OURS National Scholarships

Freja Ekman

Freja Ekman (’18, Chemical Biology) is pursuing an MD at Stanford School of Medicine, having already earned a master’s degree in translational biomedical research from the University of Cambridge. Freja aspires to address the inequities experienced by the neurodiverse community through both the development of personalized therapies and disability advocacy. She has developed both DNA and RNA gene therapy strategies with Professor Schaffer at UC Berkeley and Professor Lever at Cambridge. She also worked at D.E. Shaw Research, where she used molecular dynamics simulations to better understand underlying disease mechanisms. […]

Mengyu Dong

Mengyu Dong (Political Science/History, ‘15) is pursuing a master’s degree in journalism at Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences. Originally from Beijing, China, Mengyu has conducted research and reporting for numerous publications in the U.S., Europe, and her home country since graduating from Cal. Her work focuses on information control, grassroots resistance, and minority rights. She aspires to bring quality journalism to both English and Chinese audiences through open-source investigation and data-driven storytelling. In addition to journalism, she strives to improve access to education for children in rural China. She […]

Darion Wallace

Darion Wallace graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 2018 as a double major in rhetoric and African American Studies. During his time at Berkeley, Darion was selected as a Mellon Mays Fellow, a program that targets students with exceptional academic promise and potential for academic careers that will contribute to the diversity and equal opportunity in the academy. He also Resident Assistant for Summer Bridge and the Theme Program Advisor for the UCB Residential Student Services Program. Beyond the campus community, Darion was an education organizer for SEIU-UHW as well as […]

Tyler Chen

Tyler Chen, from Carlsbad, California, is pursuing a PhD in bioengineering at Stanford School of Engineering. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) with a bachelors degree in materials science and bioengineering. Tyler aspires to improve the quality of human life by building technologies to tackle genetic disease and disability. He has designed microfluidic devices for single-cell genomics at UC Berkeleys Streets Lab, and was a genomics intern at iGenomX and The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego. Tyler also co-founded and led Berkeley Hyperloop to design […]

Ausjia Perlow

Ausjia Perlow, from Merced, California, is pursuing a JD at Stanford Law School. She will graduate from the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) with a bachelors degree in psychology. Ausjia aspires to improve the criminal justice system and help make law more accessible to the under-resourced and the underrepresented through appellate litigation. During her undergraduate career, she served as a lead program logistics coordinator within UC Berkeleys Division of Equity and Inclusion, promoting community-driven retention of black students. She founded and served as president of the Black Pre-Law Association […]

Freja Ekman : Knight-Hennessy Scholarship

Freja Ekman, from San Diego, California, is pursuing an MD at Stanford School of Medicine. She earned a bachelors degree in chemical biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a masters degree in translational biomedical research from the University of Cambridge. Freja aspires to address the inequities experienced by the neurodiverse community through both the development of personalized therapies and disability advocacy. She has developed both DNA and RNA gene therapy strategies with Professor Schaffer at UC Berkeley and Professor Lever at Cambridge. She also worked at D.E. Shaw […]

Nitisha Baronia

Nitisha Baronia graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Political Science, and will be pursuing a JD at Stanford. During her time at UC Berkeley, she served as the Editor-in-Chief of theBerkeley Political Reviewand as the Chief of Staff at the ASUC Student Advocates Office. Nitisha was a four time winner of the Cal Alumni Leadership Award and is a recipient of the Regents and Chancellors Scholarship, the highest academic honor at UC Berkeley. She is also the winner of the 2016 Travers […]

Briana Mullen

In 2015 Briana Mullen graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a major in history. Briana was an ASUC Senator who championed the issues of student parents, foster youth, and other independent students. She also served on the Chancellors Advisory Committee on Mental Health where she was the sole undergraduate representative working towards mental health care reforms on campus. Since graduation, Briana has worked for the California Department of Education where she served as both a Special Assistant and Policy Advisor to the State Superintendent. She currently works for the California School […]