Forty Acres Scholars Program Class of 2025 Finalists
Posted February 22, 2021
The Forty Acres Scholars Program is proud to announce the 65 finalists for the Class of 2025. Finalists were selected from over 4,700 applicants. Out of those, 173 semifinalists were chosen to advance to a video interview.
This year’s finalists come from six U.S. states and have been admitted to 12 different schools across the university. Many of them participate in nationally recognized organizations and competitions such as Model UN, DECA, and UIL. Many are also athletes, team captains, musicians, and student body presidents. Some are published authors, founders of nonprofits, school organizations and online platforms, business owners, researchers, and coders. Their time has been spent participating in countless hours of community service, leading clubs and organizations in their schools, and interning across the nation.
From March 4–6, these exceptional high school students will join us online to participate in our first-ever virtual Finalist Weekend. Activities will include visits with their admitted colleges, a mock class with a UT professor, a virtual campus tour, panels with current Forty Acres Scholars, optional daily activities, and an individual interview.
The Forty Acres Scholars Program inspires and nurtures visionary leaders and helps them use their talents to benefit society. Our scholars demonstrate intellectual curiosity and a track record of outstanding academic success. Most importantly, they have passion and a desire to live out the core values of The University of Texas at Austin. The three tenets of the program are community, connection, and discovery. The program is a transformational adventure that helps individuals reach their full potential, and, alongside academic achievement, focuses on personal development, relationship building, and gaining perspective. As the only program of its kind administered by an alumni association, Forty Acres Scholars develop a unique relationship with their alma mater and graduate with an extraordinary network of Longhorns standing behind them.
Scholarship funding provides for tuition, a living stipend, a book stipend, an enrichment stipend, and program activities.
Meet the finalists:
Brydn Abraham
Centennial High School
Frisco, TX
Stephanie Aguilera
North Mesquite High School
Mesquite, TX
Angeline Ajit
Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science
Denton, TX
Olutoni Akintoye
KIPP Houston High School
Houston, TX
Sameer Balhara
Denmark High School
Alpharetta, GA
Kuba Bard
Cedar Park High School
Cedar Park, TX
Kinza Barrister
Great Hearts Irving
Irving, TX
Vivek Beeram
Saint Mary's Hall High School
San Antonio, TX
Stephano Boyer-Paulet
South Texas ISD Science Academy
Mercedes, TX
Avery Brooks
Georgetown High School
Georgetown, TX
Andrés Buckley
Franklin High School
El Paso, TX
Frances Cates
Hutchison School
Memphis, TN
Esha Chakraborti
The Woodlands College Park High School
The Woodlands, TX
Felix Chen
Westlake High School
Austin, TX
Melissa Derzavich
Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School
Miami, FL
Tanya Dhingra
Klein Cain High School
Klein, TX
Jeremiah Do
Garland High School
Garland, TX
Ethan Fang
The Kinkaid School
Houston, TX
Alicia Flores
New Caney High School
New Caney, TX
Sofia Flores
South Texas ISD Science Academy
Mercedes, TX
Faith Fulbright
Permian High School
Odessa, TX
Sanjna Ganjam
William B. Travis High School
Richmond, TX
Leila Garza
Milby High School
Houston, TX
Kayla Gillen
Leander High School
Leander, TX
Laysha Gonzalez
J.W. Nixon High School
Laredo, TX
Nina Hamuy
Pine Crest School
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Genevieve Holliday
Cherry Creek High School
Greenwood Village, CO
Tonya Hu
Dulles High School
Sugar Land, TX
Holly Hull
St. Paul High School
Shiner, TX
Eleanor Hutcheson
Westlake High School
Austin, TX
Noura Jabir
St. John's School
Houston, TX
Helen Jayesh
Earl Warren High School
San Antonio, TX
Esther Jin
Clear Springs High School
League City, TX
Abhinav Karthikeyan
Richard Montgomery High School
Rockville, MD
Stella Kastanek
Bishop Lynch High School
Dallas, TX
Leah Kegerreis
Trinity Christian Academy
Addison, TX
Aiden Lesneski
Northside Health Careers High School
San Antonio, TX
Niels Levy-Thiebaut
Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions
Houston, TX
Cindy Li
Glenda Dawson High School
Pearland, TX
Glen Liu
Westwood High School
Austin, TX
Emma Lloyd
Woodrow Wilson High School
Dallas, TX
Anoushka Luis
Frisco High School
Frisco, TX
Joshua Martin
Highland Park High School
Dallas, TX
Ethan Morales
YES Prep Southeast
Houston, TX
Lisa Morin
IDEA San Benito College Preparatory
San Benito, TX
Ashwin Murali
Glenda Dawson High School
Pearland, TX
Joseph Newcomer
School of Science and Engineering
Dallas, TX
Rishi Niranjan
Plano West Senior High School
Plano, TX
Cristian Olivarez
La Feria High School
La Feria, TX
Elizabeth Palomares Guzman
YES Prep Northside
Houston, TX
Max Palys
St. Mark's School of Texas
Dallas, TX
Patrick Pham
St. Thomas High School
Houston, TX
Daniela Ponce Cartagena
IDEA Carver College Preparatory
San Antonio, TX
Chardelene Reyes
Cypress Springs High School
Cypress, TX
Melissa Richardson
Dripping Springs High School
Dripping Springs, TX
Diego Robbins
Legacy of Educational Excellence High School
San Antonio, TX
Mia Li Rodriguez
Los Fresnos High School
Los Fresnos, TX
Aiden Ross
School for the Talented and Gifted
Dallas, TX
Jordan Sampey
Southwest High School
San Antonio, TX
Noura Shoukfeh
Lubbock High School
Lubbock, TX
Caedon Spencer
James Bowie High School
Austin, TX
Aylin Tanriverdi
Westwood High School
Austin, TX
Nicholas Van Lente
James Bowie High School
Austin, TX
Michelle Wang
Clements High School
Sugar Land, TX
Shirley Zhu
Bellaire Senior High School
Bellaire, TX
