Wake Forest Scholars Program spring scholarships roundup

From research training awards to data science summer institutes to internships in science, engineering, Indonesian language and conservation – six Wake Forest students are featured in this spring roundup of nationally competitive award-winners from the University’s Scholars Program.

Two seniors have been selected for the postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award offered by the National Institutes of Health (NIH IRTA). Tahjanee Givens, a Stamps Scholar from Fuquay Varina, North Carolina, is majoring in psychology, and politics and international affairs. Eric Wang, a Reynolds Scholar from Cary, North Carolina, is a biology major. As part of this funded postbaccalaureate program, Givens and Wang will undertake research full-time with the NIH. Givens will support ongoing studies to develop effective mental health programs to improve adolescent depression and concurring mental health challenges with the Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience at the National Institute of Mental Health. Wang will be conducting neurobiology research in the Jensen Lab at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Tahjanee Givens

Eric Wang

Wendy Wei

Wendy Wei, a junior Reynolds Scholar majoring in applied statistics and philosophy from Lexington, Kentucky, will spend the summer at Carnegie Mellon University completing a Data Science-focused Junior Summer Institute sponsored by the Program for Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA). This national fellowship program prepares students for careers that serve the public good by providing rigorous academic training and professional development over seven weeks. Students who successfully complete the PPIA-JSI and are admitted to Heinz College’s full-time master’s program will receive a full-tuition scholarship and a stipend of $8,000 per year.

Hope Nitsche

Junior Hope Nitsche, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was offered a Research Internship in Science and Engineering through the German Academic Exchange Service, which would have taken her overseas to complete a summer of research; she ultimately chose to remain in the United States as an Amgen Scholar at Columbia University. Amgen Scholars complete a funded research program at 14 select institutions (including Harvard, Caltech, Stanford and Yale) and participate in a research symposium. Nitsche, a Mullen/Carswell Scholar majoring in biology and classics, is the fourth participant from Wake Forest in the program’s history and will be the first WFU Amgen Scholar at Columbia.

Evan Harris

Evan Harris, a sophomore communication major from Greensboro, North Carolina, will spend two months studying Indonesian language and culture in Malang, Indonesia, as part of the Critical Language Scholarship Program. The program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical need foreign languages by providing funded, immersive experiences virtually and around the world to help students improve their language skills.

Roksanna Keyvan

Roksanna Keyvan, a sophomore Stamps Scholar from Coral Springs, Florida, who has designed her own major focusing on environmental and social justice, will be one of 16 Yale Conservation Scholars this summer. As part of this early leadership initiative, Keyvan will engage for nine weeks in fishery regulatory policy work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Other scholars might be placed at a research laboratory, environmental nonprofit, or field site; all will receive a stipend, mentorship, professional development workshops and an invitation to the New Horizons in Conservation Conference.

Students interested in applying to these opportunities and more should contact the Scholars Program to learn more about various external awards and seek support in developing their applications.