Thanh Ta was born in Soc Trang, Vietnam and she came to the United States when she was only two years old. Thanh participated in Loyola University of Chicago’s Speak Up Democracy program in the summer of 2023 and she graduated from Senn High School in Chicago in 2024. She

Yordani Rodriguez was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic and has lived in Brooklyn, New York since he was nine years old. He participated in Columbia University’s Freedom & Citizenship program the summer of 2023 and graduated from Thomas A. Edison CTE High School in 2024. His favorite reading in F&C

Susana de la Torre was raised in Norwalk, California and graduated from Norwalk High School in 2024 with the highest honors. Susana participated in the Read Well Live Well program at Biola University in the summer of 2023. Her favorite text was Aristotle. Susana currently attends California State University, Long

Serena Panucci was born in Genova, Italy. She moved to New York at the age of seven and is now a resident of Brooklyn. In her free time, Serena loves to read and write, and she loves swimming. She participated in the NYU Democracy Scholars program in the summer of

Zoharys Jaen currently resides in Cypress, California and is a 2024 graduate of Oxford Academy. During the summer of 2023, she participated in Biola University’s Read Well, Live Well program, where she rekindled her passion for classical literature and social justice. Her favorite texts from the summer program were excerpts

Ovyanna Williams, a native of Portland, Oregon, graduated from Helensview High School in June 2023, a year ahead of schedule. She took part in the Inquiry for Justice program at Portland State University in the summer of 2023, gaining insight into the history of social injustice in her community. Ovyanna

Nada is an Egyptian American student from Astoria in New York City. She participated in Columbia University’s Freedom and Citizenship in 2023, where her love for learning flourished, and she graduated from Manhattan Hunter Science High School in 2024. Nada now attends Barnard College as a Barbara Silver Horowitz ’55

Mram Elhussain is a Muslim, Sudanese American and a resident of North Carolina. She was involved in the Elon Freedom Scholars program as a member of the 2023-24 cohort. The program introduced her to two autobiographies that she now considers to be among her favorites. In the fall, she will

Mohamed Elrefaei lives in East Haven, Connecticut and graduated from ESUMS high school in June 2024. He participated in Yale University’s Citizens, Thinkers, & Writers program in Summer 2023 through to Spring 2024. He currently attends Boston University and will be majoring in Data Science. He was captain of his

Mim Datta is of Bengali descent and was born and raised in Queens, NYC. She participated in Columbia University’s Freedom and Citizenship program in the summer of 2023 and now attends Columbia as an undergraduate. Mim plans to major in Political Science and minor in either Philosophy or Data Science.