In our sixth year, the Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships celebrates U-M students who have won a wide variety of national awards in STEM, public service, and more! ONSF works with students from all of U-M’s schools and colleges, recruiting and preparing students for some of the most prestigious scholarships and fellowships in the world.

Here is a summary of this year's scholarship recipients:

Henry Fleischmann, a Mathematics and Computer Science double major, won a Churchill Scholarship. 16 US citizens are chosen each year and Henry is U-M’s 17th Churchill Scholar. He will complete a MASt in Mathematics with a focus on combinatorics, algorithms, and complexity theory before going on to a PhD program. Henry is also a 2020 Goldwater Scholar, 2022 Marshall Scholarship alternate, and 2022 Rhodes finalist. 

In addition to Henry Flesichmann’s Churchill Scholarship, U-M also had four Rhodes finalists this year. Read more about Henry, Alice Hill, Xalma Palomino, and Vince Pinti in this year’s Rhodes article.

Ford student Yasmine Elkharssa was named a 2023 Truman Scholar. The Truman Scholarship is the premier award for future leaders in public service, providing up to $30,000 for professional development opportunities and graduate school. After graduation, Yasmine plans to pursue a J.D. with concentrations in Government and Civil Rights. 

Along with Yasmine’s win, U-M had two finalists for the Truman Scholarship: Steven Driest and Leilani Fonseca. This is the 3d year in a row that U-M had two finalists and one recipient. 

Elizabeth Tolrud was named a 2023 Udall Scholar. Like Truman, Udall focuses on public service leadership, with emphasis on issues related to Native American nations or the environment. Elizabeth is a triple major in Molecular, Cellular, & Developmental Biology, Ecology, Evolution, & Biodiversity, and Program in the Environment.

U-M continues strong performance in STEM scholarships

This year’s Goldwater Scholars were Thomas Chen and Minki Lee. The Goldwater Scholarship is one of the most prestigious scholarships awarded to undergraduates in STEM, offering $7,500 in support of their undergraduate study. Thomas is an Honors Microbiology student with a minor in Oceanography. He plans to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in immunology and become a physician-scientist. Minki is an Honors Mathematics student and plans to become a researcher in computational psychiatry and mathematical biology.

Katelyn King is this year’s Astronaut Scholarship recipient. The Astronaut Scholarship is for students in all STEM fields and offers up to $15,000 as well as networking opportunities at the Astronaut Hall of Fame. Katelyn is a Biomedical Engineering and Robotics major. Katelyn was also a Goldwater finalist this year, along with Kemal Demirer and Tirth Patel.

Dhruv Kulshreshtha is U-M’s 2023 STEM Research Career Award recipient. STEM RCA is a U-M based opportunity and is a great opportunity for international students unable to apply for national scholarships due to US citizenship or permanent residency requirements. It provides $10,000 to the recipient. Dhruv is majoring in both Mathematics and Economics.

The Beckman Scholars Program awards transfer students with a 15-month mentored research period where they are matched with top faculty researchers. Adam Jackiw and Chaitra Moolaveesala have been selected for the program. Chaitra studies Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology and will be working with Dr. Matthew Chapman. Adam is majoring in Biochemistry and will be working with Professor Ursula Jakob.

Four graduate students were named inaugural Quad Fellows: Elana Goldenkoff (Kinesiology), Shion Matsumoto (Engineering), Divya Ramesh (Engineering), and Mohammad Aamir Sohail (Engineering). The Quad Fellowship is a new international initiative between the governments of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. It aims to boost interdisciplinary scientific and technological innovation while simultaneously building ties among the world's next generation of STEM leaders.

U-M names 10th Wallenberg Fellow

ONSF also recognizes the recipient of the Wallenberg Fellowship, a U-M based fellowship that provides a senior with $25,000 to carry out an independent project of learning or exploration anywhere in the world during the year after graduation. The fellowship honors the legacy of Raoul Wallenberg, a 1935 U-M architecture alumnus who is credited with saving thousands of Jewish lives in the Holocaust

Meghana Tummala, a graduate of the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, is this year's Wallenberg Fellow. She will be observing the effects of climate change in Mexico City.

U-M Alumni head to Stanford

The Knights-Hennessy Scholars Program will have two Wolverines: Braden Crimmins and Karthik Ravi. Braden graduated with a master’s in Computer Science and will attend Stanford Law School. Karthik has just completed his MPhil in Medical Sciences at the University of Cambridge and will attend Stanford Medical School.

The Knights-Hennessy Scholars program at Stanford supports a diverse community of graduate students, with the aim of preparing a new generation of global leaders to effect positive change in the world.

U-M students and alumni win international scholarships

Two alumni have been named 2022 Schwarzman Scholars: Brooke Bacigal (Public Policy) and Shivam Desai (Ross).

The Schwarzman Scholars Program from Tsinghua University offers a one-year program of global affairs coursework and mentorship by leaders in government and industry. This year-long program culminates in a Master’s Degree in Global Affairs.

Piero Guerra is U-M’s latest Yenching Scholar. He majored in International Studies with a minor in Asian Studies.  The Yenching Academy is a college integrated within Peking University in Beijing. It offers a 2-year Masters program in China Studies.