Meet the 2024-2025 ACS Scholars
ACS Scholars are an elite group of undergraduate seniors who embody Carnegie Mellon’s high standards of academic excellence, volunteerism, leadership and involvement across the university. They represent the top 2% of their graduating class and are chosen each year by the university’s deans and department heads for their academic achievement, leadership and contribution to the CMU community. Each scholar receives a monetary award to advance their learning and career goals from endowed funds established by generous ACS members.
Sruti Bapatla
College/Major: College of Engineering - Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Engineering Studies and Art
Hometown: Plainsboro, New Jersey
Future Plans: I will be staying at Carnegie Mellon through the Fifth Year Scholar program, where I will be working on developing kinetic sculptures.
“I love all the Schatz theme dinners! They are such a fun way to celebrate holidays or make regular days a little more special. My favorites were Schatz Valentine’s Day and Schatzgiving!”
Sanaa Akindele
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - Ethics, History and Public Policy
Lagos, Nigeria
Future Plans: I hope to go on to law school.
Dana Al Disi
Carnegie Mellon University Qatar - Biological Sciences
Doha, Qatar
Future Plans: I am planning to pursue a master’s or Ph.D. and continue on the academic research route.
Ava Allard
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - Chinese Studies
Seattle, Washington
Future Plans: I am hoping to either teach English in Taiwan or start my career in business.
Nancy Anderson
College of Engineering - Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering
Towson, Maryland
Future Plans: I'll be staying at CMU for another year to obtain my master's degree in electrical and computer engineering.
Eleanor David
College/Major: College of Engineering - Chemical Engineering, Viola Performance
Hometown: Falls Church, Virginia
Future Plans: Either planning for a master's degree in materials engineering or to go into industry research and development in the same area, hopefully with applications in clean energy or renewable design.
“My favorite experience at CMU has been my year as a head mechanic for Fringe Buggy. I led a buggy build starting last fall that raced last spring, Blackbird! We were the only team that had no crashes or mechanical failures on the course last year, making us the safest team on the course. I've loved Buggy since my freshman year and have been very involved in Fringe during my time at CMU, so the opportunity to lead a Buggy build was invaluable to me. This year, I'm the president of Fringe, so I still get to help with Buggy and I'll even get to drive the Buggy I built!”
Mimi Chuang
College of Fine Arts - Information Systems and Art
Albany, California
Future Plans: I hope to work at the intersection of art, tech and environmental science. I'm not sure if this means graduate school or industry.
Anna Engel
Mellon College of Science - Computational Physics
Newton, Massachusetts
Future Plans: I intend to either enter the industry on the software engineering side, or pursue a master's degree in a data-science related field.
Gabriella Howse
School of Computer Science - Human-Computer Interaction
Larchmont, New York
Future Plans: I'll be returning to Duolingo in July as an associate product manager.
Jordan Hsieh
Mellon College of Science - Biological Sciences, Psychology
Houston, Texas
Future Plans: I'm planning to spend a gap year teaching and then attend medical school.
Abigail Gredell
College/Major: College of Engineering - Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering
Hometown: Fair Haven, New Jersey
Future Plans: I plan on attending medical school.
“My favorite CMU experience was getting to be KKG's electrical Booth chair. Booth is such a unique experience that allows for the creation of amazing structures through the blending of disciplines and the work of so many talented, driven people — something that is quintessentially CMU. The experience gave invaluable lessons in perseverance and teamwork.”
Chaco Iwase
Intercollege Degree Programs - Art and Psychology
Bayonne, New Jersey
Future Plans: I am not sure, but eventually graduate school. I am interested in possibly pursuing something in social work, law or psychology, and making social practice art in collaboration with my friends. Ultimately, I have the dream of building a safe home for queer and transgender youth.
Gemma Jefferson
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - Decision Science, Business Administration, Biomedical Engineering
Nashville, Tennessee
Future Plans: Not sure yet! Considering a fifth year for soccer and graduate school right now, but also applying for jobs.
Sarah Jensen
College of Engineering - Mechanical Engineering
Bronx, New York
Future Plans: I'd like to spend some time in the outdoors, making progress on visiting all the states in the U.S. (I'm at 46/50) and exploring national parks. I'm hoping to spend time in some familiar places as well, visiting family and enjoying the comforts of home..
Camden Johnson
Mellon College of Science - Chemistry
Belmont, Massachusetts
Future Plans: I'm still trying to decide what career would be a good fit for me, but I'm looking at jobs in environmental education and policy, nonprofits and public health.
Elizabeth Knox
College/Major: School of Computer Science - Computer Science
Hometown: Woodbine, Maryland
Future Plans: Spend some time working in industry, and perhaps eventually apply to grad school.
“My favorite class at CMU is 15-251, Great Ideas in Theoretical Computer Science. The course teaches rigorous ways of thinking about very fundamental problems in computer science, and this big picture perspective was what made me fall in love with my major. Serving as a teaching assistant for this course and being able to share this impact with students has been, by far, the most rewarding experience I've had at CMU.”
Karny
College of Fine Arts - Art
Montclair, New Jersey
Future Plans: I want to continue making art in Pittsburgh for a bit, but then I plan to go do an artist residency in another state. I hope to move to Europe after that, continuing my travels meeting eccentric people, exploring, farming and tattooing along the way. I want to write a book and facilitate collaborative spaces for people.
Alex Knox
School of Computer Science - Computer Science
Woodbine, Maryland
Jack Lin
Tepper School of Business - Economics, Business Administration
Shanghai, China
Future Plans: Go to graduate school.
Jing Lin
College of Engineering - Chemical Engineering
Roseville, Minnesota
Future Plans: I plan to get my master’s here and then go into industry.
Christian Lanuza
College/Major: Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - Statistics and Machine Learning, Business Analytics and Operations
Hometown: Greenwich, Connecticut
Future Plans: I plan on entering the corporate world as a banker or a consultant.
“My favorite CMU experience was competing in the 2024 Division III NCAA swimming and diving championships, where I achieved a long-term goal with my parents there to witness it. Ever since I was recruited to swim for CMU, it had been my dream to represent the team at the highest level of competition. Finally, at the end of my third season, I accomplished that dream, making it even more special that my parents were there. Their unwavering love and support throughout three seasons of college swimming and 10 seasons of club swimming made this moment truly unforgettable.”
Raka Mazumder
Tepper School of Business - Business Administration, Statistics
Gainesville, Virginia
Future Plans: Full-time associate for PwC's deals analytics team.
Jocelyn Morningstar
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - Information Systems
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Future Plans: My plans for post grad are to join the workforce, most likely as a data analyst, with the goal of following a career path into project management. I am also exploring opportunities to work abroad.
Jacques Moye
Mellon College of Science - Physics
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Future Plans: My current plans are to go to graduate school for physics, but also scout potential jobs in the case that I might not get in anywhere.
Vic Nguyen
College of Engineering - Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering
Irvine, California
Future Plans: I plan on starting my career in the medical device industry. My hope is to work on improving the user experience interacting with medical devices that increase patient quality of life. At the same time, I hope to explore the space of accessibility technology through community engagement.
Zoe Schneider
College/Major: Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - Ethics, History and Public Policy; Literature and Culture
Hometown: Atherton, California
Future Plans: After completing my undergrad, I hope to pursue a Ph.D. in philosophy, focusing on social and political philosophy with a concentration in feminist philosophy and applied ethics. I also plan to stay involved in community engagement in whatever city my academic institution is located in to ensure my discussions of justice are informed by people outside of academia and applicable to my local context.
“My favorite CMU experience has been the Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship. I've been so grateful for the opportunity to learn and evolve alongside my peers in a concentrated and supportive environment dedicated to our immersion in the projects, strengths and knowledge of our local leaders. Having the opportunity to appreciate the work and resources around me and allow myself to be a listener and contributor to these existing efforts has been a gift. I've been motivated and inspired by the strengths and resilience of my peers and the Pittsburgh community members.”
Aarnav Patel
College of Fine Arts - Design
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Future Plans: I hope to work in the game industry, seeing how entertainment technologies and immersive experiences can be blended with aspects of gamification and creative world building.
Aliyah Quill
College of Fine Arts - Vocal Performance
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Future Plans: I plan to take a gap year to earn money, then apply to and attend graduate school for vocal performance.
Drake Som
Tepper School of Business - Business, Human-Computer Interaction
San Jose, California
Future Plans: I will be building my startup, Sitewiz, full time here in Pittsburgh.
Shruti Srinivasan
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - Statistics and Machine Learning; Artificial Intelligence
North Attleborough, Massachusetts
Future Plans: TBD. Applying to both industry and Ph.D. programs.
Gil Shteyman
College/Major: School of Computer Science - Computer Science
Hometown: Edison, New Jersey
Future Plans: I'll be joining Jane Street Capital as a quantitative trader.
“My favorite CMU experience was being the head Booth chair for AEPi my sophomore year. Learning the ins and outs of construction as well as team management alongside my CS classes and other commitments was difficult, but the process was very rewarding. Seeing the plans evolve into the finished product made the challenges worth it. The opportunity to lead such a significant project taught me more about leadership, planning and delegation than any class could, leaving me with an unforgettable, uniquely CMU experience.”
Sophie Vincens
College of Engineering - Environmental Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy
Upton, Massachusetts
Future Plans: I hope to pursue a Ph.D. in environmental engineering after graduating.
Jolie Wasserman
College of Engineering - Electrical and Computer Engineering
Briarcliff Manor, New York
Future Plans: I will complete my master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering here at CMU.
Katherine Wu
College of Engineering - Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering
Queens, New York
Future Plans: I'd like to enter the industry for biotech/pharma and get an MBA in the future!
Maria Yampolsky
School of Computer Science - Computer Science
Toronto, Canada
Future Plans: I'm going to be working as a quantitative trader at Susquehanna International Group.
Francesca Yu
College/Major: Mellon College of Science - Math
Hometown: Shanghai, China
Future Plans: I am planning to apply to grad schools.
“I am always amazed by the enthusiasm from my friends and professors at CMU, how they dedicate themselves to things that intrigue them and keep exploring the endless possibilities behind these great ideas. I love how their passion has inspired me during my time here at CMU.”
Fatima Yousaf
Carnegie Mellon University Qatar - Computer Science, Psychology
Lahore, Pakistan
Future Plans: I would love to go to grad school (preferably human-computer interaction) right after graduation, but I am also open to working in the industry, potentially continuing my internship that I had at Siemens over the summer in grid software.
Jackie Yu
College of Fine Arts - Architecture, Design
Brooklyn, New York
Future Plans: I plan to work as an architectural designer in New York and hopefully dabble in brand design.
Elizabeth Zapanta
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - International Relations and Political Science, Hispanic Studies
North Huntingdon, PA
Intercollege Degree Programs
