MEET THE GOVERNOR'S
STEM SCHOLARS.
The Governor's STEM Scholars brings together New Jersey’s high-achieving STEM students, from grades 10 through doctoral level to engage with New Jersey's vast STEM economy.
2021 Governor's STEM Scholars.
The Governor’s STEM Scholars 2021 class is comprised of 75 Scholars from all 21 New Jersey counties. 52 percent of the class self-identifies as female and 68 percent as BIPOC. When they graduate in May 2021, they will join an alumni cohort of nearly 500 Scholars.
Antonio Abbondandolo
Somerset County
Antonio Abbondandolo is a junior at the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering.
Christian Alvarez
Morris County
Christian Alvarez is a Junior at Whippany Park High School where he has been on high honor roll for the last two years.
Charlotte Basile
Monmouth County
Charlotte Basile is a Senior at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology, located on Sandy Hook National Park in Highlands.
Christian Buckley
Hudson County
After receiving bachelor's and master's degrees in biomedical engineering from Rutgers University, Christian Buckley is furthering his studies as a Ph.D. student at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Emerson Conk
Essex County
Emerson Conk is a sophomore currently attending Montclair High School in Montclair.
Ansh Gadodia
Middlesex County
Ansh Gadodia is a junior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South.
Margaret Hillyer
Monmouth County
Margaret Hillyer is a junior pursuing a B.A. in Chemistry at Rutgers University where she transferred after completing her A.S. in Chemistry from Brookdale Community College.
Anisha Jackson
Morris County
Anisha Jackson is currently a senior at Watchung Hills Regional High School.
Sonya Jin
Mercer County
Sonya Jin is a junior at Stuart Country Day School. Sonya plans to pursue computational neuroscience in the future.
Vrushali Koli
Mercer County
Vrushali Koli is an undergraduate senior co-enrolled in the Computer Science B.S. degree program at the Newark College of Engineering and the Honors program at the Albert Dorman Honors College, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).
Diana Neste
Hunterdon County
Diana Neste is a junior at Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung, where she leads the Math League and is president of the Girls Who Code club.
Kristen Park
Monmouth County
Kristen Park is a junior at High Technology High School in Lincroft.
Elizabeth Rehwinkel
Union County
Elizabeth Rehwinkel is a senior at the Academy for Performing Arts in Union County where she has been inducted into the National Honor Society, the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, and the International Thespian Society.
Estefan Santi
Bergen County
Estefan Santi is an undergraduate chemical biology student from Stevens Institute of Technology.
Prerna Shankar
Hunterdon County
Prerna Shanka is a junior attending North Hunterdon High School.
Divjyot Singh
Hudson County
Divjyot Singh is a junior at the New Jersey Institute of Technology located in Essex County.
Sruthi Suresh
Middlesex County
Sruthi Suresh is a senior at the Middlesex County Academy of Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies.
Arya Tschand
Monmouth County
Arya Tschand is a senior at High Technology High School in Lincroft.
Ethan White
Burlington County
Ethan White is a senior at Northern Burlington High School with a passion for electronics.
Krystal Yearis
Gloucester County
Krystal Yearis is a senior at Clearview Regional High School.
Samvit Agarwal
Mercer County
Samvit Agarwal is a senior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South.
Saniya Attar
Hudson County
Saniya Attar is currently a Masters student at Stevens Institute of Technology, majoring in Biomedical Engineering.
Elizabeth Emeka
Burlington County
Elizabeth Emeka attends Willingboro High School in Burlington County, where she is a student council representative for the student body.
Anna Hansson
Hunterdon County
Anna Hansson is a junior at Hunterdon Central Regional High School.
Mulin Huan
Mercer County
Mulin Huan is a junior who attends Princeton High School and is a part of the school’s research program.
Julia Jankojc
Monmouth County
Julia Jankojc is a junior at Matawan Regional High School, where she is a selected member of the STEM Academy.
Nitish Kasarla
Morris County
Nitish Kassaria is a Senior at Hanover Park High School in East Hanover.
Adam Lalani
Morris County
Adam Lalani is a Junior in the Academy for Biotechnology in the Morris County Vocational school district at Mountain Lakes High School.
Pranay Maniar
Morris County
Pranay Maniar is a fourth year biology major at Albert Dorman Honors College at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Joseph Mild
Somerset County
Joseph Mild is a homeschooled senior in high school, attending Somerset County Vo-Tech shared time for Agricultural Science.
Akshat Parthiban
Somerset County
Akshat Parthiban is a senior at Thomas Edison Energysmart Charter School and an academy student at Raritan Valley Community College.
Luke Shao
Middlesex County
Luke Shao is a junior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, and is passionate about engineering and medicine.
Nicole Vaccaro
Monmouth County
Nicole Vaccaro is a junior in the STEM Academy at Matawan Regional High School.
Aaron Yengbie
Mercer County
Aaron Yengbie, a first-generation college student, hails from Monrovia, Liberia, a country shattered by fifteen years of civil unrest.
Abdullah Alhaddad
Passaic County
Abdullah Alhaddad is a Senior studying Molecular Biology at Montclair State University.
Suchit Bapatla
Morris County
Suchit Bapatia is a senior at the Academy for Mathematics Science and Engineering in Rockaway.
Charly Castillo
Hudson County
Charly Castillo is currently a junior at Weehawken High School.
Mohamed Eraky
Hudson County
Mohamed Earky has a Bachelor and M.Sc. degree in Aerospace Engineering from Cairo University.
Lukas Harmeyer
Bergen County
Lukas Harmeyer is currently a junior at the Bergen County Academies.
Shariqa Iqbal
Morris County
Shariqa Iqbal is a sophomore at the Morris County Academy for Biotechnology located at Mountain Lakes High School.
Melissa Jara
Bergen County
Melissa Jara is an international student who came to the United States after graduating from High School in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Emily Lee
Bergen County
Emily Lee is a senior in the Academy for Medical Science Technology at Bergen County Academies.
Matthew McPhail
Morris County
Matthew McPhail is a senior at Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange.
Melissa Nanotkar
Bergen County
Melissa Nanotkar is a junior at Paramus High School in Paramus.
Parthavi Patel
Somerset County
Parthavi Patel is a junior in the Agricultural Sciences program at Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School.
Justin Roskam
Warren County
Justin Roskam is a recent graduate of County College of Morris, where he received his associate’s degree in pre-professional Biology.
Aarsha Shah
Somerset County
Aarsha Shah is a junior at the Academy for Health and Medical Sciences in Somerset County.
Aleece Siner
Camden County
Aleece Siner is a Biology and Spanish major at Camden County Community College.
Ved Sriraman
Middlesex County
Ved Sriraman is a senior at Piscataway High School who is interested in theoretical physics and aerospace engineering.
Dalilah Valadez
Passaic County
Dalilah Valadez is a junior at Diana C. Lobosco STEM Academy in Wayne.
Delmond Wyllis
Gloucester County
Delmond Wyllis’s journey began in the tropical island of Dominica, a place that would foster his imagination and urge to explore what this world has to offer.
Gavin Zhao
Bergen County
Gavin Zhao is a senior at the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack.