Eleven incoming first-year students have been selected as the newest members of the Ingram Scholars Program. These extraordinary young scholars were chosen from more than 1,600 high school seniors—a record number—who applied for the prestigious program.
Members of the new class are:
- Anushka Bhaskar of Rancho Santa Margarita, California
- Jay Chandra of Fort Collins, Colorado
- Carlos Guzman of Hoschton, Georgia
- Michaela Kirvan of Bethesda, Maryland
- Ella Pang of Mbabane, Swaziland
- Abinaya Ramakrishnan of Lisle, Illinois
- Ricardo Sandoval of San Salvador, El Salvador
- Benjamin Seabourn of Boise, Idaho
- Erin Smith of Lenexa, Kansas
- Osahon Tokunboh of Huntersville, North Carolina
- Samuel Welch of Naperville, Illinois
They will join the 277 current Vanderbilt students and alumni who have been awarded the Ingram Scholarship since 1994. From that first class of four undergraduates and two incoming first-year students, the program has grown to include approximately 45 Ingram Scholars attending the university at the same time.
The program, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary this fall, was conceived in 1993 by E. Bronson Ingram, president of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust from 1991 until his death in 1995, as a way to encourage students to combine a professional career with a commitment to community service and giving.
Ingram Scholars engage in 20 hours of civic and community service each month and also design and implement projects that address significant societal challenges. The program encourages the scholars to create service projects that become self-sustaining. Ingram scholars are awarded a full tuition scholarship for four years plus a stipend for a summer project.