Duke Names 12 University Scholars

Twelve high school graduates, including three international students, have been selected for the prestigious University Scholarship at Duke University.

The University Scholars Program is designed to stimulate an interdisciplinary, intergenerational community of scholars who are capable of exploring new academic horizons. It was created in 1998 with a gift from Duke alumna Melinda French Gates and her husband Bill Gates, through the William H. Gates Foundation.

Students receiving the award represent a wide range of intellectual interests and personal backgrounds, but all share a passion for original research, collaborative thinking and innovative scholarship. Each scholarship's total value is estimated to be more than $240,000 over four years. The award covers full tuition, room, board and mandatory fees.

This year's recipients are:

-- Abena Ansah-Yeboah, of Dumfries, Va., a graduate of Potomac Senior High School in Dumfries, and daughter of Effie Tetteh;

-- Monica Barbara Arniella, of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., a graduate of Suncoast Community High School in Riviera Beach, Fla., and daughter of Caridad Molina and Jose Arniella;

-- Jihane Bettahi, of Fes, Morocco, a graduate of African Leadership Academy in Northcliff, South Africa, and daughter of Latifa Taya and Khalid Bettahi;

-- Shivam Narayan Dave, of Pearland, Texas, a graduate of Pearland High School, and son of Chhaya and Narayan Dave;

-- Attyat Mayans, of Santa Fe, N.M., a graduate of St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe, and daughter of Maria Martinez and Fernando Mayans;

-- Chandler Julianne McMillan, of Long Beach, N.Y., a graduate of Long Beach High School in Lido Beach, N.Y., and daughter of Sonia Evelyn-McMillan and Tracy McMillan;

-- Cam-Ha Thi Nguyen, of Hanoi, Vietnam, a graduate of Hanoi-Amsterdam High School in Hanoi, and daughter of Cam-Tu and Tu Nguyen;

-- Sanjukta Santra, of Fort Collins, Colo., a graduate of Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins, and daughter of Drs. Meenakshi and Dipak K. Santra;

-- Dejana Saric, of Loma Linda, Calif., a graduate of Redlands High School in Redlands, Calif., and daughter of Vesna and Sinisa Saric;

-- Pratiksha Sharma, of Lumbini, Nepal, a graduate of Pestalozzi International Village Trust in Sedlescombe, United Kingdom, and daughter of Iswori Bhusal and Shesh Sharma;

-- Austin Tate, of Buda, Texas, a graduate of Jack C. Hays High School in Buda, and son of Lisa Leal-Tate and James Tate;

-- Shadman Mohammed Uddin, of Roswell, Ga., a graduate of Roswell High School, and son of Shamshad and Mohammed H. Uddin.

For more information about the University Scholars program, visit the scholarship's website at http://www.usp.duke.edu.