81 Scholars Named To Joyce Ivy’s 20th Summer Scholar Cohort

The Joyce Ivy Foundation today announced the names of 81 young women selected to receive scholarships to participate in summer pre-college academic programs at some of the most rigorous colleges and universities in the country.

“The Joyce Ivy Foundation has been elevating college aspirations for the past twenty years by providing access to opportunities and resources at a key point in a young person’s life,” said Brittany Knight, Executive Director of the Joyce Ivy Foundation. “We are delighted to welcome 81 new Scholars into the Joyce Ivy community, now totalling 1,284 Scholars”. 

The Summer Scholars Selection Committee was chaired by Summer Scholar alumna Abril Rangel Pacheco (JIF ‘13) and Joyce Ivy Director for Strategy and Growth, Elizabeth Harlow. The Committee included members of the Foundation’s senior leadership and Summer Scholar Alumnae who serve on the Associate Board of Directors. 

“The quality of this year’s applicant pool was exceptional,” said Dr. Elizabeth Harlow. “The 2025 Summer Scholars rose to the top for their intellectual curiosity, academic achievement, and engagement in their communities. It was a real pleasure to meet these women through their applications, and we can’t wait to get to know them better as members of the Joyce Ivy community.”

The 2025 Joyce Ivy Summer Scholars come from the eight Midwestern states currently supported by the Foundation – Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota – and represent the breadth of the region. They attend 59 different secondary schools. 59% identify as women of color, including 26 Asian Scholars, 12 Black Scholars, 7 Latina Scholars, 2 multiracial Scholars, and 1 Native American Scholar. Nearly 30% are first generation to attend college and 47% qualify for the highest level of need-based scholarship. For Scholars who come from schools that calculate GPA or class rank, 83% reported a 4.0 GPA or higher and 18 rank first or second in their high school class. 

Four of the 2025 Summer Scholars are the winners of special named scholarships. Josephine Hetherington of International Academy in Michigan received the First Five Scholar Award. Emily Nguyen of Liberty High School in Missouri received the Joyce Ivy Alumnae Scholarship. Afrin Ahmed of Warren Mott High School & Macomb Mathematics Science Technology Center in Michigan received the Mary Vandewiele Leadership Award. Ayesha Khan of The Indiana Academy of Science, Math, and Humanities in Indiana received the Steve Carlson Perseverance Award. 

Six Scholars in the 2025 cohort are participants in Minds Matter, a national organization that provides lower-income students with multi-year college preparatory mentoring and support. The Joyce Ivy Foundation partners with Minds Matter chapters in Cleveland, Detroit, and Minnesota’s Twin Cities. 

The 2025 Summer scholars will be honored at the 20th annual Summer Scholars Send Off on May 17, 2025 at 6 pm in Lathrup Village, Michigan. The celebration will feature remarks from the Joyce Ivy Foundation Leader of the Year, Tina V. John, Executive Legal Counsel and Secretary of Rocket Companies, Inc. The event will also honor two Woman of Impact award recipients, venture capital executive Alexis Alston and NASA engineer Clare Luckey. Individual tickets and sponsorship opportunities are both available online, and those interested can contact Brittany Knight for further information.

The 2025 Summer Scholars:

Indiana

Vivana Bhagat, The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities

Lucille Blackmer, The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities

Ayesha Khan, The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities

Robyn Pate, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School 

Doris Li, The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities

Alice Racek, Bloomington High School South 

Savannah Scott, The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities

Michigan

Afrin Ahmed, Warren Mott High School & Macomb Mathematics Science Technology Center

Hasini Anand, Washtenaw International High School 

Smrithi Arcot, Huron High School 

Shruti Attili, Washtenaw International High School 

Ashley Bootz, Mount Pleasant High School 

Amy Casipit, H. H. Dow High School 

Riya Chava, North Farmington High School 

Victoria Dang, Huron High School 

Maria Herrera-Ibarra, Wayne Memorial High School 

Josephine Hetherington, International Academy 

Emily Hu, Huron High School 

Nadia Kimbrough, Cass Technical High School 

Callie Knuuttila, Houghton High School 

Madison Lietart, Dundee Community High School 

Alexandria Macko, Wayne Memorial High School 

Favour Nwobu, East Lansing High School 

Kuasha Paul, Cass Technical High School 

Tracy Phan, Wayne Memorial High School 

Camila Reyes-Hernandez, Wayne Memorial High School 

Sophia Segars, Mercy High School 

Anna Seo, Berrien Springs High School 

Olivia Swirple, Tecumseh High School 

Paige Voss, Port Huron High School 

Lauren Webb, Detroit Country Day School 

Minnesota

Milagros Castaneda Zarate, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Twin Cities 

Karen Martinez Felix, John F Kennedy High School 

Brenda Martinez Herrera, St Louis Park High School 

Sophie Nguyen, St Paul Academy and Summit School 

Faaeza Wako, Osseo Senior High School 

Missouri 

Malavika Biju, Francis Howell High School

Clara Carpenter, Ladue Horton Watkins High School

Dania Ferreyra Garcia, Francis Howell High School 

Emily Nguyen, Liberty High School 

Theresa Strebeck, Fort Zumalt East 

Nebraska 

Soraya Contreras, Omaha South High School 

North Dakota

Alexis Chong, West Fargo Sheyenne High School 

Emma Sander, Minot High School 

Ohio

Mayar Abdelhady, Cleveland School of Science and Medicine

Safa Bahadur, Cleveland School of Science and Medicine

Karys Bisheimer, Hawken School 

Lizandra Burgos-Ramos, Gilmour Academy 

Olivia Buttrick, Central Crossing High School 

Emma Carroll, Jackson High School 

Jasmine Chen, Saint Joseph Academy

Nadia Corso, Hawken School 

Avery Dennis, William Henry Harrison High School 

Emersyn Fleming, Berea-Midpark High School 

Kollier Fulton, Jackson High School 

Audrey Goh, Gahanna Lincoln High School 

Averi Johnson, Lakewood High School 

Harman Kaur, The Dayton Regional STEM School 

Ryann Lucas, St Francis DeSales High School 

Desirae McLin, Cleveland School of Science and Medicine

Haylie Menefee, Indian Valley High School 

Kyla Morrisey, Our Lady of the Elms

Caroline Newenhisen, Wadsworth High School 

Cadence Okuwobi, Walnut Hills High School 

Ella Osborne, Jackson High School 

Vivian Qi, Hathaway Brown 

Shrividya Regadamilli, Hathaway Brown 

Madeline Roisman, Saint Joseph Academy

Haley Ross, Jackson High School 

Pranjoli Sadhukha, Granville High School 

Samantha Suwarna, Cleveland Early College High School 

Sophia Szolosi, Athens High School

Sosena Tefera, Anderson High School 

Greyson Wagoner, Benjamin Logan High School 

Tayler Williams, Jackson High School 

Amani Williams, Rhodes College and Career 

Judy Wu, Upper Arlington High School 

Ying Ling Yang, Granville High School

Shixuan Zhao, Walnut Hills High School 

Lyndia Zheng, Beachwood High School 

South Dakota 

Mia Pickner, Jefferson High School