2018 Winners
Lauren Espinoza is from Rockville, MD, and attended Montgomery Blair High School. She served as team leader for the FIRST Robotics Competition Team 449 and was a research intern for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute where she analyzed single- photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Lauren was active in the Keep America Beautiful Youth Advisory Council, Montgomery County Commission on Children and Youth, and the Girl Scouts. She attends Harvard University and plans to study both economics and Near Eastern languages and civilizations in preparation for law school.
Sheyda Tribble is from Washington, DC, and was dually enrolled at School Without Walls and The George Washington University (GWU) Early College Program. On campus, Sheyda was an anchor on a political radio show for the student- run station WRGW and an active member of GWU’s NAACP chapter. She is an active photographer and poet and recently self-published her own book of poems, Adolescence: Poetry and Musings of a Young, Black Girl. She attends Northwestern University and studies economics and international studies.
Sherry Xie is from Falls Church, VA, and attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST). She founded, developed curriculum for, and taught an introductory computer science and animation camp for elementary to high school students. Sherry was team captain for TJHSST Cross Country and Indoor Track and is a four-year TJHSST Varsity Soccer player. Sherry has served as Student Government Association Vice President (17-18), Treasurer (16-17), and Class Treasurer (15-16). Sherry attends Harvard University and studies government, economics, and computer science.
2017 Winners
David Edimo is from Silver Spring, Maryland, and attended Richard Montgomery High School. As President of the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association, he assembled the most diverse executive board in recent memory by applying lessons learned in his IB anthropology class to value varied manifestations of merit. He also lobbied for a bill requiring suicide awareness training for school staff and, as a member of the Montgomery County Commission on Children and Youth, created and chaired the Access to Mental Health Resources Committee. David attends Yale College.
Abigail Koerner is from Washington, DC and attended Woodrow Wilson Senior High School. She worked as a Peer Educator for three years at the Young Women’s Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to sexual health education, and as an advocate for issues like health education standards in public schools. She was Vice President of her school’s Best Buddies program and helped establish a tutoring program to increase DC elementary school student reading levels. Abigail attends Harvard College.
Ava Sharifi is from Chantilly, Virginia, where she attended Chantilly High School. She was captain of her school’s debate team and Under-Secretary-General of her school’s Model UN team. An active volunteer in her community, Ava has served as president of the Key Club, debate coach at Rocky Run Middle School, and intern for several political campaigns. Ava attends the University of Chicago and majors in economics and comparative literature with a minor in Russian.
2016 Winners
Brian Contreras of Washington, DC attended the School Without Walls. Brian is an Eagle Scout, whose many enthusiasms include WorldQuest, a national trivia competition on foreign and domestic policy; former student representative to the DC State Board of Education; and a former lab assistant position at the Carnegie Institute of Sciences. Brian attends Stanford University and studies political science, public policy, and journalism.
Nadja Zakula-Kostadinova attended TC Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia. She tutored other students in the school Writing Center, was active in the Lawyer’s Club, and pursued an internship at the county courthouse. Nadja has received numerous science awards, particularly in botany. She now interns for the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, and helps to edit the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History’s newsletter. Nadja attends New York University, and plans to be a doctor focusing on global public health.
Joyce Zhou, from Boyds, Maryland, attended Northwest High School in Germantown. Her involvements there included an afterschool enrichment program in the sciences for elementary school students. Joyce is a member of the Rho Kappa Honor Society (Social Studies), Spanish Honor Society, Forensics Honor Society, and the National Honor Society, where she served as Vice President of Service. She attends the University of Maryland’s Honors College, and plans to pursue a career in international relations.
is the President of Future Business Leaders of America, the Key Club, and Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society, as well as a Co-Founder of Peers and Students Taking Action, a nonprofit organization supporting children and families in Loudoun County. Praneeth works as a Volunteer Firefighter/EMT for the Ashburn Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department. He plans to attend the University of Virginia and study Global Development and Commerce with an Entrepreneurship Track.