MEET OUR SCHOLARS
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Teko J
I am a graduating senior business administration major with a concentration in finance attending Morehouse College from Chicago IL. My partner organization is Hope Dealers. Once I graduate I am seeking to start my career in corporate finance as an analyst. I love watching football and enjoying my friends' company. One fun fact about me is I am a proud brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated.
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Kynnedy S
I am an Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation Scholar from Shaker Heights, Ohio. I am currently a freshman at Columbia University double majoring in Computer Science and Cognitive Science. My educational goal is to achieve a Ph.D. specializing in artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction. While I aspire to use my future research to create a tech company that serves minority communities, my current mission is to use arts and tech to bridge inequities in developmental opportunities for youth based on race, class, and gender. My hobbies include playing the violin, running my non-profit I Art Cleveland, playing foosball, and watching K-dramas. A cool fact about me is that I have been playing the violin for 11 years, and I have recorded a full album and a soundtrack for a Nintendo game!
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Valerie B
I am from Los Angeles, CA! I am honored to be a partner with OWCF and HFF. I currently attend UCLA as a neuroscience major, but I am interested in majoring in computer science. I have always wanted to pursue medicine, but while at UCLA, tech and engineering have piqued my interest. Therefore, I am interested in exploring both fields and pursuing a career that involves medicine and tech. I also want to give back to communities like my own, directly through my job or by collaborating with organizations. Being a first-generation woman in STEM and growing up in a low income neighborhood, I have overcome many obstacles and want to support others in their journey. My hobbies include photography, swimming, and going out in nature. A fun fact about myself is that I love cats!
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Mikhaila D
I am from Ellenwood, Georgia. I am an Oprah Winfrey Leaders Scholar studying Health and Human Biology at Brown University. Upon completion of my professional studies at Warren Alpert Medical School, I plan to practice pediatric medicine in underserved communities. Eventually, I hope to own and operate a medical practice that provides affordable or free healthcare to youth in traditionally health disparate groups. I recognize that individual communities have unique needs that must be met to achieve overall community wellness. And, I plan to be a driving force toward deriving solutions that improve child health in a gamut of local communities. When I'm not buried in a Biology or Chemistry textbook, I enjoy competing on Brown’s Club Volleyball team, learning new African Dance styles, Bullet Journaling and practicing my Spanish fluency. I am half Trinidadian and enjoy indulging in a variety of cultural foods, my favourites being 1) curry chicken served over rice and peas or 2) my Trinidadian grandmother’s homemade pastelles (similar to an arepa).
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Jamar B
I am from Chicago, Illinois and I am an Oprah Winfrey Leaders Scholar. I attend Howard University and am studying Computer Science. I aspire to become a software engineer or site reliability engineer, as well as own my own nonprofit organization in the future. I enjoy running, mainly sprints (100 - 400m), reading, practicing Spanish, and developing coding skills. My favorite artistic movement is Impressionism.
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Princelawrenz H
I am from Palmdale, California. I am part of the Oprah Winfrey Leaders Scholars. I attend Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science and my program is Biomedical Sciences. Ten years from now, I see myself saving lives as a cardiologist by performing successful open-heart surgeries. In addition to pursuing cardiology, I also see myself one day leading a team of medical professionals by encouraging them to develop an “each one, reach one” philosophy with the definitive goal being to close the health gap in impoverished and underserved communities. The ultimate initiative of my team would be to contribute to the end of the world’s deadliest ailment—heart disease. I enjoy anime, playing video games, listening to music (with heavy metal being my favorite), eating burgers and steak, working out, research, and playing instruments (especially guitar and the drums) Something interesting about is is that so far, I've never had a cavity and share the same name and Birthday as the singer Prince.
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Aiyannah T-L
I am from Chicago, IL. My partner organization is the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation. Currently, I am studying Film And TV Production with a minor in Producing at New York University. I aspire to be a director/producer and be able to open up my own production studio one day. My hobbies include classical, vocal/choral performance, volleyball, and all things involving the advancement of technology. An interesting fact about me is that I went to the same school from kindergarten to senior year (Providence St. Mel).
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Breya B
I am from Los Angeles, California and I am proud to be an Oprah Winfrey Leaders Scholar. I currently attend UC Berkeley and I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering. In the future, I aspire to combine my love for engineering and art in the field of design. My hobbies include dancing, painting, and playing lacrosse. One fun fact about me is that I was a Girl Scout for 13 years and my favorite cookie is the Trefoil!
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Adrian H
I’m from Chicago, Illinois, and am a member of the Herrendorf Family Foundation. I am currently attending the Illinois Institute of Technology, studying in the Informational Technology and Management field. As a supporter of the right to repair movement, I feel aligned in pursuing a career in the IT field, helping the world to repair rather than replace. I like to bowl and play pool and I have hobbies in playing video games. One fun fact about me is that I run a small online service for a mobile game that I play, and I am a leader in the community.
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Deaunte N
I am from Vancouver BC, Canada. My partner organization is Herrendorf Family Foundation. I attend the University of British Columbia pursuing a Bachelors of Education. My aspiration is to become a kindergarten teacher. In my pastime, I like volunteering, working, working with youth, and recently going back to working out. A cool fact about me is that I am the first person in my family to go to university.
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Cameron H
I am from Chicago, Illinois. My partnership organization is the ACE program and I attend Purdue University. My major is cybersecurity and my aspiration is to become a system administrator for a bigtime company. I am also a member of the baseball team here at Purdue University and enjoy playing the sport I love. One cool fact about me is I love all genres of music!
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Bianca P
I am an Oprah Winfrey Leadership Scholar pursuing a major in Marketing from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, as well as a double minor in the Business of Social Impact and Design. As a student eager to investigate the intersection between social impact, advertising, and design, I aspire to understand how non-profit organizations and individual agents harness media to tell stories and invite action, especially in the realm of diversity and equity. I hope to enter the marketing industry to collaborate on the creative side and eventually work in non-profit consulting. Aside from my professional careers, I also enjoy fostering puppies through the non-profit "No Dogs Left Behind" , as well as singing musical theater.
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Nia J
I am from Chicago, IL. My partnership organization is OWCF, and I attend Cornell University's Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, majoring in Policy Analysis and Management. For my future work, I am interested in working in the public sector for criminal justice reforms in Cook County. In my spare time, I enjoy painting, poetry, and taking pictures. One fact about me is that I collect magnets from every new place I visit.
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Miguel R
I am from Chicago, Illinois. I am a recipient of the Herrendorf Family Foundation scholarship. I went to high school at Chicago Bulls College Prep, and I am currently going to the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Currently, I am undeclared but I am planning on majoring in biology. I am dedicating my life to becoming an exceptional doctor because I've always wanted to help people and I'm willing to do anything to get there. I enjoy working out and playing tennis. One cool fact about me is that I am trilingual, I can speak English, Spanish and Japanese.
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Nahla O
I am is an Oprah Winfrey Leaders Scholar and passionate young advocate for racial justice, gender equality, and equity in education. She is currently a freshman at Harvard University where she is studying Government and Educational studies. When she’s working with students at Harvard Model Congress, you can probably find her rehearsing with Expressions (Harvard’s hip-hop dance group), teaching 5th graders about civic engagement with the CIVICS program, or organizing events for the Institute of Politics. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in public policy and strives to minimize racial and socioeconomic disparities in education.
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Sabine R
I am from Chicago, Illinois. My partnership organization is the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation I am studying engineering at Purdue University. One of my future aspirations is to work as a robotics engineer in Boston, Massachusetts. Some of my interests playing piano, lifting, and solving puzzles. One fun fact is I am one of 8 children.
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Alexis H
I am from Chicago, IL, and the organization I come from is Hope Dealers. I attend Spelman College and am an Economics Major with an aspiration to be a Physical Therapist. I like watching movies, listening to music, and playing sports. A cool fact about me is that I have competed in London on the US Team in the World Martial Arts Games winning two silver medals and one gold medal.
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Falyn G
I am from Dolton, IL. I am part of Hope Dealers organization and am currently studying Nursing at Howard University. My aspiration is to become a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. In my spare time, you can find me dancing, working out, and knitting. A fun fact about me is that I am on the Howard University Bisonnette Dance Ensemble.
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Chloe N
My name is Chloe and I’m honoured to be one of the HFF Vancouver Scholars. I moved to Vancouver in 2018 after coming to Canada as an international student from Vietnam. In 2022, I began my first year at the University of British Columbia as an undergraduate student in the Pre-Biomedical Engineering Program. It's a program that focuses on the integration of technical knowledge about the human body and technology. We’re currently studying assistive devices, prosthetics, and injury prevention methods for automotive accidents . While biomechanics is fascinating, my focus is on biomaterials and cellular bioengineering. Throughout my degree, I hope to learn more about regenerative medicine and safer medication delivery techniques. My main objective is to use my knowledge to ensure that everyone has access to safer, higher-quality medical care. Outside of school, I enjoy doing things like hanging out with friends, and listening to music, all of which help me maintain a healthy stress management. I also find iaido and archery to be really calming and beneficial to my concentration. On the other hand, dancing (East Coast Swing and Balboa) always works wonders for me whenever I need a little serotonin boost.
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Thaddeus J Jr.
I am from the South side of Chicago, born and raised. I work with a Male Mentoring program called Champs Male Mentoring focusing on the development of Black and Brown young men around Chicago. I am currently a Sophomore at Columbia College Chicago, Majoring in Graphic Design with a minor in Cinema Arts/Film. I have a candle company that I am growing, but I plan to do some work in film as well. Film is a passion of mine because when I work on filming, designing, even candles, they don't feel like work, it feels fun to me which is how I know they're my passions. One cool thing about me is that I love the interaction of/between people. I love to talk to people and get to know them, I also love to see people having fun and enjoying life. This is due to the pandemic and just a lot of loss I have experienced, I know others have as well. Sometimes when you see people having fun, you never know what's going on at home or behind the scenes but it's a relief for people to just have fun every once in a while because some people just deal with it so much!
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Elijah S
I'm from Atlanta, Georgia. I attend Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and I am with the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation. As of now, my major is International Relations but I plan on switching that this upcoming school year. I'm thinking about getting into Computer Science, but I also love film and videography so I've been going back and forth on what to switch to. Some of my hobbies are skating, making videos, and being active. I also love meeting new people so I can't wait for the conference in May! One cool fact about me is that I don't lose in Mario Kart.
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Taylor S
I was born and raised in Opelika, Alabama. I am a proud Oprah Winfrey Leadership Scholar. I attend the illustrious Howard University in Washington, D.C. where I study Television and Film and my minor is in Political Science. My aspirations are to create films that uplift and tell the lives and stories of minority groups, whether that be people of color or the LGBTQ+ community, to create a space for all people in the world of television and film. I also want to be socially active to help promote equality through my films, and potentially spread awareness through the press and social media. I enjoy working with youth and being a role model for them and I also enjoy listening and playing instruments and singing as well. One cool thing about me is I love Beyoncé and hope to meet and potentially work with her one day.
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Scott T
My name is Scott, and I'm 20 years old. I was born and raised in Vancouver BC. I attended Britannia Secondary School from 2015-2020, where I was a part of the IB program, Britannia Hockey Academy, and was a grade representative on the student council. In grade 12, I had the honour of being chosen as class valedictorian.During each of my 5 years at Britannia, I volunteered with HEROS every Tuesday after school. Through my experiences with HEROS, I gained many valuable life skills, including teamwork, dependability, and leadership. It was an honour to become a member of the HEROS family and have the opportunity to give back to my community by sharing my passion for hockey. I'm currently a 3rd year undergrad student at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Last year, I was accepted into Dalhousie's medical sciences program. My goal after graduation is to attend medical school and become a doctor in the field of sports medicine. My dream is to become a primary physician for a National Hockey League team.
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Candyce W
Hi, my name is Candyce, a Chinese-Canadian who grew up in the Downtown Eastside community of Vancouver, but more specifically the neighborhood of Strathcona. Presently, I am a full-time declared Molecular Biology and Biochemistry student at Simon Fraser University, under the Faculty of Science program. For the next 4 to 5 years, I will be working toward obtaining a bachelor’s degree in science which I can furthermore utilize the degree to work towards my dream occupation of being a pharmacist after I graduate. I always had a passion for science and knew that when I grew older, I would want to continue on with this field. After reaching the high level of Regional Science Fair for 2 consecutive years, being silver medalists, and having my partner and I’s project published in the Canadian Science Fair Journal on March 31, 2021, made me realize that science had a big impact on who I was growing up.
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Anelalani Vares
My name is Anelalani Vares. I'm from Hayward, California and I'm proud to be an OWLS Scholar. I currently attend The University of California, Berkeley, and am majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. In the future, I hope to attend medical school and become a cardiothoracic surgeon with an organization that provides healthcare services to underrepresented communities across the world. My hobbies include singing, baking, and playing basketball. One fun fact about me is that I was once on America's Got Talent.
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Catherine Hou
My name is Catherine Hou, and I am from San Francisco, California. I am honored to be an Oprah Winfrey Leadership Scholar (OWLS). I currently attend Boston College as a Computer Science major with a plan to include a Business component. I look forward to creating opportunities in technology and business that will expand research and bring applications within reach of everyone around the world. I have been an active advocate for social justice and the promotion of women in STEM since middle school. My greatest passion is dancing, and I have been performing many different styles since the age of four.
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Cory Murdock
My name is Cory Murdock, and I am from Compton, California. I’m a proud OWLS scholar. I attend North Carolina A&T State University as a computer science student. My plan after earning my bachelor's degree is to become a program developer or a data analyst. A few hobbies I enjoy doing are spending time with friends, thrifting, listening to music, and bowling. A fun fact about me is that I have been wearing glasses for 10 years.
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Gabrielle Erawoc
My name is Gabrielle Erawoc and I am from Atlanta, Georgia. I am extremely grateful to be a part of Class 2 of the OWLS. I attend Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut studying Marketing/Communications. I hope to pursue a career in Social Media Marketing, and eventually start my own marketing agency. In the future, I also hope to continue working at my father’s non-profit organization that helps the refugees in our community in Clarkston, Georgia. At school, I am on the executive board for Trinity College’s Black Women Organization. I am also a cheerleader, and love cheering for both football and basketball. In my free time, I love to take photos with my beloved Canon camera. One fun fact about me is that I am learning Arabic!
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Isabelle Harley
My name is Isabelle Harley and I am proud to be a Herrendorf Family Foundation Scholar from Vancouver, British Columbia. I have recently embarked on a journey into the world of Cognitive Science at Simon Fraser University. Fascinated by the complexities of the human mind and behavior, my primary objective is to pursue my curiosities, ultimately contributing to the advancement in my understanding of mental health and cognition. I wish to use this knowledge to understand and help others. Alongside these academic pursuits, I find solace and creative expression in my love for playing the piano, I like watching horror movies and I enjoy going out with friends, even just for a meal. One fun fact about me is that I like to start each week off brightly by volunteering to babysit for a woman's shelter on Mondays!
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Jailyn Johnson
My name is Jailyn Johnson! I’m from Carson, California and I am the proud recipient of the OWLS Class 2. As a freshman at the University of California at Los Angeles, I’m studying Physiological Sciences with a minor in African American Studies. I aspire to become a physician because I have a passion for helping people achieve great health. As a practicing physician, I plan to pursue the esteemed position of becoming the United States Surgeon General. As a leader in the healthcare industry, I would create a safer and more inclusive environment for both patients and healthcare professionals to increase access to exceptional health to include underserved communities. I like to play tennis, participate in group activities, attend social events, crochet, listen to music, take long walks, and spend quality time with my loved ones. A fun fact about me is that I have light brown/red hair!
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Jalen Lyle
My name is Jalen Lyle from Newark, New Jersey. I’m a proud OWLS Scholar! I currently attend Hampton University and am majoring in Criminal Justice. In the future I hope to open up my own firm as an attorney and run for District Attorney. My hobbies are lifting weights, playing video games and writing poetry and literature. One fun fact about me is I met Shakur Stevenson.
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Jordanne Nichols
My name is Jordanne Nichols, and I'm a proud OWLS scholar from Aurora, Illinois. I am currently a Cornell University student majoring in Biology and Society. My future aspiration is to be a patent attorney. Outside of academics, my hobbies are listening to music, fashion, and running track. A fun fact about me is I am a pescatarian, and my favorite food is poke bowls.
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Kameron Hayes
My name is Kameron Hayes. I'm from Atlanta, Georgia and I'm proud to be an OWLS Scholar. I currently attend Howard University and am majoring in Sociology; minoring in Philosophy. In the future, I hope to work in higher education as a Dean of Chapel and as well as an administrator at a HBCU. My hobbies include exploring D.C., singing, and reading. One fun fact about me is that I have been to two countries in Africa.
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Mario Hoover
My name is Mario Hoover. I’m from the west side of Chicago, Illinois, and I am proud to be an OWLS/HFF Scholar. I currently attend the University of Chicago in Hyde Park and am majoring in Neuroscience on the Premed track. I hope to become a neurosurgeon and a healthcare advocate for marginalized communities. I really enjoy singing and cooking. One fun fact about me is that I was once on the Kelly Clarkson show.
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Finn Ghosh-Leudke
My name is Finn Ghosh-Leudke. I grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia and I am honored to be an HFF scholar. I am currently pursuing two degrees with majors in Political Humanities and History as part of the UBC-Sciences Po Dual Degree Program in France and Canada. I am considering a career as a historian or journalist as I am interested in fields that share perspectives on important past and present world events. In my spare time, I enjoy tap dancing, singing, and hiking in nature. A fun fact about me is that I am writing a historical fiction novel and aspire to become a published author.
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Ryann Gholston
My name is Ryann Gholston and I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. I’m currently a freshman at Syracuse University (Go Orange!) where I am studying Computer Science in hopes of pursuing a career in digital media. With a comp-sci degree, I plan to be one of the leaders of my generation that help to bridge the digital gaps between those who have, and those that do not. I want to use technology to be a conduit of change, not only in my community but also across the globe. At the same time, I want to help pave the way for young women of color in technology-related fields where historically we have not been well represented. As a member of the OWLS 2nd Class, I look forward most to taking advantage of the network and unique opportunities that the organization is so generously giving us access to.
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Sonia DeLarios Moran
My name is Sonia DeLarios Moran. I'm from San Francisco, California, and I'm very proud to be an OWLS scholar! I'm currently a freshman at University of California - Santa Cruz, and my major is undeclared. I hope to bring positive change and justice to my communities in the future and ensure that wellness is our top priority. In my free time, I like to read, dance, hike, crotchet, and listen to music. One surprising thing about me is that I love musicals!
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Vanessa Darkwah
My name is Vanessa Darkwah. I’m originally from Ghana but currently living in South Central Los Angeles, California and am a proud OWLS Scholar. I attend University of California - Irvine, where I am majoring in Biological Sciences. In the future, I hope to open a birthing center that caters to underserved and underrepresented communities. My hobbies include dancing and listening to afrobeats. A fun fact about me is that I’m practically addicted to Grey’s Anatomy.