Park Scholarships Announces the Class of 2028

The Park Scholarships program at North Carolina State University has named 35 students to its Class of 2028 – the 29th class of Park Scholars.

The Park Scholarships program brings exceptional students to NC State University based on outstanding accomplishments and potential in scholarship, leadership, service and character. The program develops and supports Park Scholars in these areas, preparing them for lifelong contributions to the campus, state, nation and world. The Park Scholarships program provides a four-year scholarship valued at approximately $119,000 for in-state students and approximately $222,000 for out-of-state students.

Biographies of each new Park Scholar are available: Park Class of 2028

“We are excited to welcome the 29th class of Park Scholars to NC State,” said Eva Feucht, director of the Park Scholarships program. “This year, we celebrated the graduation of the 25th class of Park Scholars. The Class of 2028 will arrive at an NC State that has never been stronger, and will be supported by a vibrant network of fellow Park Scholars on campus and 1,100 Park alumni around the world.” 

A Selection Committee comprising over 400 dedicated and accomplished NC State alumni, faculty and friends participated in selecting the class from more than 3,200 applicants, conducting application review, interviews and outreach.

The Class of 2028 represents nine U.S. states and 27 North Carolina counties. Its members include singers, artists, dancers, athletes, musicians, mentors, teachers and tutors. They have already conducted hours of research on important topics such as marine biology, AI, protein engineering and antibiotic resistance. 

They are Girl Scouts and Eagle Scouts, Beta Club presidents, Honors Society members and student government legislators. They are Model UN delegates, Science Olympiad winners and robotics team leaders, and include award and scholarship winners and honor society members. 

They completed thousands of hours of service, organizing blood drives, working with animals, leading at their places of worship and supporting their local food banks.

They planned and led engineering workshops and improvement initiatives for local parks. They have worked in cybersecurity and web development, and designed equipment for the healthcare industry. They won Floriculture competitions, performed in their local theater, played in the marching band and started podcasts. 

Park Scholars have received many distinguished national scholarships. Just in the past few years, these include Boren Scholarships (Elliott Gyll ‘24 and Sonia Pereira ’25), Churchill Scholarships (Ana Sofia Uzsoy ’21 and Nikhil Milind ’21), Goldwater Scholarships (Daniel Haller ’22, Nikhil Milind ’21, Ana Sofia Uzsoy ’21, and Noah Wolfe ’22), Knight-Hennessy Scholarships (Nikhil Milind ‘21, Ziad Ali ’19, Madison Maloney ’19, and Karli Moore ’16), the Marshall Scholarship (Kobi Felton ’18), National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships (Daniel Haller ’22, Noah Wolfe ’22,  Nikhil Milind ’21, Ana Sofia Uzsoy ’21, Ziad Ali ’19, Charlotte DeVol ’19, and Madison Maloney ’19), Payne Fellowships (Jeanine Ikekhua ‘24 and Naila Segule ‘20), and the Truman Scholarship (Ashley Lawson ’18). They attend prestigious graduate and professional schools and pursue fulfilling careers in corporate, nonprofit, and public service sectors. Many have also launched their own businesses, several of which were started by Park Scholars while they were undergraduates. They lead major service initiatives such as the Krispy Kreme Challenge, which has donated more than $2 million to the North Carolina Children’s Hospital, and Service Raleigh, a tradition since 1998 that leads volunteers in an annual citywide day of service.

The Park Scholarships program is named for the late Roy H. Park ’31, an NC State alumnus who created the charitable Park Foundation which is dedicated to education, media and the environment. The Park Foundation has committed nearly $150 million to support the scholarship since launching it with an initial grant in 1996. This support includes their 2013 commitment of $50 million to begin a Park Scholarships endowment at NC State and a $10.8 million grant in 2018. 

Now, thousands of alumni, students, staff, faculty, parents, family members and friends are joining the Park Foundation in supporting the Park Scholarships program. These donors recognize that gifts to the Park Scholarships program are an investment in remarkable students committed to scholarship, leadership, service and character, who repay that investment many times over throughout their lifetime. 

Congratulations to the Park Scholarships Class of 2028!