McDermott Scholars Program Welcomes New Class of Stellar Students

The 2025 Eugene McDermott Scholars.

Sophia Adeola

Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas
Major: mechanical engineering

Bio

A Principal's Scholar and an AP Scholar with Distinction, Adeola graduated cum laude. She was a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and National Beta Club. She served as vice president of her school's Black Student Union and was a varsity relay captain on the track and field team for four years. Adeola partnered with a nonprofit based in Nigeria to create a webinar in which she encouraged young people to get involved in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and taught coding. She volunteered with the North Little Rock Veterans Affairs Healthcare Center, Arkansas Blood Institute and her church.

Shreya Arora

R.L. Turner High School, Carrollton, Texas
Major: biology

Bio

A National Merit Scholar and an AP Scholar with Distinction, Arora served as her high school's student body president for three consecutive years. She is also a certified pharmacy technician and passionate about the financial toxicity of high-cost medical diagnoses. Outside of school, Arora served as an SAT tutor through the College Board Schoolhouse program. She was a competitive cricket player and an advocate for women and girls in the sport. As part of her school's orchestra, Arora played the viola for seven years. She was awarded the Texas State Seal of Biliteracy for her fluency in English and Hindi.

Dersh Bhakta

Shadow Creek High School, Pearland, Texas
Major: mechanical engineering

Bio

An AP Capstone Diploma recipient and an AP Scholar with Distinction, Bhakta served as vice president of Mu Alpha Theta and was a member of the National Honor Society. He earned the Gold Presidential Volunteer Service Award and was an Eagle Scout. Bhakta led his SeaPerch robotics team to top international rankings and mentored younger students across the district. He was selected as a NASA Texas High School Aerospace Scholar. Bhakta co-founded Zyra's Natural Creations, a nonprofit that raises funds for pancreatic cancer research. He was a section leader in varsity band and served his community through Chinmaya Mission Houston.

Shreya Chhibber

Lone Star High School, Frisco, Texas
Major: biology

Bio

A National Merit Scholar, Chhibber graduated summa cum laude. She contributed to university-recognized research on sustainable agriculture techniques as part of a team supported by a $1 million grant to advance environmental health. As secretary of the Little Elm Youth Council, she organized cultural events to increase civic engagement and supported a Civics Unplugged initiative promoting sustainability. She volunteered at Baylor Scott & White, Medical City and Texas Health hospitals. Chhibber founded Rocket Dash Academy to teach tennis and promote fitness. She launched The Medic Newspaper and directed a mental health film. She earned the Congressional Award Gold Medal in 2023.

Carys Farrar

Jersey Village High School, Houston
Major: business administration

Bio

Farrar graduated summa cum laude and earned an associate's degree in arts from Lone Star College-CyFair through dual enrollment. She was active in National Honor Society, Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, Mu Alpha Theta and Science Olympiad. As prop master and fundraising chair, she helped her school's theater program earn Texas Thespian Bronze Honor status and co-launched an online ticketing platform that doubled show revenue. A multiyear qualifier at International Thespian Festival and a President's List Theatre Scholar, Farrar volunteered at The River, teaching musical theater to students with disabilities. She apprenticed in sound and costuming at Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS), and performed with the TUTS Performance Troupe and as singer/keyboardist with the School of Rock House Band.

Alexandria (Alex) Garza

Mercedes Early College Academy, Texas
Major: biology

Bio

Garza graduated summa cum laude as valedictorian and earned an associate's degree in interdisciplinary studies from South Texas College through dual enrollment. She was class president for four years, golf team captain and a cheer squad member. Garza also was a member of National Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Kappa Delta. As Miss Mercedes, she volunteered in her community and founded Reading with Royalty, a literacy initiative. Garza also spearheaded events for Claus for Paws, an initiative supporting animal shelters. During an internship at DHR Health, she contributed to research on adolescent brain development and co-wrote a published manuscript. Her accomplishments were recognized by South Texas College and Mega Doctor News.

Karla Iturrubiates

PSJA Collegiate School of Health Professions, San Juan, Texas
Major: finance

Bio

Iturrubiates graduated as valedictorian, earning the Distinguished Level of Achievement and the Biliteracy Seal. She also earned an associate's degree in interdisciplinary studies from South Texas College through dual enrollment. In addition, Iturrubiates was recognized as an AP Scholar with Distinction and is a Business Professionals of America national awardee. Passionate about education equity and financial literacy, Iturrubiates served over 400 hours with the United Way's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, teaching community members how to correctly file their federal income tax returns. She serves as an AVID tutor helping students prepare for the Texas Language Proficiency Assessment and is an advocate for Planned Parenthood. She is fluent in Spanish.

Yara Ismail

Wylie High School, Texas
Major: international political economy

Bio

Ismail was president of her HOSA-Future Health Professionals chapter before serving as the Area 3 president and state reporter of Texas HOSA. As a state competitor, she placed second in leadership. Passionate about law and advocacy, she was the vice president of her school's mock trial chapter and helped lead a civic engagement organization at her local mosque to increase voter registration in the community. Ismail served as vice president of the Muslim Student Association at her school and joined Business Professionals of America, competing in extemporaneous speech where she placed second in the state championship. A two-time AP Scholar with Distinction, Ismail is fluent in English and Arabic.

Sribhavya (Bhavya) Koneti

Rick Reedy High School, Frisco, Texas
Major: biology

Bio

Koneti co-founded Beyond the Blur, a nationwide pediatric myopia awareness initiative, and collaborated with ophthalmologists and global alliances such as the Global Myopia Awareness Coalition. She launched Music in Medicine to deliver therapeutic music at memory care centers and to research its cognitive effects on Alzheimer's patients. Certified as a nurse aide and clinical medical assistant, she volunteered at Baylor Scott & White Health. Koneti also has volunteered for the NorthSouth Foundation, ENGin, the National Breast Cancer Foundation and other nonprofits. Chosen as one of 50 student speakers at the 2023 Global Health Leaders Conference at Johns Hopkins University, she researched stroke rehabilitation modeling.

Tyler Le

Century High School, Pocatello, Idaho
Major: computer science

Bio

A National Merit Scholar and a U.S. Presidential Scholar candidate, Le was the president of his school's science club and the founder of the engineering club. He earned accolades in Business Professionals of America and FIRST Robotics national competitions. Beyond school and competitions, Le served as chairman of the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council, spearheading the development of Little Free Pantries, a service project that provides essential goods to his community. He interned with the Idaho National Laboratory, researching the application of machine learning to recycling and biomass breakage. Le is proficient in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Drew Newton

Lebanon Trail High School, Frisco, Texas
Major: neuroscience

Bio

An AP Scholar with Distinction who graduated magna cum laude, Newton served as president of his school's chapter of the National Art Honor Society, coordinating charity initiatives and raising money for local scholarships. He was a founding officer of his school's chapter of Youth 4 Neuro. Newton was also yearbook editor, school mascot, and a member of DECA and the National Honor Society. He volunteered with Frisco Family Services and interned with the Department of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center as part of the Inspiring Careers in Mental Health program. Newton, who taught himself intermediate Spanish, earned honors from the National Hispanic Recognition Program and Frisco Education Foundation.

Trung Nguyen Nguyen

Sky-Line School, Da Nang, Vietnam
Major: computer science

Bio

During COVID-19, Nguyen created VnDrops, a software that forecasts shortages in hospital blood supplies, automates donor searches during emergencies and drives awareness of local services through an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. He was invited to present VnDrops to city leaders as a city youth pioneer in digital transformation. Nguyen was a Top 10 winner in Microsoft's Imagine Cup Junior global competition for designing an AI learning platform for children with dyslexia. He also led a charity club that raised $1,000 annually for cancer patients and flood-affected families. Nguyen tutored more than 180 students from 38 countries through the College Board Schoolhouse program.

Sebastian Perez

Garland High School, Texas
Major (double major): business analytics and artificial intelligence and supply chain management and analytics

Bio

An International Baccalaureate Diploma recipient, AP Scholar with Distinction and a National Merit Commended Scholar, Perez was active in academics and activities at his high school. He was captain of both the swim and water polo teams; an active member in honors orchestra, where he played cello; a state competitor for guitar; president of the Hispanic youth organization; a state-level competitor for DECA; and a volunteer through his chapter of the National Honor Society. Beyond his life at school, Perez worked as a lifeguard for two years and participated as a volunteer translator for school and community events. He is fluent in English and Spanish.

Samyuktha Shanthakumar

Walnut Grove High School, Prosper, Texas
Major: neuroscience

Bio

An AP Scholar with Distinction, Shanthakumar graduated summa cum laude. She participated in vascular research under a Medical College of Georgia researcher and presented her findings at the Collin College Health Sciences Symposium. As a Baylor Scott & White Health volunteer, she assisted multiple hospital departments and observed surgeries. Shanthakumar was a five-time Texas All-Region orchestra finalist and a two-time DECA state finalist. She served as president of her orchestra and her school's Tri-M Music Honor Society chapter, as well as National Honor Society secretary and DECA membership liaison. Shanthakumar is a certified nursing assistant and an emergency medical technician. She is fluent in Tamil, Telugu, English, and is learning Spanish.

Shivani Sreekanth

Rouse High School, Leander, Texas
Major: finance

Bio

Sreekanth graduated as an AP Scholar with Distinction and served as her school's student body vice president. Passionate about helping underprivileged women, she organized a schoolwide menstrual product drive to benefit a local homeless shelter through the nonprofit organization Periods Without Poverty. At school, Shreekanth held numerous leadership roles, including captain of the varsity tennis team, treasurer of student council and competitions director of DECA. She also participated in her school's chapters of Model United Nations, mock trial and the National Honor Society. Sreekanth also served as a tutor and joined her local library's Teen Advisory Board, where she helped plan and lead community events.

Zareen Rafa Spriha

Rajuk Uttara Model College, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Major: computer science

Bio

Spriha was awarded the government scholarship for her performance in the 12th-grade board exams. She served as the assistant college captain and held multiple leadership roles in her junior year. Spriha was a grand finalist in the English Olympiad Bangladesh and won a bronze award in the Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition. To help underprivileged children learn English, she volunteered as an instructor at a floating school. Spriha was a Girl Guide where she raised funds for meal distributions in nursing homes and orphanages. She also was director of academics for her school's Model United Nations chapter and public relations officer for the robotics and information/communication technology club.

Amulya Tanikella

Capital High School, Boise, Idaho
Major: biology

Bio

An AP Scholar with Distinction, Tanikella led the One Community Drive at high schools across her district, collecting hygiene supplies to aid local homeless shelters. She co-founded the Idaho and Montana Virtual Red Cross Club and was a blood donor ambassador. Tanikella was a member of the Boise Youth Climate Action Council, working to organize summits and activism projects. She was principal flutist of the Boise Phil Youth Orchestra and performed at senior centers during the holidays. Tanikella was a finalist at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair with her microbiology project. She studied knee biomechanics, earning third place at the Western Idaho Research & Engineering Fair. She speaks fluent Telugu and proficient Spanish.

Daniya Yousuf

Frisco High School, Texas
Major: healthcare studies

Bio

An AP Scholar with Distinction, Yousuf was editor of her school yearbook for three years, during which the publication won more than 20 awards and was recognized among the top yearbooks in the country by Jostens. She launched a business in which she photographed sports teams and theater productions, and designed pamphlets for medical professionals. Yousuf played club basketball, coached youth teams and volunteered at Baylor Scott & White Health. As a Dallas youth ambassador for the Friends of Indus Hospital, she helped raise funds for mission trips to Pakistan. Yousuf was secretary of Mu Alpha Theta, and a member of the French Honor Society and the Quill and Scroll International Honor Society.

Gift Anniversary

This fall marks 25 years since Margaret McDermott made the gift that established the Eugene McDermott Scholars Program. That donation initiated more than two decades of McDermott support that has powerfully shaped UT Dallas. Among the McDermott initiatives are the Thomsen Fund, which provides free tickets to Dallas-Fort Worth area arts and culture activities for students, and the Eugene McDermott Graduate Fellows Program, the graduate-level counterpart of the scholars program.

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