Meet the ACS Scholars
Andrew Carnegie Society members empower outstanding CMU seniors
By Sarah Burke
They represent 30 academic programs across Carnegie Mellon. They come from 16 U.S. states and six countries, from Chile to Pakistan. They’re involved in more than 100 student organizations, athletic teams and other campus groups.
What do these 40 Tartans have in common? They’re all ACS Scholars — an elite group of undergraduate seniors representing the top 2% of their graduating class.
“The ACS Scholars are the best and the brightest, having been chosen by their deans for academic achievement, community activities and campus leadership. I admire their work ethic and their service to others,” says Don Carter, a 1967 graduate of the College of Fine Arts, CMU faculty member and Andrew Carnegie Society Board member who serves as one of the mentors to these students.
Thanks to the generosity of ACS members who established an endowed fund to support this program, each scholar receives a monetary award to advance their learning and career goals.
ACS Scholars also participate in an annual giveback event, where together they direct a $5,000 grant to student-led projects. This year, the group chose Ecotone Renewables; mental health initiatives; and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at CMU.
Mohammad Shahmeer Ahmad
Carnegie Mellon University Qatar
Information Systems
Lahore, Pakistan
Parmita Bawankule
School of Computer Science
Computer Science
San Jose, California
Carlos Cabré
Tepper School of Business
Business Administration
Flower Mound, Texas
Eileen Chen
Dietrich College
Information Systems, minor in HCI
Rockville, Maryland
Jillian Coscio
College of Fine Arts
Flute Performance & Professional Writing
Long Island, New York
Dani Delgado
College of Fine Arts
Design, Product and Industrial
Hazlet, New Jersey
Fiona Dubrosa
Dietrich College
Decision Science & Psychology
New York, New York
Cassie Bishop
Mellon College of Science
Biological Sciences
Las Vegas, Nevada
Ani Chowdhury
Dietrich College
Statistics & Machine Learning
Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Amara Pedroso Saquel
College: College of Fine Arts
Major: Acting
Hometown: Santiago, Chile
“When I first got the email that read, ‘Congratulations! ACS Scholar Award,’ I couldn’t believe it! As I come to the end of my journey as a CMU student, it’s a huge accomplishment to have the things I’ve done in the community acknowledged and celebrated. As an artist, I have a lot of ideas and projects in my head, and the award will definitely allow me to get closer to making those projects a reality. Regardless of where life takes me, I will always have a special connection to CMU thanks to this program.”
Cassandra Howard
College of Fine Arts
Architecture
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Chloe Ireland
Mellon College of Science
Mathematics & Economics
Seema Kamath
College of Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Norwood, New Jersey
Matt Kern
Dietrich College
Information Systems
Springdale, Pennsylvania
Ahmad Khan
Carnegie Mellon University Qatar
Computer Science
Sapporo, Japan
Pranav Kumar
School of Computer Science
Computer Science
Houston, Texas
Arnav Mahajan
School of Computer Science
Computer Science
Troy, Michigan
Mellon College of Science
Chemistry
Hallowell, Maine
Stephen Price
College: School of Computer Science
Major: Computational Biology
Hometown: Houston, Texas
“This award will allow me to travel to academic conferences and has given me a greater sense of financial security as I continue to pursue research. I’m incredibly honored and grateful to be an ACS Scholar. This program is significant to me because it recognizes all the work that exists in the ‘in-between’ spaces to make Carnegie Mellon such a wonderful place. Going forward, I will never forget the importance of giving back to the community.”
Stefanie McMillan
College of Engineering
Materials Science and Engineering & Biomedical Engineering
Vancouver, Washington
Jessica Meng
College of Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
San Ramon, California
Parvathi Meyyappan
Dietrich College
Economics & Statistics
Cupertino, California
Steven Montinar
College of Fine Arts
Art
Martinsburg, West Virginia
M. Cristina Pullen
Dietrich College
Professional Writing & International Relations and Politics
Brownsville, Texas
Jay Rao
Tepper School of Business
Business Administration & Statistics
Queens, New York
Ryan Rusali
College of Engineering
Civil Engineering & Engineering and Public Policy
San Francisco, California
Ian Moore
BXA Intercollege Degree Program
Mathematics & Art
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Alexis Ortega
Mellon College of Science
Astrophysics
Santa Ana, California
Charlotte Andreasen
College: College of Engineering
Majors: Mechanical Engineering & Engineering and Public Policy
Hometown: Sheboygan, Wisconsin
“Over the last four years, I have done whatever I can to try to improve the different communities that I am a part of, whether that’s club sports, professional organizations or CMU departments. Receiving this award made me realize that my work, which is often behind the scenes, has made a positive impact. I plan to pursue a career in academia, so the recognition and financial support will help with my applications for graduate studies.”
Aria Salyapongse
Mellon College of Science
Astrophysics
Middleton, Wisconsin
Julia Scherb
Dietrich College
Global Studies
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Sanjana Shah
College of Engineering
Chemical and Biomedical Engineering
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nicole Shi
College of Engineering
Materials Science and Engineering & Engineering and Public Policy
Hong Kong
Heitho Shipp
Dietrich College
Behavioral Economics & Business Administration
Birmingham, Alabama
Ishita Sinha
College of Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering & Computer Science
Mumbai, India
Chloe Yan
School of Computer Science
Computer Science
Singapore
Valentina Ortiz de Zárate
College of Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Burke, Virginia
Kathy Zhang
BXA Intercollege Degree Program
Environmental Studies & Art
Malvern, Pennsylvania
Wenyi Zhu
Tepper School of Business
Business Administration
Shanghai
Saeed Syed
College of Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Houston, Texas
