Scholars – OURS National Scholarships

National Scholarship Recipients 2025-2026

Jaime Alvarez Goldwater Scholarship

Jaime Alvarez (’26, Physics) is interested in gravitational wave physics, quantum optics, and precision instrumentation. While at Fullerton College, Jaime completed research projects at the University of Southern California (USC) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). While at USC, Jaime worked with Dr. Kris Pardo using astrometric techniques to set constraints on the chirp mass and distance of supermassive black hole binaries. He later spent a summer in the LIGO lab at MIT, working with Dr. Nergis Mavalvala and Dr. Eric Oelker on the GRAVITES project, where he helped […]

Alexandra "Sasha" Bergseid Critical Language Scholarship

Alexandra “Sasha” Bergseid (’28, EECS) is from San Diego. She will be spending the summer in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, continuing her study of Russian. As a heritage speaker, Sasha hopes to use these language skills to pursue engineering abroad in the future.

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Emma Berman Strauss Scholarship

Emma Berman (‘26, Bioengineering) is inspired by the intersection of innovation, creativity, and medicine. At UC Berkeley, she is an undergraduate researcher in the Messersmith Lab (developing a regenerative drug model for inflammatory bowel disease) and instructor of the Breaking Down Bioengineering DeCal, a student-led course for Cal freshman and junior transfers exploring bioengineering. At UC San Diego, she conducts clinical research with the Facial Nerve Clinic, supports outreach as a student liaison for the Moores Cancer Center internship program, and is involved in biomedical research at the Chen lab […]

Giselle Carreño Critical Language Scholarship

Giselle Carreño (‘25, Business Administration/Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature) is a first-generation Latina college student raised in a low-income Hispanic community in Northern California. She developed a love for building community through language by translating at clinics, churches, and her school district. Through this experience, she gave Spanish-speaking individuals access to free healthcare and educational resources. At Berkeley, she developed an interest in Portuguese to reach all of Latin America and connect cultures through her work as VP of Professional Development at the Latinx Business Student Association. This summer […]

Emma Cusimano Hollings Scholarship

Emma Cusimano (‘27, Molecular Environmental Biology/Chemistry minor) is excited to be selected as a 2025 NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholar. She grew up exploring the Utah mountains skiing, backpacking, hiking, and fly fishing, which sparked her love for nature. She is interested in all things science, sustainability, and nature, and wants to dedicate her career to environmental research and protection. At Berkeley, Emma has been involved in student-led environmental organizations, served as the co-vice president of the Surfrider Foundation student club, and planned many sustainable events to raise money […]

Emily Du Goldwater Scholarship

Emily Du (’26, Molecular and Cell Biology) is fascinated by developmental biology and the mechanisms behind congenital disease. She is currently an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Professor Richard Harland, where she is studying mammalian organogenesis. Outside of research, Emily is a student instructor for UC Berkeley’s Developmental Biology course, MCB 141, and a volunteer at Highland Hospital’s Emergency Department. After graduation, Emily plans to pursue MD/PhD degrees and eventually work as a surgeon scientist.

Utkarsh Dubey Critical Language Scholarship

Utkarsh Dubey (‘27, Political Science/History) was born in Mumbai. He immigrated to America at a young age and now resides in Dallas, Texas. He will spend the summer in Lucknow, India furthering his knowledge of Urdu. Utkarsh plans to use the linguistic skills gained from CLS to help create spaces of transparency and cooperation between South Asian and United States governments, working at the intersection of law and foreign policy. Utkarsh hopes to use his Urdu language skills to support South Asian communities in the United States and overseas through […]

Eli Glickman Marshall Scholarship

Eli Glickman (’25 Political Science and Public Policy) is interested in nuclear strategy and the intersection between national security and emerging technologies. He plans to spend his two years in the United Kingdom earning master’s degrees in history and war studies at the University of Oxford and King’s College London, respectively. Eli is a 2024 Truman Scholar and has been an intern for the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, a Kissinger Summer Fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, a 2023 Hertog War Studies Scholar at the […]

Justin Hurley Yenching Scholars Program

Justin Hurley (’21, Political Economy) concentrated his studies at Berkeley in international development economics and minored in Chinese. After graduation, he began working at the Center for Global Development, a think tank focused on international development and global economic policy issues, where he aims to bridge research and policy to strengthen the effectiveness of US development policy. In 2024, he participated in a delegation to China with the Shanghai Institute of International Studies to discuss US-China relations, deepening his interest in studying China’s model of economic development and its role […]

Angela Kim Udall Scholarship

Angela Kim (’26, Molecular Environmental Biology) is a climate advocate dedicated to the intersection of the environment and human health. She has spearheaded large-scale community gardens and global climate disaster recovery initiatives that have impacted more than 50,000 individuals worldwide. Angela also leads a National Hydrogen Blending Resistance Coalition and serves on the Public Health Advisory Council for Los Angeles and Orange County, where she actively shapes legislation outcomes. Driven by a lifelong commitment to social and environmental justice, Angela advocates for national policies that prioritize community well-being and cultivate a more […]

Abigail Klein Critical Language Scholarship

Abigail Klein (’26, Russian Language & Culture / Psychology) is headed to Daugavpils, Latvia to study Russian. She was raised in Southern California, where she grew up around Spanish-speaking communities and saw firsthand the power of language learning. This appreciation drives her study of Russian, alongside her love for Russian literature. Abigail is an editor of Troika, UC Berkeley’s undergraduate Slavic journal. In addition, she frequents Russian Conversation Hour, where she and other language learners practice their Russian over tea and Russian candies. As Vice President of UC Berkeley Best […]

Julieth Lara Voyager Scholarship

Julieth Lara (’26, Social Welfare & Public Policy), a transfer student from Mountain View, CA, is passionate about developing equitable sexual health systems at the intersection of public policy and public health. She is particularly driven to address disparities in reproductive and HIV care experienced by sexual and gender minorities. Julieth aims to build a career in academic research and policymaking, advocating for meaningful change within their communities and beyond. Through the Voyager Scholarship, Julieth will explore these interests further and forge connections to advance her vision.

Tiffany Mar Critical Language Scholarship

Tiffany Mar (’25, Society and Environment, Data Science minor) is excited to be a part of the CLS 2025 cohort to explore Bahasa Indonesia. She is interested in exploring how community-driven solutions can solve pressing sustainability challenges. In the future, she would like to use her Indonesian skills to pursue a career in geospatial research where she can advocate for both people and the planet. In her free time, Tiffany enjoys making music, exploring martial arts, and picnicking with friends on the Glade.

Kristie Moore Boren Scholarship

Kristie Moore (’26, Global Studies) is a Mexican-Slovak American from Southern California. She will use her Boren Scholarship to intensively study Tajiki Persian in Dushanbe, Tajikistan during the 2025-2026 academic year. Kristie’s academic interests include conflict, mass atrocity prevention, and migration, with a specific regional concentration in Central Asia and the South Caucasus. She received a Critical Language Scholarship in 2022 and studied Russian in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Kristie hopes to use her Persian and Russian language abilities to pursue a future career in mass atrocity prevention.

Carolyn Nguyen Goldwater Scholarship

Carolyn Nguyen (’26, Molecular and Cell Biology/Business Administration) is passionate about advancing next-generation therapeutics through epigenome editing, immunotherapy, and stem cell biology. At UC Berkeley, she conducts research in the lab of Dr. James Nuñez, applying CRISPR technology to modulate gene expression with the goal of advancing targeted epigenetic editing tools. With a dual background in science and business, Carolyn is particularly interested in bridging research and industry to make innovative treatments more accessible and equitable. In the future, she hopes to work at the intersection of biomedical research and […]

Carolyn Nguyen Astronaut Scholarship

Hannah Ousterman Knight-Hennessy Scholarship

Hannah Ousterman (’18, Peace and Conflict Studies) is pursuing a master’s degree in international policy at the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences, where she will specialize in energy, natural resources, and the environment. Since graduating from UC Berkeley with highest distinction in 2018, Hannah has worked for the U.S. government on a variety of foreign policy and national security issues focused on the Middle East. Most recently, she served as an adviser to the Special Envoy for Yemen at the U.S. Department of State, supporting U.S. efforts to resolve Yemen’s […]

Khephra Owl Critical Language Scholarship

Khephra Owl (’25, Educational Sciences) will be traveling to Okayama, Japan to study Japanese. She grew up watching Ghibli movies such as Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle, which led her to studying various aspects of Japanese culture, such as Zen Buddhism, Shintoism, and Japanese ghost stories. In 2023, she studied abroad in Kyoto, Japan through UCEAP and discovered several stark contrasts between US and Japanese cultures, which showed her the value of learning from each other in areas such as self-expression and honoring tradition. As a transfer student, Khephra […]

Sophia Tan Knight-Hennessy Scholarship

Sophia Tan (‘21, Molecular and Cell Biology/Data Science) is pursuing an MD at Stanford School of Medicine. She is fascinated with how analytic modeling can inform more effective public health interventions to mitigate infectious diseases. She hopes to bridge perspectives in public health and medicine and spearhead research that shapes more equitable health policy and improves patient care. Sophia has led research in infectious disease epidemiology, studying the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on SARS-CoV-2 risk and transmission. Her work has been used in the US Supreme Court to demonstrate the […]

Arya Vishin Critical Language Scholarship

Arya Vishin (‘25, English/South Asian Studies) will spend his summer studying Hindi in Jaipur, India. He is a senior from San Jose, California, currently writing his honors thesis in South Asian Studies. Some of his research interests include theater and performance studies, poetry/poetics, and adaptation/appropriation. Last year, he studied Kashmiri in Gurgaon through the AIIS, and is excited to return to India for another summer of language learning. In the fall, he will utilize his training as he starts his PhD in Harvard’s department of Comparative Literature.

Masha Vtorushina Yenching Scholars Program

Masha Vtorushina (’25, Chinese Language and Global Studies) first started learning Mandarin in high school and had the opportunity to visit China, where she taught English at several schools, volunteered at a panda conservation site, and immersed herself in a new community. Eager to continue exploring, she became an exchange student at Peking University in 2024 and solo-traveled around China. Beyond academics, she is a professional athlete in the sports pole dance discipline, earning numerous champion titles, including the 2023 U.S National Professional Women’s Champion title at the world’s largest […]

Roxana (Qinhong) Wang Schwarzman Scholars Program

Roxana (Qinhong) Wang (’24, Comparative Literature/Ancient Greek and Roman Studies) is deeply enthusiastic about cultural heritage in its diverse forms, from objects and sites to languages. At Berkeley, Roxana led multicultural publications and founded a translation award. She has worked with institutions including U Penn and the Bangladesh Forestry Department to advise on managing tribal cultural resources and world heritage sites. Roxana’s writing has been published by the SAIS Review of International Affairs, Center for Art Law, and Eurasianet, among others. She has worked with ICOMOS to launch a UNESCO […]