86 Named Joyce Ivy Summer Scholars, Largest Cohort to Attend On Campus Summer Programming

ANN ARBOR, MI, March 31, 2023 – The Joyce Ivy Foundation today announced the names of eighty-six young women selected to receive scholarships to participate in summer pre-college academic programs at the Foundation’s partner colleges and universities, including Barnard College, Brown University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Smith College, Spelman College, and Yale University. For the first time in three years, the Foundation expects all of the Scholars to participate in on-campus programming. This cohort of eighty-six young women represents the largest cohort in Foundation history to exclusively attend on-campus programming. 

The 2023 Summer Scholars come from all seven of the Midwestern states currently supported by the Foundation – Michigan, Ohio, Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota – and attend 65 different secondary schools. 

The Summer Scholars Selection Committee was chaired by two Summer Scholar Alumnae: Katharine Janes, JIF ‘12 and Abril Rangel Pacheco, JIF ‘13. The Committee included members of the Foundation’s senior leadership, as well as five additional Summer Scholar Alumnae who serve on the Board of Directors and Associate Board of Directors. 

“This year’s review cycle was one of the most competitive to date,” said Brittany Knight, Executive Director of the Joyce Ivy Foundation. “We not only saw a 20% increase in applications from last year, but the number of applicants receiving our highest rating in committee nearly doubled. Every one of the eighty-six young women chosen as a 2023 Summer Scholar should feel incredibly proud. We are honored to have them as the newest members of our community.” 

For Scholars who come from schools that calculate GPA or class rank, 65% reported a 4.0 GPA or higher and 10 rank first or second in their high school class. The 2023 Summer Scholars are representative of a variety of lived experiences and perspectives: nearly 60% identify as women of color, including seventeen Black Scholars, eighteen Asian Scholars, twelve Latina Scholars, and two Multiracial Scholars. Nearly 40% are first generation to attend college and over half qualify for the highest level of need-based scholarship.

 “I’m very moved to see so many talented young women eager to join the Joyce Ivy community and embrace the values of the organization. This year’s cohort is extremely impressive, consisting of young women with diverse backgrounds, interests, and accomplishments,” said Abril Rangel-Pacheco, JIF ‘13 and member of the Associate Board of Directors. “I’m incredibly excited to welcome these young women to the Joyce Ivy community and see them continue to achieve excellence in all aspects of this summer and beyond.”

Two of the 2023 Summer Scholars will also be recipients of special named awards, including the Mary Vandewiele Leadership Award and the Joyce Ivy Alumnae Supported Scholarship. The Foundation will announce the 2023 award recipients next week.

A total of six 2023 Scholars 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, Minds Matter Cleveland and Minds Matter Twin Cities will jointly fund the scholarships for the Minds Matter Scholars, in collaboration with the summer program partners. In addition, one 2023 Scholar is a student at the University Prep Charter Network in Detroit. Through a joint partnership, the Joyce Ivy Foundation and UPrep Schools will fund the scholarship for the University Prep Scholar.

The 2023 Summer Scholars will be honored during the annual Summer Scholars Gala on Saturday, May 20, at the Mint at Michigan First Conference Center in Lathrup Village, Michigan. The Gala will feature an address by the 2023 Joyce Ivy Foundation Leader of the Year, Dr. Jennifer Carlson, 2022 MacArthur Fellow and Associate Professor of Sociology and Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona. The Foundation will also honor two Woman of Impact award recipients: Dr. Sydney McKinney and Dr. Sally Nuamah. Ticket sales and sponsorship for the Gala can be found here. 

The 2023 Summer Scholars

Michigan

Musammat Aktar, Cass Technical High School 

Jade Alpert, St Joseph High School 

Ishwari Bhatt, Portage Central High School 

Joie Blakey, Mercy High School

Alea Casipit, Herbert Henry Dow High School 

Camryn Durr, Cranbrook High School 

Flora Harper, Loy Norrix High School 

Cayla Hicks, University Prep High School 

Huong Huynh, Portage Northern High School 

Elisia Juzswik, Redford Union High School

Mylie Kelly, Benzie Central High School 

Prajna Kishore, Washtenaw International High School 

Ana Mahaud, Lake Orion High School 

Morgan Mathis, Greenhills School

Sophie McLaren, Benzie Central High School 

Melinda Mei, Huron High School 

Alethea Oakley, Houghton High School

Sage Porter, Grosse Pointe South High School 

Reeya Sannake, Rochester Adams High School 

Amany Sayed, Dearborn High School

Lindsi Scott, Walled Lake Western High School 

Maria Sedano Camacho, Notre Dame Preparatory 

Sandra Smith-Johnson, The Roeper School

Kayden Stokes, Lighthouse Connections Academy 

JoAnn Tu, Troy High School

Carrington Wash, Mercy High School 

Ava Williams, Wayne Memorial High School

Irmina Wladyszewska, Novi High School 

Faylinn Wong, Farmington High School 

Hye-rin Yoo, Washtenaw International High School 

Ohio

Sreeja Akula, New Albany High School

Selima Aousheva, Walnut Hills High School 

Kayshla Caradine, Bard High School Early College

Pranitha Sri Vaishnavi, Dublin Coffman High School 

Rebecca Chin, Hawken School 

Jasmine Ellul, Villa Angela Saint Joseph High School 

Kylie Fowler, Jackson High School 

Ella Goyzman, Chagrin Falls High School 

Kanyah Green, Columbus International North High School 

Xinrui Han, Athens High School

Alina He, Solon High School

Jaden Idris, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy 

Miranda Li, Sylvania Northview High School 

Erica Liu, Hudson High School 

Nadia Mukasine, Lincoln West Science and Math High School

Seyi Odeleye, Pickerington High School Central 

Abigail Plants, Jackson High School

Trinity Pruitt, Cleveland School of Science and Medicine 

Natalia Rubin-Alvarez, Oakwood High School 

Willow Shannon, Walnut Hills High School 

Annika Slotterbeck, Maumee Valley Country Day School 

Keliyah Spiva, Beaumont School

Audrey Stankunas, Granville High School 

Ella Stricklen, Athens High School

Veronica Talan, Saint Joseph Academy 

Prechha Tiwari, Fairfield Senior High School 

Andrea Tlahuel Flores, St Francis DeSales High School 

Maria Tracy, Saint Joseph Academy 

Sadie Urso Kriska, Saint Joseph Academy 

Kayla Vo, Fairfield Senior High School

Anya Williams, Bard High School Early College

Qiwen Wu, Hawken School 

Alexia Zelada, Cleveland School of Science and Medicine 

Nebraska

Andrea Elizarraga Joya, Omaha South High School 

Giovanna Franco, Omaha South High School 

Magaly Gonzalez-Lopez, Omaha South High School 

Romina Herrera-Baro, Omaha South High School

Litzy Ortega Quinonez, Omaha South High School 

Jennifer Ramos, Omaha South High School 

Alejandra Rodriguez Ruiz, Omaha South High School 

Evalina Sain, Central High School 

Sara Wilhelm, Omaha South High School 

Missouri

Kennedi Bryant, Hazelwood West High School 

Megan Campbell, Kirkwood High School

Ayanna Owens, North Kansas City High School

Anoushka Popuri, Francis Howell High School 

Mary Stockard, Jackson Senior High School 

Minnesota

Najat Ahmed, South High School

Kulani Jurru, Eden Prairie High School

Anisa Kahin, St Louis Park High School

Emily Oberleitner, Eden Prairie High School 

Sadie Peterson, St Paul Central High School 

Pajtshiab Yang, Harding High School  

North Dakota

Alexandria Lade, Central Cass High School 

South Dakota 

Sampada Nepal, Brookings High SChool 

Angeth Mayen, Jefferson High School 

About The Joyce Ivy Foundation

The Joyce Ivy Foundation seeks to provide exposure, encouragement, and financial assistance to young women who have the academic, intellectual, and leadership potential to attend the nation’s most selective institutions of higher education. Funding for the Joyce Ivy Foundation is provided by individuals, other foundations, and corporations. Since its founding in 2006, the Foundation has named 1,136 students from Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, and South Dakota as Joyce Ivy Scholars, providing scholarships for them to attend summer educational programs at partner college summer programs, and providing or leveraging $6 million in scholarship funding. For more information, please visit www.joyceivyfoundation.org or contact the Joyce Ivy Foundation at info@joyceivyfoundation.org or (734) 661-0229.