosom – showcased her project Little Rocks, Big Hearts for which she creates kindness rocks and places them around her community to spread positivity. To follow her journey, find @littlercksbighrts01 on Instagram.

Samuel Del Valle – shared his Penguin Pal ornaments that he creates and donates or sells each holiday season to raise money for charities including Believe in Tomorrow Children’s House at Johns Hopkins, St. Jude’s and the Global Penguin Society.  Visit his website at www.samuelspenguinpals.com to learn more about the program and see each year’s unique ornament designs.

Vishnu Kannan – shared The Youth Project, a program that teaches young students math and machine learning skills in a creative and intuitive manner through both workshops and weekly classes with the goal of sparking interest and motivating students to use these skills for community impact, especially in low-income areas.

Lila Kumar – is committed to raising funds and awareness for Pathfinders by Autism by baking cookies in both Maryland and Pathfinder’s colors and donating all proceeds to this phenomenal organization. To learn more, visit https://pathfindersforautism.org/.

Aimee Liu – used her table to bring awareness to The Every Body Project, a youth-led nonprofit organization based in McLean, VA that advocates for the spread of awareness on eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and nutrition. To learn more, visit @the.eb.project on Instagram.

Angelo Markham – showcased his research project in which he is addressing a critical gap in ophthalmology – the lack of affordable, portable diagnostic tools – through his creation of a cost-effective slit lamp that attaches to a smartphone using a 3D printer and a machine learning model that can grade cataract.

Anna Newman – brought awareness to Presents for Peds, a donation drive project for the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Unit in which she and a friend host drives to collect toys and supplies for children at the hospital.

Isabella Addison Perrone – presented her nonprofit, en pointe bels (epb), which helps young performing artists to be involved in the arts and dress for success in their theater, voice, and dance classes, shows, recitals, and galas. Check out her work at https://www.instagram.com/dccollaborative/reel/DCzympshQU9/%C3%A2%E2%82%AC

Cyndi Phelps – shared Placing Seniors with Families, a project that works to help seniors and families find each other and live their best lives together to ensure high-quality caregiving and eliminate the senior housing crisis. Visit www.PlacingSeniorsWithFamilies.com to learn more.

Alexia Purkanto – presented her small business, Fragrance Gems Company, featuring flameless, electricity-free fragrance diffusers made from natural ingredients, designed to be portable, reusable, and safe for every space.  Her mission is to integrate sustainable practices into everyday life in a way that’s accessible and non-disruptive. To browse her shop, visit https://fragrance-gems-co.square.site/.

Gavin Rogers – promoted the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps, the Navy’s youth development program, an organization that he is proud to be part of to train with Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps personnel and participate in various service projects. To learn more visit www.taylordivision.org.

Dhruv Veda – showcased his organization, Forest Harmony, which he founded to create accessible opportunities for individuals to experience the restorative effects of nature, supporting mental clarity, emotional resilience, and overall well-being. To learn more, visit www.forestharmony.org.

Ainsley Weschler – promoted Days End Farm Horse Rescue, whose mission is to ensure quality care and treatment of horses through intervention, education and outreach, at which she volunteers by training and exercising the horses and attending public outreach events to share its mission. To get involved, visit www.defhr.org.

West Coast:

Arya Bosworth – showcased Mission to Mars, a remote-access robotics platform run by her nonprofit Mechanical Advantage, that can be used by students anywhere on Earth at any time of day to reinforce programming lessons taught online or in person. The program helps students who, because of conflict, political unrest, poverty, or other reasons, lack access to robotics. This free program has been taught to hundreds of Afghan girls throughout Afghanistan and in refugee camps in Pakistan as well as to hundreds of children from underprivileged neighborhoods across San Diego in partnership with local and international nonprofits. To learn more, visit https://youtu.be/t9zEA9UaRMA

Shailja Tyagi – featured her work with StemKidsFirst (SKF), a nonprofit dedicated to making STEM education more accessible and enjoyable for younger children through engaging STEM projects, presentations and workshops to inspire the next generation of innovators, problem solvers and leaders. It has successfully hosted over 60+ district-wide events and workshops, reaching a broad audience of over 600+ kids and making a significant impact on STEM education within the community. For more information, visit http://stemkidsfirst.com/.

Gavin Walker – highlighted Lifting Hands International, a nonprofit organization that helps refugees around the world by providing food, clean water, clothing and education to people who have been forced to leave their homes because of war or other dangers. Gavin helps the organization by building tables to furnish homes for incoming refugee families. To learn more visit https://www.lhi.org/.