Nina Henderson Provost Scholars
Drawing on their varied backgrounds, disciplines and perspectives, Nina Henderson Provost Scholars work alongside the Provost and Provost’s Office leadership to advance key priorities of the Drexel 2030 Strategic Plan and collaborate on strategic projects. The program is made possible by support from Nina Henderson, Chair of the Academic Affair Committee of the Board of Trustees, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and Drexel alumna.
Meet the Scholars
Shams Mohammad Abrar, '28
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Meet Shams
Shams has applied computer science across research, industry and community projects, from software engineering roles to AI and large language model research at Drexel. As president of Hack4Impact Drexel, he led student developers in creating software for nonprofits and community partners, including the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships.
Nitish Chawla, '27
Punjab, India
Meet Nitish
Nitish has gained industry experience at SAP and Exelon, where he built data and software tools, and has built a strong record of student leadership at Drexel. As Academic Affairs Chair in USGA, a computer science teaching assistant and peer tutor, he has worked across academic, technical and mentoring roles to support the student experience.
Sukriti Dhungel, '27
Kathmandu, Nepal
Meet Sukriti
Sukriti has combined her passion for AI, data, and economics as a data science co-op at Exelon and through her work as a STAR Scholar, where she performed statistical and graphical analysis of simulated flight phases. Since her first year, she has held leadership roles as a CIVC 101 Course Assistant and Course Assistant Leader, in addition to her role as a Resident Assistant. She is also part of the inaugural cohort pursuing the Civic Engagement Leadership Certificate.
Madison Klak, '28
Wallington, NJ
Meet Madi
Madi has tackled water infrastructure, ecological restoration and public outreach through co-ops with the Philadelphia Water Department and environmental engineering firm Brown and Caldwell. She also researches barriers to implementing a circular economy in Philadelphia through Drexel's Circular Cities project and has been recognized with an Environmental Stewardship Award and as Drexel's nominee for the Udall Scholarship.
Miles Levesque, '29
Philadelphia, PA
Meet Miles
Miles has pursued climate education and environmental health and sociology research through Drexel's STAR Scholars Program and Climate Pedagogy Incubator, where he helped develop resources for educators teaching about climate across various fields. As a fellow with the Rachel Carson Council's National Environmental Leadership Fellowship, he carries out environmental education, organizing and communications work while also leading student efforts to advance climate literacy at Drexel.
Emily Liz, '28
Philadelphia, PA
Meet Emily
Emily is a driven and community-focused student leader who serves as Vice President of Drexel’s Commuter Student Association and Event Coordinator for Latinos for a United Community. She has contributed to legal research in the esports industry, interned with the Mayor’s Office on economic mobility initiatives, and mentored through the THRIVE program.
Zarah Malik, '28
Telford, PA
Meet Zarah
Zarah is a data-driven innovator and AI advocate whose work spans academic research, corporate implementation, and student leadership. She led the development of an AI-powered chatbot at Comcast, conducted sentiment analysis on generative AI models through STAR Scholars, and serves as President of Drexel’s French Club.
Chloe Mshana, '28
Silver Spring, Maryland
Meet Chloe
Chloe is a Liberty Scholar and civic-minded leader whose work spans nonprofit consulting, digital wellness advocacy, and inclusive economic research. She has presented at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, co-founded the Connected Community Initiative, and led Drexel’s first Philly-wide case competition as Co-President of the Drexel Consulting Group.
Sumeet Musfirah, '28
Philadelphia, PA
Meet Sumeet
Sumeet has conducted research on self-healing concrete and completed an AI Developer co-op with the American Board of Internal Medicine. She has also mentored Drexel students through Steinbright, won University innovation and pitch competitions and founded an initiative in Pakistan to expand STEM access for girls.
Dheekshu Senthamilselvan, '27
Lansdale, PA
Meet Dheekshu
Dheekshu has developed full-stack software at Susquehanna International Group, supported data analytics and machine-learning projects at PECO, and conducted research on vision-language models for autonomous driving. At Drexel, she also serves as a course assistant and has participated in multiple Vertically Integrated Project teams, bringing both technical and student perspectives to her work.
Abdullahi Yahaya, '29
Kwara, Nigeria
Meet Abdullahi
With academic and research experience spanning Nigeria, South Korea and the U.S., Abdullahi develops methods to understand how buildings and environmental conditions affect human health and energy use. At Drexel, he contributes to the DOE-funded Baltimore Social-Environmental Collaborative, part of the Urban Integrated Field Laboratory initiative, where he has mapped wildfire smoke exposure and helped translate environmental data into tools for community and policy use.