Community Foundation Awards Over $332,500 in College Scholarships

Higher education costs and student loan debt continues to climb as a new crop of students prepare to head off to college this upcoming fall semester. The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, a leader in philanthropy in the region announced today that it has awarded more than $332,500 in college scholarships to 122 recent high school graduates and current college students to support their higher education goals in the upcoming academic school year. This year’s recipients, who were recognized for academic achievement, character, financial need, and for demonstrating good citizenship at school, at home, and in the community.

“Every year we are very impressed by the pool of talented students applying for Community Foundation scholarships,” said Eileen Ellsworth, President and CEO at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. “These scholarships reflect our ongoing commitment to invest in the next generation and we are thrilled to recognize their dedication to academics, family, and their communities.”

The Community Foundation manages twelve scholarships and administers the funds for eighteen other scholarships that support Northern Virginia students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees. Each individual scholarship fund supports a different area of focus as created and envisioned by the donor.

One of the many scholarships available is our Northern Virginia First Responders Scholarship Fund. The fund, which benefits first responders and dependents of active first responders in the Northern Virginia area was established by donor Aaron Kinworthy.

“This scholarship fund is our small way of recognizing those brave individuals and saying thank you to them by highlighting their incredible efforts and accomplishments,” said Kinworthy.

Saira Akram, a graduate of the Academies of Loudoun is the recipient of a $5,000 NVTC Foundation Kilberg Scholarship, which was established to support female students pursuing higher education in STEM-related fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)

“I didn’t want to be a financial burden to my parents, so I applied for the NVTC scholarship. This scholarship has allowed me to pursue my education in cybersecurity,” said Akram.

This year’s scholarship winners were announced during Community Foundation’s Virtual Cocktails & Conversations event available here.


See the complete list of scholarship winners below.

The following scholarships are managed by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. A volunteer grants panel determines the recipients of each scholarship:

AMS Opportunity Scholarship Fund
Jahayra Guzman-Rivas, Garfield High School

Ashworth Grogan Scholarship
Gavin Duhe', Hayfield Secondary School
Kimiya Farzinfar, Woodbridge High School 
Magaly Villegas Hernandez, John R. Lewis High School
Clara E. Guardado Lopez, Arlington Career Center
Christina Pelliccio, University of California, Berkeley *
Melannye Perez, Falls Church High School
Ayesha Riasat, Herndon High School
Fatima Villalobos Gonzalez, Washington-Liberty High School

Bentley Family Scholarship Fund
Selah Dean, Woodson High School
Lara Zanotti, Westfield High School 

Booz Allen Hamilton Vision Scholarship
Nathan Buchanan, Haverford College*
Kathleen Cannon, Duke University *
Irene Chen, Emory University *
Aarushi Dubey, University of Maryland *
Arianna Gehan, Senior year - County College of Morris, NJ
Emily Huo, University of Virginia *
Hannah Jones, UNC - Chapel Hill *
Mark Joseph, Loyola Marymount University *
Luke Katzen, University of Virginia *
Ramcharan Malladi, Broad Run High School and Loudoun Academy of Engineering & Technology
Sreya Mallipeddi, College of William and Mary *
Julia Noppenberger, Haverford College *
Brittany Peng, McLean High School
Grace Pluemacher, Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science, NJ
Jonas Ravich, Johns Hopkins University *
Sachi Sakaniwa, University of Vermont, Burlington *
Karen Song, Thomas Jefferson High School
Jasmine Summers-Evans, UCLA *
Avery Watkins, Stanford University *
Chris Yang, Duke University *

Charles Homer Barton Memorial Scholarship
Anonymous (2)
Mariana Buenaventura, Hayfield Secondary School
Glenn Cotone, Virginia Tech University
Sara Guckenberger, Fairfax High School
Liam Mangan, Loudoun County High School 
Nicole Notta, Stonebridge High School Ashburn

Elizabeth Koury Scholarship
Nalin Aggarwal, Freedom High School
Vivian Cao-Dao, University of Virginia *
Isabella Drake, Leiden University *
Jaspreet Kaur, Virginia Commonwealth University *
Riya Maheshwari, Georgetown University *
Jesus Neyra, University of Virginia *
Hayly Nguyen, John Champe High School
Huzaifa Shafique, Westfield High School
Anubhav Thapaliya, Virginia Commonwealth University *

Leslie V. Forte Scholarship
Iman Abuel-Hawa, Northern Virginia Community College

Louise Lightner Jamison Scholarship
Katie Jordan, Patriot Hight School 
Emma Patane, Battlefield High School 

NVTC Foundation Kilberg Scholarship Fund
Sanjoli Agarwal, George Mason University
Saira Akram, Academies of Loudoun
Shery Kamel, Mountain View High School
Rachel Lin, James W. Robinson, Jr. Secondary School
Sukriti Sharma, West Springfield High School

Rose Koury Scholarship
Isabel Craun, Liberty University *
Eliana Glover, Roanoke College *
Naim Gmati, Virginia Commonwealth University *
Gina Nored, Lipscomb University *
Charley Piercy, Woodgrove High School
Erin Poplin, Miami University *
Maria-Paula Proano, George Mason University *
Lindsey Staub, Broad Run High School 
Ashleigh Trudell, Heritage High School
Marissa Young, Belmont Abbey College *

Vance International, Inc. Scholarship
Bryan Bocompani, Brentsville District High School
Angelina Cherian, John Champe High School Academy of Science

The following scholarships are administered by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. A volunteer grants panel determines the recipients of each scholarship:

Celebrate Cherie Scholarship Fund
Maria Hamilton, Herndon High School 

Christopher Consultants Scholarship Fund
Ronald Ortiz Jr, Unity Reed High School

Jackson Robert Greene Memorial Athletic Scholarship
Jackson Buley, Herndon High School 
Semhar Habte-Mariam, Herndon High School 

John Hiller Memorial Advised Fund
Jacqueline Kerner, West Springfield High School

Kathryn Louise Davison Scholarship
Maris DePalma, Mansfield High School, Massachusetts

Kelly Elizabeth Baker Memorial Scholarship
Laura Ryan, Home School & Northern Virginia Community College

Michell Merhige Scholarship
Anonymous
Gurleen Kaur, Thomas Jefferson High School 

Miss Aranetta Memorial Scholarship Fund
Kayla Kim, Potomac Falls High School

Northern VA First Responders Scholarship Fund
Dinan Elsyad, Thomas Jefferson High School 
Olivia Lippincott, Loudoun County High School
Margaret Short, Potomac Falls High School
Emma Wetmore, Stone Bridge High School

Reston Scholarship Fund (All attend South Lakes High School)
Anonymous *
Hadi Abdelhalim*
Aamina Ahmad
Alejandro Alvalos Alvarenga*
Andrea Ataucusi
Emeli Avalos Barillas*
Melani Beltran
Zayyan Budiman*
Andrea Coca Ventura*
Ian Cruz
Diseye Ken Fiobotei*
Luis Zevallos Garate*
Mona Hassan*
Maricila Hernandez-Recinos
Sohale Hessavi*
Abdi Hobor*
Carla Jovel*
Javaria Khattak*
Mishal Khattak
Anisa Mahamed*
Abita Mahdi*
Priscilla Maradiago*
Nayeli Martinez Mancia*
Nicol Salinas Perez*
Aiza Shabbaz
Hamdi Feisal Sharif*
Tsiyon Wakjira*
James Watkins*
Nia Winston*
Brenda Yanes*

Robert Spencer Smith
Austin Marzett, Patriot High School

Wilens-Chu Memorial Scholarship
Amanda Crisp, South Lakes High School
Nathan Wojciechowski, South Lakes High School

William J. Foreman Memorial Scholarship
Iman Abuel-Hawa, South County High School
Saera Kim, Centreville High School
Jaella Lahat, South County High Schoool
Gabrielle Paker, Centreville High School 

Yuthud Oberdick Scholarship
Victoria Grace Turtiainen, Chantilly High School 

*Renewed scholarship winners

For more information about scholarships at Community Foundation contact Jennifer Cochran, Manager of Grants and Scholarship at 703-879-7639, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.cfnova.org/scholarships