Sydney chose IU because the campus is brimming with opportunities for those willing to seek them out, and because “you can’t make a small school big, but you can make a big school small.” She loves that her time in Bloomington will allow her to experience all the resources of a large research institution along with the personality of a small, supportive community.
Amna, the first Wells Scholar from Elizabethtown High School, is excited to begin her degrees in international studies and public policy in the highly ranked School of Global and International Studies. She is looking forward to exploring the wealth of opportunities at IU and growing through educational experiences like the flagship language programs, as well as meeting as many of the thousands of students as she can.
Rachel is the very first Wells Scholar from Stevenson High School, where she excelled in academics and participated in a variety of extracurricular activities, including Varsity Fencing; Ethics Bowl; and the Women’s Leadership and Feminism Club, which she founded herself.
Erina has dedicated her life to becoming a classical violinist and is very proud to have auditioned for and won a professional position in the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, a rare feat for a musician of her age. Her teachers often coach her to “work smart, not hard,” and she is looking forward to putting this wisdom to the test by delving deeply into violin performance studies in the Jacobs School of Music.
Charley joins the Program as the first ever Scholar from Harvard Westlake School. He was drawn to IU because it excels in all of his many areas of interest: music, culture, languages, media, public policy, and business. Though he plans to explore as many of these new fields and skills as possible, he will major in international studies and Russian.
Deeply interested in politics, history, and law, Eli joins the Program as a political science major and the sixteenth Scholar from North Central High School. He will never fully abandon his childhood dream of becoming a lawyer and a Supreme Court Justice, but he has decided instead to pursue a political career.
Annaka is a senior studying vocal performance in the Jacobs School of Music and looks forward to finishing strong on another year of artistic development. The best advice she ever received came from her high school voice teacher, who first encouraged her to audition at IU, where she now grows as an artist every day through her interactions with faculty and fellow students.
Growing up, Emma always wanted to be a veterinarian and a singer. She still loves music and animals, but has shelved those professional aspirations in favor of a biology major concentrated on conservation and ecology. She credits a hard-earned, narrow win in Science Olympiad several years ago with fueling the motivation and passion for science that has driven her ever since.
Alicia, the second Scholar from Columbus Academy, particularly enjoys writing, and admires authors such as Huey P. Newton (Revolutionary Suicide), Kahlil Gibran (The Prophet), and Toni Morrison (Beloved). She is also interested in helping people through activism and even founded a club, ACTION (Activating Consciousness to Improve Our Nation), to that effect.
Jada is a senior majoring in finance and accounting. She entered the business world after her hopes of being a pediatrician were dashed when she realized that she actually hated blood and needles! Her accomplishments in the Kelley School of Business have set her well on the way to achieving her new dream of breaking the glass ceiling and becoming a female CFO of a Fortune 500 company.
Morgan is excited to begin ballet studies in the Jacobs School of Music and can’t wait to become a part of its dedicated, passionate student body who have a deep appreciation for the arts and music.
Kali always keeps an open mind, inspired by this quote from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, one of her favorite books: “You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.” She is intrigued by the interdisciplinary nature of the new intelligent systems engineering program at IU, and she is looking forward to combining her interests in biology, physics, and computational modeling.
Alex can’t wait to start international studies classes in IU’s beautiful new School of Global and International Studies building, and he is looking forward to partnering with the dedicated faculty and staff who care about his future and will assist him to reach his personal goals.
IU appeals to Raul because of its emphasis on a broad education and diverse opportunities. Although he plans to major in astronomy and astrophysics with hopes of doing some kind of space research in the future, he looks forward to having the freedom to explore other interests as well.
Jessica chose IU for its inclusive campus and its wide array of unique academic programs, and she can’t wait to start making new friends. She is also looking forward to studying abroad, in Spain or another Spanish-speaking country, in order to explore the vibrant culture, sample the delicious food, and practice the beautiful language.
Singin’ Sorta Rican: The Life of a Twenty-Something in the City. The title musical theatre major Caroline would choose for her autobiography encompasses both her past and her future: she is proud of her Puerto Rican heritage and hopes one day to live and work in New York City.
Hana, who will pursue a biochemistry major, aspires to be a doctor and chose IU because it is at the forefront of scientific research and discovery. She would consider it an honor to have dinner with Rosalind Franklin, a 20th-century chemist whose discoveries contributed to our current understanding of DNA structure, and discuss the differences between modern and historical research techniques.
Walker will pursue an ambitious double major in chemistry and music composition and was drawn to IU in part because it excels in both fields, with abundant undergraduate research opportunities and the incredible faculty and resources of the music school.
Andrew is a true Renaissance man who will pursue philosophy as a degree that encompasses some of his many interests. He is also interested in political science, which stems partially from his participation in Texas Boys State, an educational weeklong government immersion program for teenagers.
Ava is the very first Wells Scholar from Baltimore City College. The decision to attend IU was an easy one, because both her parents attended and she found the current students and faculty to be extremely kind, interesting and genuine.
Joye, the seventeenth Wells Scholar from Bloomington High School North, is proud to serve as a founding member of Indiana’s first branch of buildOn. Her organization works with villages in Haiti and Malawi to fund the building of primary schools and forge community bonds.
Clate is looking forward to learning about world cultures, problems, and languages through an international studies degree; meeting new people from around the state, the country, and the world; and studying abroad. He chose IU specifically for its stellar foreign languages programs, and he is happy to continue his studies in Russian, German, French, and Spanish.
