January 22, 2018

Congratulations to the fourteen students selected as 2017-18 Aspire Scholars!

These students have demonstrated potential for achievement and meaningful engagement, and we are honored to help jump-start their paths to success at Drexel and beyond.

The Pennoni Honors College is dedicated to fostering innovation, creativity, and intellectual exchange among undergraduates at Drexel University. The Aspire Scholars Program is rooted in these values. The program recognizes promising individuals with an interest in deepening their engagement and relationships on and off campus, as part of realizing future goals. Students are nominated by Drexel faculty and staff and evaluated on a basis of their intellectual curiosity and openness, engagement in areas of interest, and desire to reflect on and take steps toward realizing longer term goals. This year, we received dozens of nominees, from which 20 finalists were selected for interviews with program staff and members of the Pennoni Honors College.

The fourteen students selected as Aspire Scholars are an impressive group drawn from across the university. They are future scientists, health professionals, business leaders, designers, and engineers. This cohort is made up of talented artists, researchers, and active volunteers, many of whom serve as peer leaders and tutors at Drexel and in the broader community. These students bring different perspectives and backgrounds to the program and are eager to learn from one another and from alumni mentors.

2017-18 Aspire Scholars

• Antigone Bellanich, BS Information Systems '20
• Blessing Adogame, BS Information Systems '21
• Ioan Octavian Rusu, BS Economics '21, Honors
• Jacob Baron, BS Computer Engineering '20, Honors
• Joshua Cohen, BS Computer Engineering/Electrical Engineering '21, Honors
• Jui Hanamshet, BS Computer Engineering '21, Honors
• Laurel Vaughan, BS Data Science '21
• Maanasa Natrajan, BS Custom-Designed Major '21, Honors
• Madeleine Pelchat, BS Chemical Engineering '21, Honors
• Mannika Kshettry, BS Electrical Engineering '21, Honors
• Mark Petrovic, BS/MS Materials Science & Engineering '21, Honors
• Sarah Mitchell, BS Public Health '20
• Vida Manalang, BS Psychology '21, Honors
• Vriti Khurana, BS Custom-Designed Major - Global Health Technologies '20, Honors

Read more about these students on our Scholar Profiles page.

About the Aspire Scholars Program

The Aspire Scholars Program provides a selective group of motivated Drexel undergraduates with an opportunity to clarify and advance their goals, within a small community of peers and mentors.  For more information, visit drexel.edu/pennoni/scholardevelopment/aspire/Aspire Scholars