ASU Alumni Association welcomes largest incoming cohort of Medallion Scholars

The Arizona State University Alumni Association recently welcomed 37 incoming ASU freshmen into the Medallion Scholarship program, the Alumni Association’s signature scholarship initiative. The Medallion Scholarship program is a four-year educational program focused on leadership, scholarship and service.

This year, the ASU Alumni Association received over 600 applications, 30% more submissions than the previous year and the greatest number of applications ever received since the program’s creation. More than 200 alumni from around the world volunteered their time to review the applications and choose the top 100 candidates to be interviewed virtually by 60 alumni. In the end, 37 candidates were chosen based on their academic performance, involvement in extracurriculars, leadership roles and community service during high school.

Medallion Scholars receive four-year, renewable scholarships of $4,000 annually, provided they actively participate in a mentorship program, contribute volunteer hours to the Alumni Association and other service organizations, maintain a satisfactory grade-point average and remain in good standing as an ASU undergraduate. 

Recipient highlight

Grace Rogers was president of her high school’s thespian society and grew up volunteering as her mother started the nonprofit The Real Gift Foundation. One way she combined her passions for theater and volunteering was by dressing up as a Disney princess and visiting patients at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. She applied to the Medallion Scholarship program after reading about the focus on service.

“I have always had a passion for volunteering,” Rogers said. “I am excited to join the Medallion Scholarship program and be a part of a community with fellow students who also share a similar passion.”

She plans on majoring in voice performance and musical theater, and after college she has set her sights on Broadway, starring in movies, and writing and performing music.

Jaime Orozco Velasquez graduated summa cum laude and has been accepted into Barrett, The Honors College. He’s ready to be immersed in the honors college and take full advantage of the resources available at ASU, including joining the Medallion Scholarship program.

“I can’t wait to meet and be surrounded by the other members of the scholarship program,” Orozco Velasquez said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do as a group and the friendships and memories that will be gained throughout this experience.”

Orozco Velasquez plans to major in political science with a minor or a concurrent degree in Spanish. His career goal is to intern in the office of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Sen. Mark Kelly, Rep. Ruben Gallego or Rep. Greg Stanton.  

Elizabeth Hannah always has had a knack for talking to, understanding and helping people. After watching a lot of crime shows and being fascinated by the process, she has chosen to pursue a degree in criminology with a minor in psychology and, ultimately, would like to become a criminal profiler for the FBI or CIA. In addition to her educational goals, she will be playing the clarinet in the ASU marching band and has been accepted into the Medallion Scholarship program.

“I’m excited to be a part of a community where students have the same ideals about helping others,” Hannah said. “I participated in multiple community service programs in high school, and I’m looking forward to volunteering with the other students in the Medallion Scholarship program.”

This year’s class of Medallion Scholars, who are projected to graduate in 2025, is:

• Ria Bhatti, Hamilton High School, Chandler.
• Connor Bosworth, Higley High School, Gilbert.
• Hiram Bowen, Tuba City High School.
• Cambridge Bui Nguyen, Arizona College Prep – Erie, Chandler.
• Samuel Coles, Arcadia High School, Phoenix.
• Sophia De Souza, BASIS Scottsdale.
• Jonathan Ellwanger, Perry High School, Gilbert.
• Anna Filgueira, Desert Vista High School, Phoenix.
• Caroline Formisano, Corona del Sol High School, Tempe.
• Tyler Gaston, BASIS Ahwatukee, Phoenix.
• Dominic Giunta, Horizon High School, Phoenix.
• Elizabeth Hannah, Highland High School, Gilbert.
• Davis Houck, Brophy College Preparatory, Phoenix.
• Eliza Joy, Casteel High School, Queen Creek.
• Julia King, Hamilton High School, Chandler.
• Delaney Krieger, Arizona College Prep – Erie, Chandler.
• Aditya Krishna, Hamilton High School, Chandler.
• Luzy Kruse, Catalina Foothills High School, Tucson.
• Chase Mathias, Hamilton High School, Chandler.
• Jaime Orozco Velasquez, Chandler High School.
• Madisson Overton, Flagstaff High School.
• Saketh Pabolu, Hamilton High School, Chandler.
• Jocelynn Pearson, Arcadia High School, Phoenix.
• Abigail Quintus, Chandler Online Academy.
• Noa Ramsey, Sandra Day O’Connor High School, Phoenix.
• Ava Randecker, Red Mountain High School, Mesa.
• Grace Rogers, Scottsdale Preparatory Academy.
• Roberto Ruiz Felix Jr., University High School, Tolleson.
• Nathan Shapiro, Corona del Sol High School, Tempe.
• Ian Sherwood, Dobson Montessori School, Mesa.
• Natalie Shinbaum, Desert Mountain High School, Scottsdale.
• Augustus Shrestha, Desert Mountain High School, Scottsdale.
• Jacob Siegerman, Catalina Foothills High School, Tucson.
• Andrea Soto, Corona del Sol High School, Tempe.
• Nicole Spencer Walters, Corona del Sol High School, Tempe.
• Jeffrey Wentworth Jr., Brophy College Preparatory, Phoenix.
• Allison Willis, Chaparral High School, Scottsdale.

Approximately 118 students currently receive the scholarship. During the most recent academic year, Medallion Scholars received $472,000 in financial support.

Arizona vehicle owners with ASU’s official collegiate license plate issued by the state Motor Vehicle Division pay $25 annually for their plates, $17 of which supports the Medallion Scholars. ASU-themed license plate sales began in 1988, and now there are more than 32,600 Sun Devil plates on vehicles throughout the state.

Reconstituted in 2006, the Medallion Scholarship program was born out of the Alumni Association’s previous Medallion of Merit Scholarship. The original scholarship program traced its beginnings to the 1960s and provided merit-based financial assistance to thousands of students from across the state.

For more information on the Medallion Scholarship Program, visit alumni.asu.edu/give-back/donate/scholarships-and-funds. To learn more about the license plate program or to purchase a plate, visit alumni.asu.edu/services/asu-license-plates.