April 10, 2024
2024 LANL Scholars Announced
128 Recipients Will Receive Scholarships Worth Over $850,000
Española, NM – The LANL Foundation has announced this year’s recipients of four-year undergraduate degree scholarships. 128 Northern New Mexico students pursuing bachelor’s degrees will receive 132 scholarships worth over $884,000!
LANL Foundation’s four-year undergraduate scholarships are open to students pursuing a degree in any field of study. The scholarships range from $1,000 for a single year up to $20,000 over four years. Recipients are selected based on a demonstrated commitment to academic achievement, leadership, and service.
“We received a record number of applications this year and awarded more scholarships than ever before,” said Mike Ammerman, Scholarship Program Director at the LANL Foundation. “The students who rose to the top in this highly competitive selection process are truly amazing, and we are honored to welcome them to our LANL Scholars community.”
This year’s $20,000 Gold Scholarship recipients are:
Svetlana Backhaus of Calvert Academy – Svetlana plans to complete a degree in computer science or data science, with an emphasis on Machine Learning (AI). She refers to herself as an “unapologetic math geek” and serves as a math tutor at Northern New Mexico College. Svetlana completed an apprenticeship with STEMarts and currently works as an intern at LANL, where her mentor says she “is without a doubt among the top 2% of high school graduates I have ever encountered.”
Daniel Kim of Los Alamos High School – Daniel plans to pursue an electrical engineering degree and has served as an electrical engineering intern at LANL. Daniel has earned numerous STEM awards including: 3rd place at the International Science & Engineering Fair, a finalist for Regeneron Science Talent Search Top 300 Scholar, 1st place New Mexico Junior Academy of Science Paper, and winner of the New Mexico Supercomputing Challenge. Daniel is also an accomplished athlete and musician who has dedicated hundreds of hours to community service.
Arial Maldonado of Escalante High School – Arial will graduate with an Associate of Science degree in Pre-Engineering and plans to pursue a degree in Mathematics. She’s a recipient of numerous national STEM awards and was the only female student selected to compete in the MathCounts program, where she scored the highest on her team. Arial has completed an internship with NASA investigating cost growth on interplanetary missions. In addition, Arial volunteers teaching English to Ukrainian students, serves as student senate president, and is captain of the cheer team.
Since 1999, LANL Foundation has awarded nearly 2,500 scholarships totaling over $12 million! These scholarships would not be possible without the generous support from the Los Alamos Employees’ Scholarship Fund (LAESF) Advisory Committee and the LANL workforce. In 2023, LANL employees donated nearly $445,000 to LAESF, and Triad National Security contributed $178,000 in scholarship funding.
Scholarships are also made possible by community members who have entrusted the LANL Foundation and the LAESF Advisory Committee to administer their named and endowed scholarship funds. For a full list of this year’s recipients click here.
Since 1997, the LANL Foundation has been investing in education, learning, and human potential in Northern New Mexico. Through diverse programming and collaboration with key partners, the LANL Foundation works to ensure that all New Mexicans have the skills and confidence they need to be self-sufficient lifelong learners who are engaged in their communities. LANL Foundation is dedicated to the enhancement of students’ access to academic and technical opportunities, leading to quality jobs by supporting college and career readiness in schools, districts, communities, Pueblos, Tribes, and Nations. For more information visit: https://www.lanlfoundation.org.
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