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The Cohorts
Since 2005, Scholars from across the United States and Africa have raised awareness and mobilized action in their communities and beyond. As Bezos Scholars, students and educators have inspired change on issues such as mental health awareness, civic engagement, STEM education, environmental issues, refugees and much more.
2025
Adairsville High School
Vivian Reyes-Martinez & Emily Thompson
African Leadership Academy (Kingdom of Eswatini)
Lubanzi Mhlonishwa Tsabedze
African Leadership Academy (Mombasa, Kenya)
Catherine Delight
African Leadership Academy (Mutare, Zimbabwe)
Anotidaishe Chinyadza
African Leadership Academy (Nairobi, Kenya)
Abigail Maina & Elvis Chacha
African Leadership Academy (Ouarzazate, Morocco)
Marwa Kriraa
Canandaigua Academy
Lindsey LeTran & Ashley Fisher
Cypress High School
Parsmi Rajput & Shelley Hawkins
Eastern High School & Northeast Regional Library
Mariam Kandel & Tonya Swan
Governor Thomas Johnson High School
Jeslyn Kamga & Natalie St. Fleur
John Bowne High School
Sally Awuku & Felicia Bifulco
Porter High School
Euphoria White & Autumn Rose Dowdy
San Diego High School of International Studies
Liya Getahun & Jennifer Pickering
San Jacinto Leadership Academy
Turner Daudert & Priscilla A. Grijalva
Socorro High School
Isabella Villalobos & Javier Rubio
Timber Creek High School
Nathan Kwok & JulieAnne Halsey
Tomball High School
Shaurya Kante & Tiffany Clyde
2024
African Leadership Academy
Abdelkarim Ben Fraj, Amani Nyonyoozi Tumusiime, Helena Appakouo Dogo, Kashimani Simasiku, Tatenda Shamiso Mazambani, Nandi Mgwaba
Baltimore City College High School
Brissia Lopez Castro & Evelyn Pearcy
Champlin Park High School
Kamar Sati & Virginia Brown Acevez
De La Salle North Catholic High School
Kahlial Lofquist & Anne Warrington
Freeport High School
Evan Negron & Lawrence Bamberger
John I. Leonard High School
Angelica Mejia & Carla Rodas-Piña
Northside College Preparatory High School
Jenny Au & Anna Park
Pebblebrook High School
Lizzie Casaleno & Amanda Xiques
Ronald E. Mcnair Academic High School
Rayana Ba & Sundoes Elbery
School for Advanced Studies – Wolfson Campus
Amy Zhou & Martha Cabrera
School of Science and Engineering
Albert Westbrook & Julie Carver
Wayne Memorial High School
Olivia Farmer & Yvette Jonna-Moore
Woodrow Wilson High School
Hanna Corona & Daniel Thalkar
2023
Aberdeen Central High School
Breanna Wollman & Kerry Konda
African Leadership Academy
Ahmed Kazadi Kabuya, Chiagoziem Regina Ikeyi, Nassiratou Ali Djibo, Kenesa Tamiru Huluka, Oluwabusola Oni
Barry Goldwater High School
Brendan Salisbury & Victoria E. Muñoz
Granada Hills Charter High School
Aayushi Garg & Sean Lewis
Gresham High School
Kim Cortes-Martinez & Cyrus Harshfield
Los Osos High School
Jessie Jingqi Lin & James R. Wilson
McAllen Memorial High School — Lamar Academy
David Arturo Muñoz Matta & Aimee Nunez
North Penn High School
Yordanos Lemma & Carmina Taylor
Patchogue-Medford High School
Rithika Sivapokaran & Emily Rohme
School for the Talented and Gifted
Victoria Myers & Rhonda Craven
Tuscarora High School
Priyanka Gupta & Mary Bishop
Valencia High School
Amanda Liu & William Truong
Washtenaw International High School
Dyuthi Aryasomayajula & Daniel Giddings
2022
African Leadership Academy
Michael John Olivier, Mohamed Taha Khorchani, Rehema Kabunda Nicole Bogita, Wazaino Mwambene, Mohamed Elfaisal Khalid Ahmed, Natalia Maria Sikombe
Cedar Hill High School
Chandler Vernon & Michael Clear Jr.
Framingham High School
Amelia Coates & Diane Burke
Global Leadership Academy
Eduardo Javier Acevedo & Taylor Alcantar-Campbell
Governor Thomas Johnson High School
Diya Jha & Paige Spangler
Harrisonburg High School
Anish Aradhey & Danae Delozier
Idea Weslaco Pike
Ana Garces & Natilisa Rodriguez
Lamar High School
Franklin Wu & Sally Woolweaver
Los Altos High School
Eric Ye & Jessica Lujan
North Stanly High School
Abigail Wahl & Tina H. Carter
Penn Wood High School
Nhaomi Lartey & Ava L. Alexander
Seaside High School
Jacqueline Ballesteros Martinez & Sarah Lester Guzmán
Union High School
Jean Lin & Erik Wittanen
2021
The 2021 Bezos Scholars cohort participated entirely virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, connecting online for workshops, collaboration, and project development throughout the year.
African Leadership Academy
Jaelene Sharveshni Iyman, Selima Terras, Suyash Nowbut, Saifeddine Lahmar, Panashe Noel Jonga, Ssanyu Sematimba
Bayside High School
Bubuney Havi & Maureen Loflin
Brown County High School
Josephine Fields & Kristi Billings
Cutler Bay Senior High School
Ammi Lucy Hernandez & Carla Felix
Edmonds-Woodway High School
Owen Lee & Nick Wellington
Hightower High School
Isabel Ohakamma & John Glenn Santos Ramon, PhD
Inlet Grove Community High School
Gabriel Gerig & Francisco Javier Lopez Ortiz
Montgomery Blair High School
Isoiza Emah & Tony Mensah
North Central High School
Sawyer Husain & Tom Gayda
Old Town High School
Avery McCoy Ell & Natalie Davis
Rancho High School
Runzhi Hu & Susan Potts
School for Advanced Studies-North Campus
Flavia Nunez & Michele Mar
Westchester Academy for International Studies
Bella Garcia & Mayra Valle
2020
Due to the unprecedented impact of the global pandemic, we were unable to safely select US Scholars and host the program during the 2020-21 academic year. Before the pandemic shut down schools across the globe, our partners at the African Leadership Academy (ALA) already selected their 2020 ALA Bezos Scholars team. With support from ALA leadership and our program, their team decided to move forward with leading the ninth annual South African Ideas Festival (SAIF)—and first ever virtual festival.
African Leadership Academy
Patra Wanjiru Mwaniki, Maged Hassan, Akinfolami Akin-Alamu, Macdonald Chirara, Chizoma Duru, Ssanyu Sematimba
2019
African Leadership Academy
Abigael Abuga, Mike Remezo, Mpiwa Gwindi, Nicolus Mositi, Thaksheel Nirvaan Alleck, Nkembo Kiala
Benjamin Franklin High School
Rangasri Narayanamoorthy & Kady Clincy
C. E. Byrd High School
Robert Lawrence & April W. Carberry
Colton High School
Ernest Cisneros & Jorge Alvarez
Glen A. Wilson High School
Victor Ye & Matthew Rojas
Granada Hills Charter High School
Sarah Tran & Cynthia Quintana
Ideate High Academy
Nicolette Peji & Dana Dale
Kokomo High School
Brayden York & Leslie Lewis
Lafayette High School
Jalan Drummond & Precious White-Jordan
Livingston Collegiate Academy
Zidikiyah Morrison & Cobren Greer
Noble High School
Madison Momenee & Jessica Cutliffe
Piedmont Classical High School
Trey Chapman & Lowana Wade
Taylor Allderdice High School
Peyton Klein & Jennifer McGonagle
2018
ASU Preparatory Academy: South Phoenix
Style Ranger & Jake Winfield
African Leadership Academy
Jelissa Kamguem, Jonathan Banza, Rutendo Njawaya, Salome Maina, Samkelo Ntetha, Tsion Tesfaye
Amundsen High School
Amy Exposito & Alden Reed
Charlottesville High School
Cole Fairchild & Matt Shields
Gahr High School
Mayowa Jolayemi & Christina Moreau
Gonzales High School
Cindy Aguilar Castaneda & Candice McFarland Camacho
Harlingen School of Health Professions
Matthew Garcia & Jose Becerra
Harrisburg High School SciTech Campus
Hoang Le & Kevin Varano
Hawthorne Math & Science Academy
Christian Alexander & Victoria Kratz
James Hillhouse High School
Makayla Dawkins & Rachele Thomas
Pomeroy High School
Alex Bremer & Lori Flynn
West High School
Mishka Banuri & Crystal King
West Valley High School
Brandon Plowman & Aaron Atkinson
2017
African Leadership Academy
Diana Spencer, Chernor Diallo, Felix Morara, Winnie Msamba, Kim Hoffman
Baltimore City College High School
Andrew Altman & Jennifer Gaither
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
Isaac Spokes & Regina O’Neal
California Academy of Math and Science
Kaetlyn Rodriguez & Susan Brakel
Deering High School
Mulki Hagi & Danielle Wong
Highland Park High School
Kate Atschinow & Donnie Martino
Irma L. Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School
Samantha Casas & Ann Marano
Memphis Central High School
Amal Altareb & Mary Olson McIntosh
New Buffalo High School
Felix De Simone & Richard Eberly
Northside College Preparatory High School
Ibraheem Khan & Gregory DiFrancesco
Orange High School
Taiwo Odunowo & Hooman Behzadpour
The Preuss School UCSD
Eric Tran & Chellyn Castro Boquiren
Wheat Ridge High School
Dylan Hess & Rebecca Ugander
2016
African Leadership Academy
Andreia Marcelo, Joel Baraka, Josphat Lowoi, Marubini Muswede, Smangaliso Mbili, Melissa Mbazo
Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School
Faris Qubain & Molly Diallo
Democracy Prep Charter High School
Yabundu Conteh & Teng Yang
Detroit Lakes High School
Anna Schumacher & Karin Fritz-Staley
Elkhart High School
Jacob Urbina & Cody Mitchell
IDEA Quest College Preparatory High School
Michael Mireles & Marcos Silva
James Madison High School
Peter Yang & Dan Maloney
New Rochelle High School
Ana Acevedo & Camille Edwards-Thomas
Northwest School for the Arts
Tonaysia Price & Okemia June
School for Advanced Studies
Debora Gonzalez & Jeff Dearing
The Connecticut IB Academy
Shubham Pai & Jill McNulty
Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Cole Robbins & Dr. Erica Bauer
West Salem High School
Casey Chaffin & John Divelbiss
2015
African Leadership Academy
Estela David, Francis Chitawo, Liston Cosmas, Francis Okong’o Kinyanjui, Portia Kuivi, Ernest Asante
Aiea High School
Perry Arrasmith & Trisha Liu
Gambold Preparatory Magnet High School
Isaac Vaught & Melody Coryell
J. Sterling Morton High School
Niquan Dawson & David Rose
Knoxville West High School
Griffin Hamstead & Caleb Clark
Lincoln High School
Elizabeth Yost & Christopher Maly
New Caney High School
Gile Alimasi & Judith McWilliams
Patrick Henry High School
Ciara Mulcahy & Diane Casola
Port of Los Angeles High School
Gabrielle Paras & Kevin Yourman
Poudre High School
Gillian Breuer & Kelby Benedict
Tokay High School
Julie Fukunaga & Sandra Starr
Whetstone High School
Akeem Adesiji & Andrea Patton
William G. Enloe High School
Shivpriya Sridhar & Kevin Shuford
2014
Academy Park High School
Victor Ariyo & Susan Reutter
African Leadership Academy
Franklyn Odhiambo, Samuel Opoku-Agyemang, Deepshikha Parmessur, Imane Bounana, Simone Ige, Michael Gyampo
Coral Reef Senior High School
Leila Abdelrahman & Marcia Ferguson
Davenport Central High School
Pablo Haake & Michael Anthony Trujillo
East High School
Raymond Pryor IV & Karen McChesney
Lake Area New Tech Early College High School
Kennedy Jefferson & Carl Woodward
Maui High School
Christopher Kim & Clint Gima
Montrose High School
Valeria Schmidt & Lori Roberts
Myers Park High School
Audrey Huynh & James Scott
Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy
Khushi Suri & Rachel Sands
Rowe Clark Math and Science Academy
Paulina Torres & Sonia Gonzales
Stuyvesant High School
Edward Antonio & Eric Ferencz
Wichita East High School
Yash Kamath & Michael J. Boykins
2013
African Leadership Academy
Gift Kiti, Ntemena Kapula, Omolemo Matloga, Oumar Ba, Solomon Martey, Josh Adler
Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts
Joseph Dobson & Corey Alderdice
Atascocita High School
Natali Espitia & Elyse Catoe
Benjamin Franklin High School
Jessica Garda & Lisa Hartman
Boca Raton Community High School
Montita Sowapark & Stefanie Gross
Charles Herbert Flowers High School
Damani Eubanks & Lisza Morton
Cleveland High School
Elizabeth Chung & Janice Morton
Como Park Senior High School
Marshal Landrum & Kathryn Kahn
Highland Park High School
Oscar Lee & Adam Gold
International School of Beaverton
Courtney Hauck & Jill O’Neill
Shaker Heights High School
Anna Katz & Lauren Keener
West Salem High School
Eleanor Fadely & Pattie Sloan
Whittier High School
Carlos Flores & Nico Loeff
2012
African Leadership Academy
Nokwanda Ramatheko, Gabriel Wamunyu, Varisth Baluckram, Bradley Opere, Eyerusalem (Jerry) Dibaba Assefa, Ryan Findley
Baltimore City College High School
Noah Smith & Philip Stephenson
Clarke Central High School
Dory MacMillan & Ian Altman
David Prouty High School
Samantha Laney & Rachael Mott
Fort Bend Education Complex
Christopher Sabbagh & Naomi Brown
Glendale High School
Kayna Lantz & Justine Lines
Grimsley High School
Kassra Homaifar & Roberta Rohan
Medgar Evers College Preparatory School
Tafari John-King & Cheryl Matthews-Valery
Milford Central High School
Spencer O’Bryan & Philip Durkin
Northeast High School
Kiona Elliott & Randa Flinn
Pleasant Hill High School
Candace Joyner & Marietta Bonaventure
Queens Gateway to Health Sciences Secondary School
Jeremiah Grant & Jabari N’Kosi
Walter Payton College Preparatory High School
Ethan Bresler & Aaron Weiss
2011
African Leadership Academy
Abdramane Diabate, Julius Kakwenzire, Kenza Bouhaj, Tafadzwa Matika, Segun Olagunju
Bellingham High School
Katie Cooke & Chris Michel
Benjamin Franklin High School
Jennifer Tu & Jane Maher
Central High School
Valerie Quirk & Alisa Boyd
Columbus Alternative High School
Sarah Sinclair & Davan Dodrill
Cypress Creek High School
Miguel Goncalves & Linda Shaddix
Helena High School
Andrew Mitchel & Linda Safty Unsworth
International School of the Americas
Nikki Santiago & Steve Magadance
KIPP San Jose Collegiate
Evelyn Torres & Caroline Gifford
North Star Academy College Preparatory High School
Sundoes Elbery & Kim Frankel
Patrick Henry High School
Locher Grove & Nicole Doherty
Presque Isle High School
Kent Smith & Mary Warren
School for the Talented and Gifted
Nicholas Okafor & Erika Ellis
2010
Central High School
Marc Simon & Kyle Wallace
Chief Sealth International High School
Molly Freed & Noah Zeichner
Davenport Central High School
Jonathon O’Leary & Gail Heninger
Freedom High School
Elisa Berson & Vivian Fiallo
Lafayette Senior High School
Jonathan Karp & Zachary Matson
Lawrence North High School
Rosemary Pritchett-Montavon & Heather Stockdell
Lincoln High School
Micaela Pacheco Ceballos & J.P. Caruso
Morgan County High School
Katherine Key & Mark Wilson
Northside College Preparatory High School
Andrew (Honghe) Li & Tim Devine
Presque Isle High School
Paul Elish & Jennifer Bourassa
South Salem High School
Andy Zhang & Jason Niedermeyer
The Preuss School UCSD
Miriam Million & Anne Artz
2009
City Honors School at Fosdick-Masten Park
Jimmitti Teysir & Frank DiLeo
Freedom High School
Blake O’Connor & Rosemary Owens
Greeley West High School
Lanna Giauque & Edie Reynolds
James Madison High School
Valerie Shen & Troy Arneson
Kalamazoo Central High School
Simon Boehme & Christopher Bullmer
Milford Central High School
Jane O’Bryan & Beatrice Webb
Noble High School
Sean Ashburn & Jen England
Northside College Preparatory High School
Caroline Mills & John Belcaster
Saint Augustine High School
Yannick Trapman-O’Brien & Brian Braddock
The Bronx High School of Science
Robert Esnard & Valerie Reidy
The Preuss School UCSD
Paul Tran & Scott Barton
Wichita East High School
Samanvitha Sridhar & Crystal Pilcher
2008
Classical High School
Tania Murillo & Beth Battey
Community High School
Noelle Dubay & Tim Doak
Garfield High School
Anna Miller & Gretchen Wilkinson
James Madison Memorial High School
Hannah Postel & Kara Glaaser
Lawrence North High School
David Langdon & Melody Coryell
Lee High School
Rigoberto Soto & Steven E. Amstutz
Lusher Charter High School
James Robert & Tiffany Cherrie
Miami Palmetto Sr. High School
Lucy Li & Patricia Valois
Overland High School
Luke Niforatos & Jana Frieler
Thomas Jefferson High School
Patrick Clay & Mark Marshall
Wichita High School
Sahdia Khan & Jennifer Fry
Yonkers Middle and High School
Jazmin Graves & Ralph Vigliotti
2007
Booker T. Washington High School
Angela Colwell & Debi Boyles
Boston Latin Academy
B.L. Alterman & Catherine Chiu
CREC Metropolitan Learning Center
Meghan Hussey & Caryn Stedman
City Honors School at Fosdick-Masten Park
Rebecca Bass & Dr. William Kresse
Eastern High School
Zach Barnes & Jim Sexton
Hellgate High School
Kiandra Rajala & Renee Conner
KIPP Houston High School
Sonia Gonzalez & Venessa Ramirez
Lowell High School
Weina Zhao & Jennifer Moffitt
School for the Talented and Gifted (TAG)
Donivon Fletcher & Alfonso Correa
Suncoast High School
Mylo Cheng & Kevin Oates
Todd Beamer High School
Jordan Crook & Joshua Garcia
Tyler Consolidated High School
Cailin (Prunty) Herczyk & Sandt Weese
2006
Abraham Lincoln High School
Huong Phan & Scott Troeger
Albany High School
Sa’-Kiera Hudson & Margot Plumadore
Baltimore City College High School
Jesse Hassinger & Leslie Kriewald
Biloxi High School
Tyler Firth & Todd Boucher
Classical High School
Jonathan Migliori & Ellen Conroy
Elgin High School
Allison Burgess & Dawn Guentert
Foster High School
Kiera Calcote & Andrea Gamboa
Grand County High School
Cooper Henderson & Hal Adams
Hellgate High School
Hannah Rolston & Patricia Hixson
Lowell High School
Diana Suen & Othello Jefferson
Masterman High School
Ethan Amaker & David Meketon
Raleigh Charter High School
Kathryn Huddleston & Shayne Klein
2005
The inaugural Bezos Scholars cohort consisted exclusively of students.
Abraham Lincoln High School
Manuel Nunez
Bellevue High School
Michael Farage
Booker T. Washington High School
Kasheena Sermons
CREC Metropolitan Learning Center
Marisa Zúñiga
Cherry Creek High School
Scott Gallagher
Foster High School
Christopher Heygood
Hunter College High School
Simon Schreier
Park Hill High School
Laura Eisenbeis
Stuyvesant High School
Steve Teng
Suncoast High School
Emily Congdon
Thomas Jefferson High School
Ann Rebollar
Whitney Young Magnet High School
Christopher Johnson