2016 oxyGEN Scholarship Recipients
Congratulations to oxyGEN’s 2016 Scholarship recipients! Read below to learn more about the recipients and their
future career plans.
For more information about the 2017 Scholarship, or to apply, click here.
Aarati Shah
Aarati Shah lives in Milton, Georgia. She attended Cambridge High School and will be attending the University of
Georgia. She plan on majoring in Biology with a pre-dental track. Throughout her high school career, she has availed
herself of opportunities to partake in research, health related competitions and shadowing events.
Abigail Holt
Abigail Holt is from Marietta and plans on pursuing a degree in music technology at Leavell College at New Orleans
Baptist Theological seminary in New Orleans. She wants to see more women working in the STEM field. Her hope is that
the STEM field will be used to influence the culture of music through more sound engineers and audio engineering.
Akela Ratcliffe
Akela Ratcliff currently lives in Lindon, CO, but is originally from Bailey, CO. She attended Woodlin Highschool and
proudly graduated with the class of 2016 this past May. She plans to attend The School of Mines in Golden to study
Chemical or Biochemical engineering. She loves science and anything STEM related. This includes participating in the
Colorado State Science Fair and the local science fair and taking every opportunity to participate in science oriented
activities.
Alexandria Brown
Alexandria Brown was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She recently graduated from Milwaukee Lutheran High
School. She plans to attend Hampton University and major in Psychology. Her career goal is to become a lawyer to right
the inequalities in the justice system. She has been a four year varsity starter for volleyball. Also an all-state honorable
mention athlete. She has taken rigorous science classes in high school including honors chemistry, physics and biology
and excelled in all of them.
Ali Babool
Ali Babool lives in Carrollton, Texas. He recently graduated from Greenhill School and will be attending the University of
Texas at Austin, majoring in Aerospace Engineering. He hopes to join a few engineering or robotics clubs as he was
captain of the robotics team this past year at Greenhill. In the meantime, he will be traveling to Mombasa, Kenya for a
one month summer camp called Global Encounters.
Andrew Kushnir
Andrew Kushnir is from Ocean Township, New Jersey. He went to Ocean Township High School. This upcoming fall he
will be studying at Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick - pursuing a finance major. He is a fan of the STEM field
because of how fundamental creativity is to its progress. On a typical day you may find him either reading, hanging out
with friends, checking out a new restaurant, or doing a sport (He likes to mountain bike and ski). In DECA, an
international academic club that helps students explore an interest in business, he was awarded as a Top 10 finalist in
the world in the financial consulting event.
Ashley Slay
Ashley Slay is from Decatur, GA and just graduated from Southwest High School in May, 2016. She has been accepted
and plans to attend the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL in August, 2016. Some of her extracurricular activities in
high school were cheerleading, soccer, and JROTC. Recognizing the value of STEM, she plans to major in Economics due
to loving the class in high school.
Brendon Machado
Brendon Machado is from the city of Lilburn in the Metro-Atlanta area. He graduated from the Gwinnett School of Math,
Science, and Technology and plans to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology. He intends to major in Computer
Science with a minor in Statistics to tackle problems using Big Data. When Brendon is not programming, he involves
himself with outdoor activities like tennis, ultimate frisbee and exploring state and national parks.
Charles Morse
Charles Morse is currently a sophomore at Rutgers University, is a member of their new Honors College and is studying
Cell Biology and Neuroscience. He graduated from the Monmouth County Academy of Allied Health and Science in 2015
in Neptune, New Jersey. Charles is from Howell, NJ and is actively involved in athletics, including volleyball and soccer.
He aspires to go to medical school after undergraduate to pursue neurological surgery. He is a national Health
Occupational Students Association winner, and is a National Merit Winner and Eagle Scout.
Christian Boujaoude
Christian Boujaoude (Eatontown, NJ) graduated from Monmouth Regional High School AP Academy and is enrolled in
Columbia University in NYC. He is a Varsity athlete, taking AP courses since freshman year and has individually raised
over $5,000 for Relay for Life. Christian received a $1,000 grant to conduct a human trafficking awareness project from
YSA NCAM (Youth Service America - National Children Awareness Month). He is also spreading awareness via social
media, and has lobbied over 10 Monmouth County towns in one month to issue proclamations recognizing Jan. 11 as
National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Christian plans to study Psychology and Neuroscience to further his efforts
in analysis in this field.
Daniel Ricker
Daniel Ricker graduated from Creighton Preparatory High School in Omaha, Nebraska and will be a senior this year at the
University of Kansas studying Architectural Engineering. He has also studied abroad for a semester in Swansea, Wales.
For the summer of 2016 he is interning with Henderson Engineers in Kansas City doing fire protection design. At KU he
is a member of the SELF Engineering Leadership Fellows and built a 70 foot suspension bridge through a structural
engineering club.
Dawson Davis
Dawson Davis was born in Memphis, Tennessee, where he lived for fifteen years prior to his relocation to Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. There he graduated from Upper St. Clair High School. Dawson will attend North Carolina A&T State
University where he will be majoring in Aerospace Engineering. He is a proud recipient of the school's selective Lewis
and Elizabeth Dowdy Program which will allow him to participate in advanced STEM classes. Although his college studies
will be focused on engineering, he will continue pursuing his interest in computer science and western literature in his
leisure time.
Edridge D'Souza
Edridge D'Souza is a rising sophomore at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, majoring in Biochemistry/Molecular
Biology. He is a 2015 graduate of Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI in Worcester, MA. Edridge
currently works in a genetics lab, where he uses techniques in bioinformatics and data science to identify gene pathways
involved with tumor formation in cancer stem cells. He is also involved with science education, cooking, and public
speaking.
Elana Lim
Elana Lim is from Danville, CA. She attended Monte Vista High School and is enrolled at the University of California, San
Diego. Elana will study Mechanical Engineering in college. She has a broad interest in STEM, and was the Co-founder of
her high school STEM Club. She also volunteers at John Muir Hospital, was finalist in a cardboard boat race competition,
and enjoys activities such as calculating the setup parameters needed to drop a marble in a cup before ever launching
off the table.
Elizabeth Spaulding
Elizabeth Spaulding is a resident of Kennesaw, Georgia and attended the Kennesaw Mountain High School Science,
Technology, and Math Magnet School. Elizabeth will be attending the University of Tennessee Knoxville in the fall of
2016 and plans to major in Biomedical Engineering and eventually attend medical school. Elizabeth held an internship at
WellStar Kennestone Hospital with Vascular Surgical Associates in the fall of 2015 and was captain of the soccer team for
the 2016 season.
Harrison Frende
Harrison Frende has lived in San Antonio, Texas his entire life where he attended the STEM Academy at Robert E. Lee
High School. He has been competing in robotics competitions for 8 years including BEST, GEAR, FLL, FTC, and FRC. His
FRC team advanced to the world final in St. Louis in 2014. He has also competed in science fairs and has placed first in
the physics category. Harrison has been a member of the math honor society and national honor society throughout
high school. He will attend the University of Texas at Austin to study mechanical engineering. He hopes to pursue a
career in the field of engineering or prosthetics after college.
Heather Lukas
Heather Lukas is from Fairfax, Virginia, and attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. In high
school, she was a finalist in the Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge for designing a continuous blood glucose
monitoring system that would wirelessly transmit data to a mobile app. She is now a rising sophomore at Cornell
University majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in business. This summer, she is conducting research at the
Center for Wireless Health at the University of Virginia.
Jack Crothers
Jack Crothers is from Des Plaines and attends Elk Grove High School. He was a captain of the varsity football team this
year and played volleyball as well. He was an active part of the EG Nation fan club, National Honors Society, and
Leadership Through Service. He will attend the University of Iowa next year and plans to major in civil engineering. He
hopes to use his degree in the stem field to help in third world countries with water and sanitation problems.
Janie Gadsby
Janie Gadsby is from Waukesha, WI. She has lived in Waukesha all of her life and graduated from Waukesha West High
School. After graduation she enrolled at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse where she is majoring in Radiation
Therapy. She spends her free time participating on the La Crosse Hip Hop Team and volunteering at the Salvation Army
and local hospitals.
Jermiya Jackson
Jermiya Jackson is a 2016 graduate from New Manchester High School in Douglasville, Georgia where she was the Vice
President for National Honor Society, a member of the National Beta Club, HOSA, DECA, and SGA. Jermiya also was a
varsity volleyball player and played club volleyball throughout the year. Competitive dance is a huge part of Jermiya's
life; dancing at A.D. West Dance Company in Douglasville since the age of five. Outside of school activities, sports, and
dancing, Jermiya enjoys serving the community with different service organizations and at church. As an active member
of Usher's New Look Foundation she was able to facilitate leadership training to students in Metro Atlanta. In the fall she
will study Chemistry or Pre-Pharmacy at the University of Georgia. She looks forward to contributing to the future of
STEM as a Clinical Pharmacist.
Jessica Brinson
Jessica Brinson is currently a sophomore attending Florida Atlantic University, where she is majoring in Biological Science
and in the University Honors Program. She is from Jacksonville, Florida, and graduated as the salutatorian of her class at
Terry Parker High School. STEM is important to Jessica because she plans on graduating and becoming an Optometrist.
Jessica thinks STEM is an amazing field because it includes careers that are essential in developing technological
advancements in our world. In fact, STEM jobs will grow in demand by 17% by 2024. Although STEM is such a prestigious
field, only 24% of women work in STEM field. Therefore, she believe that it is so important to find a STEM career that
interests you and defy all odds to accomplish it!
John Summers
John Summers graduated from Etowah High School in Woodstock, GA. He plans to attend the Georgia Institute of
Technology in the fall. His accomplishments in the STEM field include the 2014 SkillsUSA Regional and State Champion
for Technical Drafting, the 2016 Piedmont Technology Competition Regional Champion in Robotics, and the numerous
advanced classes in Chemistry, Physics, 3-D Modeling, and Mathematics.
Kaley Chamberlain
Kaley Chamerlain was born in Torrington, CT. She attended high school at The Masters School. She currently attends
Lasell College in Newton, MA. She has achieved many academic achievements such as Dean’s list scholarships and the
National Honor Society. In the STEM field she has several journalism pieces in yearbooks and a magazine.
Karen Pham
Karen Pham is a graduating senior at Villa Park High School planning to attend the California Institute of Technology
(Caltech) in the fall. One of her most memorable and enlightening experiences in high school was a time in her
sophomore year when she won second place out of two projects in her category at the county science fair - essentially,
last place. Though it was a disheartening experience, she learned a very life-changing lesson on overcoming failure. In
her free time, she enjoys baking, playing guitar, singing in a vocal jazz choir, and writing way too much poetry about
physics and astronomy.
Kehlin Swain
Kehlin Swain is from the beautiful Houston, TX. He attended Thurgood Marshall High School, and currently attends
Prairie View A&M University where he studies computers. He was awarded an Apple Scholarship to attend their World
Wide Developer Conference in Palo Alto, California by winning a Hackathon. His junior year of college, Kehlin was
announced as the computer engineering student of the year at Prairie View A&M University.
Kymani Hall
Kymani Hall was born in Mandeville, Jamaica where he attended the Manchester High School. Upon graduation (July
2015) he relocated to Port St. Lucie, Florida where for the past 10 months he has been taking courses in computer
coding (C# computer language) Mathematics and Spanish. This August, Kymani will be attending the Georgia Institute of
Technology where he will major in Aerospace Engineering.
Kyra Perry
Kyra Perry grew up close to the Georgia/Alabama border when she was little, before her single mother and she moved
to Dunwoody. In Dunwoody she attended Dunwoody High School and was part of the Academy of Finance. This fall she
will attend Brown University, where she will concentrate in Computer Science. When she is not in school or studying,
she spends most of her time outdoors playing lacrosse and exploring nature. A fun fact about Kyra is that since she loves
nature, she makes and sells hammocks on Etsy.
Larisa Liberty
Larisa Liberty is a recipient of the Presidential Gold Service Award and the Girl Scout Gold Award for her commitment to
community service, and graduated from Harmony Science Academy- North Austin as the class of 2016 Honor Graduate.
Larisa is an avid pianist, and has participated in computer programming competitions, Science Olympiad, regional and
state science fairs, and conducted a 40 hour service project aimed at teaching kids about sustainable agriculture. Larisa
will be attending the University of Texas in her hometown, Austin, and hopes to translate her passion for environmental
issues into her major, Civil and Environmental Engineering. She plans to continue her studies through graduate school
and conduct research in the near future to address the pressing problems we face and identify solutions.
Lauren-Ann Graham
Lauren-Ann Graham is from Griffin Georgia, and graduated from Griffin High School. She will attend the Florida Institute
of Technology this fall. She has been the only girl on her robotics team for 3 years. Also, she received 3rd place at state
science fair. She hopes to one day be an Astronaut for NASA.
Lisa Tsinis
Lisa Tsinis is from East Brunswick and attended East Brunswick High School. She is attending Rutgers University-New
Brunswick starting in the fall and will major in Statistics and Biostatistics. Being president of the Waksman Student
Scholars Program introduced her to the fulfilling field of scientific research. Through participating in Waksman, she has
already been published multiple times on the National Center for Biotechnology Information and participated in
numerous poster sessions at Rutgers University. She is excited to continue pursuing STEM as she studies at Rutgers
University!
Logan Roberts
Logan Roberts considers Highlands Ranch, Colorado, as his hometown. From there he went to Rock Canyon High School
where he immersed himself in Math and Science. Logan also took a class his junior year, “Intro to Biotechnology”, where
he not only learned a lot but wrote a research paper. Given his passion for Math and Science, he decided to pursue a
degree in biomedical engineering at Colorado State University.
Makalia Garcia
Makalia Garcia was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and is currently living in Charlotte, North Carolina. She was a student at
Cox Mill High School in Concord, North Carolina, and will attend the University of North Carolina at Greensboro,
majoring in Biology as a Pre-med student. She hopes to become a physician and researcher. She has achieved over 300
community service hours, receiving the presidential community service award from President Barack Obama, the
Student Life & Leadership Award, and a science award.
Malia Miller
Malia Miller is from Wheeling, WV. She went to Wheeling Park High School and is currently attending West Virginia
University. She is majoring in biology and psychology with an area of emphasis in neuroscience. One of her favorite
experiences in the STEM fields was teaching a summer camp whose curriculum revolved around science and art and
how the two can mesh and interrelate. Seeing the children learn about science through art was incredible and humbling.
Science outreach has become a true passion of hers.
Mandi Cai
A New Jersey native, Mandi Cai grew up in Morganville and attended high school at High Technology High School. She is
now a rising senior at Brown University studying cognitive neuroscience with a special focus on perception and action.
This summer, she'll be working on her thesis, which involves studying walking patterns in a virtual reality setting. Some
of her favorite things include German Shepherds, Miyazaki movies, and painting.
Mary Stephens
Mary Stephens was born and raised in Roswell, Georgia, having just graduated as salutatorian at Centennial High School.
She will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology this fall and major in biology in preparation to attend medical school
and pursue a career in pediatrics. During high school, Mary completed the healthcare science and technology pathway
and received her Medical Administrative Assistant Certification. Mary has also developed her experience in the medical
field by interning and job-shadowing with several health professionals including a pediatric neurosurgeon, pediatrician,
pediatric otolaryngologist, pediatric nurse practitioner, chiropractor, and nurse.
Meagan Smith
Meagan Smith is from El Paso, TX and is a Senior at Andress High School. She will attend The University of Texas of the
Permian Basin to get her degree in Kinesiology and play soccer. She is the Salutatorian of her graduating class. She is an
officer for her school's National Honor Society and a member of the Student Council. She has played Varsity soccer since
her Freshman year and was awarded MVP Goalkeeper this past season. Last year Meagan studied under a
Neuroscientist at The University of Texas at El Paso through the Work With a Scientist Program.
Michael Fitzgerald
Michael Fitzgerald is from San Diego, California. He goes to Rancho Bernardo High School where he participates in
Speech and Debate, Lacrosse, and Cru (a high school fellowship). He plans to attend Northeastern University where he
will study bioengineering with a focus in cell and tissue engineering. Michael is also a volunteer/intern at Sharp
Memorial Hospital and intern at The San Diego Wetlab in downtown San Diego.
Naomi Jiter
Naomi Jiter is a recent graduate of LakeView Technology Academy from Kenosha, Wisconsin. She will be attending Ripon
College, majoring in Chemistry-Biology. At LakeView, she followed the Project Lead the Way Biomedical Sciences track
where she completed many interesting projects such as: bacterial transformation, the design of an emergency
department, and the creation of a prosthetic arm. She also was involved in National Honor Society, Sumo Bot club, and
Medical Club.
Robert Trevino
Robert Trevino was born in Houston, Texas, and attended North Shore Senior High during his high school years. He is a
National Hispanic Scholar, and was the Team Captain of the Varsity Tennis team. He has always had an interest in Math
from an early age, and enjoyed competing in competitions for math. He had the privilege of being in the MathCon
National Math Competition as a Junior where he was a national finalist in the competition. Aside from academics and
extracurricular, Robert enjoys spending a lot of time volunteering for his church, and tutoring local students in math. He
is attending University of Texas at Austin in the fall as a mathematics major and hopes to make a difference in society
with the tools he’s learned.
Sarah Smith
Sarah Smith is a graduating senior in the IB Program at Anderson High School in Austin, Texas. She created an
interactive water exhibit to teach girls about physics (specifically the Bernoulli and Coanda effects) and donated the
exhibit to Girlstart, a non-profit organization which provides camps and educational programs for middle school girls.
Sarah is also active in National Honor Society, Leadership Council, swim team captain, and is a member of a relay which
placed 4th at the 6A State Swim Championships. Additionally, she founded an online jewelry business, which has sold
over 200 items. Next fall Sarah will attend the University of Texas to study chemical engineering.
Sean Howard
Sean Howard is from Dallas, Texas and recently graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. He will be
attending Stanford University in the fall. Working since he was twelve years old, he has restored a 1966 Ford Mustang
from the junkyard to a daily driver, often using lessons in the physics classroom to help build the car. Sean was President
of his school's Medical Society, the school's largest club with an endowment of over $1,000,000.
Sydnei Patton
Sydnei Patton is from Kansas City, Kansas and recently graduated from Sumner Academy of Arts and Science “Summa
Cum Laude” with a 4.2 GPA. She will attend Fisk University majoring in Biology, working towards a degree in Pharmacy.
Not only is she intelligent, but she is also a dedicated student athlete. Sydnei earned varsity letters in Volleyball,
Basketball, and Track for all 4 years in high school and is a member of the Fisk University Volleyball team. In addition,
she earned a “1” (the highest rating) at the Kansas State High School Competition for her solo musical piece all 4 years of
high school. Her STEM accomplishments include winning first place at the team Mathletics Competition in 2016.
Trejon Adams
Trejon Adams was born in Los Angeles at Kaiser Permanente, but grew up in the city of Torrance. He is attending
Lakewood High School, and will attend UC Irvine for college. He enjoys playing the drums in and outside of school. He
also like to draw from time to time. Trejon recently participated in the Rose Parade earlier this year as a member of the
Tournament of Roses Honor Band. With regards to STEM, he was involved in the underwater robotics club this year, and
competed in the MATE competition. His team did not win the competition, but it was still a fun experience.
Vick Liu
Vick is currently a freshman at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a 2016 graduate of Flintridge Preparatory
School where he was awarded the American Legion Award. In High School, he was the President of the Science club,
Vice President of the Republican Club, and President of the Backpacking Club. He is an Eagle Scout and enjoys spending
time in the outdoors with friends and family. In the past 4 years he has competed in a number of science fairs during
which he won the 3rd place grand prize at the 2015 Intel ISEF and Semi-Finalst in Intel's Science Talent Search.
William Prestenberg
William Michael Prestenberg hails from Garland TX. He is an Eagle Scout and continues to remain active in scouting as an
adult volunteer. After graduating Naaman Forest High School in 2014, he spent two years in the army before being
accepted to West Point. In addition to pursuing a degree in systems engineering and a successful military career,
Michael plans to someday publish fiction novels.