TAGT Announces 2023 Senior Scholarship Recipients

• By: TXGifted
• On: 06/12/2023 14:57:00
• In: Announcements

AUSTIN, TEXAS – June 1, 2023 – The Texas Association for the Gifted & Talented (TAGT) is thrilled to announce the recipients of the Laura Allard Future Vision Scholarships and 2023 Adelle McClendon Young Leader Scholarship.

• Laura Allard Future Vision Scholarship – Kumaren Anand, Lubbock ISD
• Laura Allard Future Vision Scholarship – Caroline Stanton, Davidson Academy
• Adelle McClendon Young Leader Scholarship – Nitya Pakala, Fort Bend ISD

 
With the help of our generous donors, TAGT is able to offer more than $30,000 in student scholarships annually, three of which are awarded to high school seniors.
 
The Laura Allard Future Vision Scholarship ($7,500) is awarded in honor of Laura Allard, a Founder and the first Executive Director of TAGT, to two graduating G/T high school seniors who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement, possess a strong sense of purpose with clearly defined goals and a long-term plan for achieving those goals.
 
Kumaren Anand recently graduated from Lubbock High School in Lubbock, Texas, and will attend Rice University in the fall. He plans to major in Biology, with a concentration in cell biology and genetics, and to pursue further education and research in biomedical sciences. Kumaren's interests lie in the possibilities that genetics offer us to revolutionize how we conduct medicine, creating new pathways for personalized medicine and developing new therapeutics. Kumaren is also a talented musician, having played the bassoon for seven years, and will continue playing at Rice. Additionally, Kumaren is an Eagle Scout who enjoys camping, hiking, backpacking, and the great outdoors.
 
Caroline Stanton is a writer, filmmaker, and educator as well as a graduate of the Davidson Academy Online and a Davidson Young Scholar. Caroline has been creating her entire life, writing short stories, scripts, comedies, essays, and films that have been recognized by organizations like the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for many years. She has also attended the Iowa Young Writers' Studio TV Writing program two times. In addition to her creative works, Caroline is an educator and philosopher, teaching Pre-K students weekly philosophy and helping develop and teach the Aggie School of Athens Middle School Philosophy Camp, all in addition to her job as a Junior Instructor at the Athena's Advanced Academy. She is also the founder of the national service initiative, Hour of the Arts, a continued effort to encourage K-12 enrichment in the arts. Her program has been recognized by the Davidson Young Scholar Ambassadors program since 2021. Caroline looks forward to continuing her education and service initiatives at Carleton College in Minnesota this fall.
 
The Adelle McClendon Young Leader Scholarship ($2,500) is awarded to a graduating G/T high school senior who has demonstrated outstanding leadership.
 
Nikita Pakala recently graduated from Fort Bend ISD's Dulles High School. She is a leader, community organizer, and change-maker passionate about advancing gender equity in STEM. Serving as a Youth Leader for the United Nation's Foundation Girl Up, she has organized regional events and campaigns that garner over 300 attendees and has spoken at the United Nations. Additionally, she is a 13-year Gold Award Girl Scout and is grounded by the power of giving back. Passionate about providing educational equity and bridging the gender gap within the STEM fields, she creates curriculum on coding fundamentals and climate change and has taught over 500 students in her community. Nitya will study Computer Science & Sociology at Cornell University in the fall, where she hopes to uncover the power of technology and reimagine how it can be used to create a more equitable world. 
 
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ABOUT TAGT: The Texas Association for the Gifted & Talented (TAGT) connects and empowers educators and parents to meet the unique needs of gifted and talented students from every cultural background who see the world in unique ways and are developing minds that just might discover innovative answers to the most challenging questions of their generation.  TAGT provides more than 3,000 members with a forum for exchanging ideas and information about the education of G/T students.  For more information, please visit www.txgifted.org.
 
CONTACT:      Paulina van Eeden Hill, CAE
                        Executive Director
                        Phone: 512.499.8248
                        Email: paulina@txgifted.org