Incoming Scholars
Sixty-two exceptional leaders, scholars, and citizens will matriculate at UVA this fall as the newest cohort of Jefferson and Walentas Scholars.
The Foundation's undergraduate scholarships serve as a powerful recruitment tool for the University of Virginia.
Many Jefferson and Walentas Scholar nominees first encounter the University through the Foundation's volunteers and leave the selection process with a stronger sense of what makes UVA distinctive: intellectual curiosity, meaningful community, and a culture that values leadership and purpose.
The time and effort volunteers invest in interacting with nominees makes a difference, ensuring year after year that we are able to build a strong class of leaders, scholars, and citizens.
The recruiting power of the Foundation extends beyond the scholarship recipients.
Remarkably, 531 of the 3,289 high school students nominated for Jefferson and Walentas Scholarships chose to join UVA’s Class of 2030, representing more than 13 percent of the entering First Year class.
SELECTION HIGHLIGHTS
The 2025-26 competitions for Jefferson and Walentas Scholarships concluded in late February, after 146 Jefferson Scholar finalists and 52 Walentas Scholar finalists participated in a final round of virtual interviews. Those offered scholarships were invited to attend recruitment weekends in Charlottesville, where they had an opportunity to explore the University, meet current students and faculty, attend classes, and engage with alumni. Sixty-two Jefferson and Walentas Scholars will join the Class of 2030 at UVA in the fall.
BY THE NUMBERS
Secondary Schools
invited by the Foundation to nominate a student across a total of 85 regions
High School Students
nominated for both the Jefferson and Walentas Scholarships
Finalists
selected to compete for Jefferson and Walentas Scholarships
Jefferson and Walentas Scholars
joining the Class of 2030
States Represented
and three countries among recipients
Awarded in Funding
to Jefferson and Walentas Scholars in 2025-26
JEFFERSON SCHOLARS CLASS OF 2030
Natasha Anderson, Jersey City, New Jersey Tess Belger, Mill Valley, California Jonah Bell, Tomball, Texas Jeb Blair, Birmingham, Alabama Brooke Buchbinder, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Tallulah Chahal, London, United Kingdom Anne Crouch, Virginia Beach, Virginia Dominic Davies, Harrisonburg, Virginia Arya Debes, Memphis, Tennessee Mia Dixon, Palmyra, Virginia Anya Dorairaj, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Kayla Duncan, Valley Stream, New York Sean Gaines, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Betty Gebremariam, Woodbridge, Virginia Shelby Grant, Madison, Mississippi Alex Guillot, Gonzales, Louisiana Gavin Herman, Bethesda, Maryland Lane Howard, Berwyn, Pennsylvania Lily Hudson, Midlothian, Virginia Imre Huss, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Deven Jani, Fredericksburg, Virginia Anish Kelam, Alpharetta, Georgia Karina Koppikar, Phoenix, Arizona Ankita Kumar, Plymouth, Minnesota Alex Lewis, Knoxville, Tennessee Journi Marlow, Richmond, Virginia Rishal Melvani, Danville, California Nikhil Misra, Nashville, Tennessee Varnika Neeli, Freehold, New Jersey Temi Oluboyo, Frederick, Maryland Isabella Park, Seoul, South Korea Zoe Phillips, Columbia, South Carolina Zev Rothman, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Zareef Said, Gainesville, Virginia James Scarbrough, Westerville, Ohio Tad Shores, Arlington, Virginia Rishika Talati, Simpsonville, South Carolina Teddie Taylor Jr., Jacksonville, North Carolina Ahaan Thomas, Lexington, Kentucky Alexis Tran, Renton, Washington Claire Tsai, Scarsdale, New York Jo Unnam, Centerton, Arkansas Jaya Vashisth, Kingsport, Tennessee Vick Volovnyk, Staten Island, New York Sriya Wint, Las Vegas, Nevada Ahava Wu, Washington, D.C. Melinda Wu, Houston, Texas Rafaela Zepeda, Richmond, Virginia
WALENTAS SCHOLARS CLASS OF 2030
Haroon Abuzaid, Keysville, Virginia Ailiz Agudiez Tavarez, Virginia Beach, Virginia Marco Barbosa, Boston, Massachusetts Matei Busu, Park Ridge, Illinois Sophia Donadio Liendo, Churchville, Virginia Gabriel Gonzalez, Manassas Park, Virginia Fiona Guo, Accomac, Virginia Muniba Irfan, Abingdon, Virginia Kaitlyn Johns, Los Angeles, California Philip Liew, Woodside, New York Julia Miller, Purcellville, Virginia Abena Nyarko-Brentuo, Reisterstown, Maryland Landon Owens, Castlewood, Virginia Ben Wood, Martinsville, Virginia
