Scholarship Savvy: Winning Scholarship Strategies

Kendra is a high school student and an aspiring engineer. Alongside her active involvement in FIRST and VEX robotics, and teaches STEM to children, she developed a portable and individualized air quality monitor (AQM) for outdoors and wildfires as she aims for accessibility and affordability of AQMs. This invention won 6 awards and a bronze medal in the regional science fair, and she became the national winner in an innovation youth challenge. A former competitive athlete, Kendra started tennis at the age of 7, competed nationally until 12, then became a certified coach at 15 and actively built a tennis community. She works as a tennis coach and founded a free all-girls tennis program advocating for gender equity in sports, which won a monetary award to further its impact. She is one of the youth councils in several organizations that advocate for gender equity in sports and youth safety on roads. In 2023, she became the youngest tournament director for an all-girls tournament. At school, Kendra holds executive positions for math, data, and robotics club, active in equity club and a club helping students start their own initiatives, while representing her school in provincials for three sports: tennis, badminton, and squash.

From Coral Springs, FL, Shreyan Singha is a junior in high school. He loves math and politics, traveling, and listening to reggaeton music. He’s a professional Formula 1 commentator (from the couch). On weekends, you can find him in the kitchen, experimenting with flavors and creating fusion dishes. He wants to pursue public policy and econometrics in college.

Addison is an NSHSS ambassador and a winner of two scholarships. She is also a rising high school senior, has been on the varsity swim team since she was a freshman, works as a swim coach for her city's swim team, and is president of her school's Key Club. In her free time, she donates handmade animal plushies to children's hospitals and packs food for children in need around the world.