On Saturday, May 4, 2024, the 25th class of Park Scholars graduated from NC State University and joined a thriving network of more than 1,100 Park Scholarships alumni. Throughout their four years at NC State, the Class of 2024 dedicated themselves to living out the program’s pillars of scholarship, leadership, service and character.
The Class of 2024 was selected from 2,100 applicants from three countries, 42 states and 95 counties in North Carolina. Park Faculty Scholars Suzie Goodell, Russell Gorga and Kanton Reynolds led and supported them throughout the last four years.
In a time that proved uncertain, the Class of 2024 worked hard to get to know each other virtually, socializing via Zoom and even organizing a “Park Prom” in April 2020.
“Even though our final days in high school got cut short…it was at that same moment that our [Park] class began to Zoom regularly, eventually hosting our own Park Prom,” said Sahib Chandi ‘24 in 2020. “Zoom was where we all first became friends, and I’m excited to see how we continue the tradition.”
They continued connecting virtually before coming to campus in August 2020.
“Over the summer, after a formal meeting for the Class of 2024 hosted by the Park staff, I initiated recurring Zoom meetings for my peers as a way for us to get to know each other,” said Katie Krawcheck ‘24 in 2020. “At that point, we did not know if we were ever going to be on campus during the fall, so I hoped that the video calls would give us the opportunity to connect even if very few of us had met in-person before. Ultimately, these Zoom calls became a weekly tradition over the summer. As we connected with more and more of our Park class via social media, the Zoom calls grew to 30 people at times.”
The cohort had been on campus in August 2020 for only a few days before getting sent home for the semester, but not before they were able to spend some time together for their freshman retreat. They gathered in the Court of North Carolina donning masks and NC State shirts, where they participated in a Challenge Course, watched an outdoor movie, ate together and had lots of time to reflect and journal.
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For Learning Lab I, the class chose healthcare as their topic. Learning Lab I is an annual experience designed and implemented by Park Scholars to provide insight into leadership and civic engagement through the lens of a challenge currently facing the people of North Carolina.
“The emphasis on public health measures both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrate the true importance and impact of effective public health policy and action,” explained Sam Wallace ‘24, co-chair of the Learning Lab I Committee. “Complex public health challenges call upon leaders who are willing to step up, and they end up making huge sacrifices for their own communities.”
The bulk of the program took place online from March 26-27 and featured physicians, state politicians and local health directors. The breadth of speakers showed students the range of challenges faced by healthcare leaders.
“We learned how much healthcare issues differ across the state, the importance of connecting with others in leadership roles, and the difference between serving as a leader on an individual level and a community level,” Addison Hughes ‘24, co-chair of the Learning Lab I Committee, summarized.
The Park Scholarships Classes of 2023 and 2024 joined forces for their Learning Lab II, focusing on leadership demonstrated in three aspects of education reform and advocacy. They analyzed the current state of the U.S. education system and explored how leaders are making changes related to equity and access to education at all levels; the impact of school choice in terms of funding, curriculum and school initiatives; and barriers to education access as well as challenges facing educators.
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In 2023, the Class of 2024 hosted the Gerald H. Elkan Distinguished Lecture in Science and Society, inviting Professor Dorothy Roberts to speak on Ending the Legacy of Racism in Medicine. And in 2024, they awarded the William C. Friday award to Wendy Mateo Pascual, the co-founder of the Latino Civic Engagement Committee and coordinator of the Latino Tu Voto Cuenta campaign in Charlotte, NC.
In August 2023, the class traveled to Ocoee, Tennessee for their Senior Retreat over Labor Day weekend. They spent five days at the Adventure Ocoee Lodge, went whitewater rafting, played paintball, and visited the Chattanooga Zoo and the Aquarium. This was the first trip this class has taken together, so there were lots of warm and fuzzies, late night snacks, showtunes and bonding over s’mores.
“Senior Retreat was one of my favorite memories from my entire Park experience,” said Sam Dotson ‘24. “My class and I are all close and it feels like a family when we all get to spend quality time together.”
Outside of their Park Enrichment Academy activities, the Class of 2024 was committed to service and leadership campus-wide and beyond. They served on the Board for the Krispy Kreme Challenge and Service Raleigh, and created the Park Under-resourced Assistance program (PURA), which has helped over 100 high school students apply to the Park program and NC State.
These are just a few of the recent awards and distinctions for the Class of 2024:
Sami Atassi- Senior Award for Outstanding Resilience for the Department of Biological Sciences
Sam Dotson- Practicum team at the Institute for Advanced Analytics won the Director’s Choice for Best Practicum team; Mathews Medal recipient in 2023
Kavin Govindarajan- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and Math Department Yusor Abu-Salha Award for Outstanding Community Engagement
Elliott Gyll- Boren Scholarship
Maddy Hannan- the College of Education Golden Apple Student Teaching Award and the Lee V. Stiff Outstanding Senior Award from the Math Education program
Jeanine Ikekhua- USAID Donald M. Payne International Development Graduate Fellowship
Robert Kobrin- Senior Award For Scholarly Achievement for the College of Engineering
Katie Krawcheck- selected to speak at the commencement ceremony for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Jenni Mangala- Senior Award for service for the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Kiran Soma- Outstanding Senior Award for Community Engagement for the Department of Chemistry and for the College of Sciences
Jenni Mangala and Bryan Wilson- President and Vice President (respectively) for the National Society of Black Engineers, who won Chapter of the Year at the 50th Annual NSBE Convention
On behalf of the Park Scholarships staff, we wish the Class of 2024 all the best!
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