WASHINGTON – Howard University’s Karsh STEM Scholars Program (KSSP) welcomes its fourth annual cohort of emerging scholars to join Howard’s premiere undergraduate scholarship program for students committed to pursuing graduate and professional studies in STEM-related disciplines. Founded in 2017 as the Bison STEM Scholars Program, and recently renamed following a $10 million endowment gift from the Karsh Family Foundation, the KSSP is thoughtfully designed to increase the number of underrepresented minorities earning a Ph.D. or combined M.D./Ph.D. in a STEM discipline. 

The KSSP attracts hundreds of highly competitive high school students annually and selects students best positioned to excel as scholars through a rigorous application and interview process. Scholars selected for the program receive a scholarship that covers tuition and mandatory fees, room, board and books associated with attending Howard University. The program provides an inclusive learning environment where students are challenged through rigorous coursework, mentorship and immersion experiences. 

“With each new cohort of the Karsh STEM Scholars Program, our initial vision of creating a pipeline to diversify STEM fields moves closer to becoming reality. The scholars of Cohort 4 are joining an established legacy of excellence and a nurturing environment that has proven important in allowing scholars to achieve their many goals and aspirations,” says Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA.

KSSP Cohort 4 (K-4) is entering the University with firsts for the program, including the most scholars ever who’ve chosen to study physics, the first cohort featuring a higher number of male scholars than female scholars and the first set of scholar twins. Also, for the first time, both a younger sibling and an older sibling are scholars of the program.  K-4’s average combined SAT score is 1393, with an average composite ACT score of 30. The average high school GPA of the scholars of K-4 is 3.92. 

“We are very excited about the brilliant young people who comprise our fourth cohort,” says Director of the Karsh STEM Scholars Program Ronald Smith. “As we march through time, we know that our collective futures will be wrought with vexing global problems. We will need the brightest minds from across the globe to work together to find solutions. These emerging scholars will be problem solvers.” 

With the addition of K-4, the KSSP now enrolls scholars in all four levels of undergraduate study at Howard University. The inaugural B-1 Cohort is expected to graduate in the Spring of 2021. This year, the KSSP introduces two Clare Booth Luce Scholars, a scholarship coordinated by the Clare Boothe Luce Program. It is one of the largest private sources of funding for women’s STEM higher education dedicated to increasing the participation of women in the sciences, mathematics and engineering. KSSP also introduces 10 Hopper Dean Scholars. The Hopper-Dean Foundation, a California nonprofit supported by Jeffrey Dean and Heidi Hopper, is partnering with Howard to address racial and gender disparity in STEM fields by removing the socioeconomic barriers to pursuing professional degrees. 

 

Karsh STEM Scholars – Cohort 4

Temiloluwa Akande

Queens, New York

Chemical Engineering

 

Sydney Bell

Snellville, Georgia

Biology

 

Cade Boggan

Takoma Park, Maryland

Physics

 

Angelle Brown

New Orleans, Louisiana

Biology

 

Kennedy Chastang

Canton, Michigan

Chemistry

 

Joshua Clemons

Atlanta, Georgia

Computer Engineering

 

Miles Daniels

Frisco, Texas

Biology

 

Theodore Daniels

Brownsburg, Indiana

Computer Science

 

Lucas Davis

Cibolo, Texas

Mechanical Engineering

 

Austin Dellafosse

Lake Charles, Louisiana

Chemistry

 

Cameron Drewery

Mount Juliet, Tennessee

Mechanical Engineering

 

Brady Dye

Cypress, Texas

Physics

 

Autumn Edwards

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Computer Engineering

 

Charis Haynes

Covington, Georgia

Biology

 

James Hsia

Fruitland, Maryland

Biology

 

Zora Hudson

New York, New York

Physics

 

Althea Hudson

New York, New York

Physics

 

Jasmine Hughley

Elgin, South Carolina

Mechanical Engineering

 

Esau Hutcherson

Snellville, Georgia

Computer Science

 

Peja James

Elk Grove, California

Biology

 

Aissia Koffi

Mountain House, California

Biology

 

Langston Locke

Plantation, Florida

Chemical Engineering

 

Myles Pope

Lansing, Michigan

Physics

 

Kamau Richardson

Columbia, Maryland

Chemical Engineering

 

Isaiah Roberts

Baltimore, Maryland

Chemical Engineering

 

Logan Ross

Snellville, Georgia

Computer Engineering

 

Sarai Sales

Peekskill, New York

Biology

 

Fatima Shaikh

Dulles, Virginia

Biology

 

Ivan Sloan

Brandywine, Maryland

Chemistry

 

Jon-Edward Stokes

Chicago, Illinois

Physics

 

Anthony Strachan

Albany, Georgia

Chemical Engineering

 

Jasmine Terrell

Zachary, Louisiana

Biology

 

Selama Tesfamariam

Silver Spring, Maryland

Biology

 

Kennedy Thompson

Catonsville, Maryland

Computer Science

 

For more information on the Karsh STEM Scholars Program, visit https://karshstemscholars.howard.edu.  

###

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 70 Fulbright Scholars. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.

Media contact: Ramzey Smith, Office of University Communications, ramzey.smith@howard.edu