Moyinoluwa Ajayi | Houston, TX

Moyinoluwa Ajayi

Moyinoluwa is an ambitious young leader with a strong desire to positively influence those around her through leadership and service. Growing up in a Title I community, she has developed resilience and a personal drive to make a difference in any space she engages with.

Education and youth empowerment are Moyinoluwa's passions. She aspires to provide new opportunities and hope for the future of the world. During her junior year, she initiated productive conversations with district leaders, resulting in the formation of a student advisory board in her school district, consisting of the superintendent and board representatives. As an active member of the advisory board, she aims to address important issues, such as the need for improved mental health resources for students. She assisted in the first annual mental health awareness event in her district and hopes to expand the event's reach in the future. Additionally, Moyinoluwa participates in the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE), where she serves as a mentor to her peers and younger students.

Moyinoluwa firmly believes in the power of words and enjoys writing and spoken word. Her talent in speaking earned her recognition in the TAFE area competition, advancing her to the state competition. She has also received a scholastic art & writing honorable mention and a silver key award for her pieces.

Coming from humble beginnings as a Nigerian immigrant, Moyinoluwa is familiar with the challenges of life. However, she firmly believes in achieving success through determination. She has also learned perseverance through athletics, including AAU basketball and Varsity track & field at her school. Moyinoluwa engages in extracurricular activities such as AVID, the African Student Association, and Student Council, where she holds officer positions.

Moyinoluwa's aspirations extend beyond academic impact; she desires to make a difference in all aspects of her peers' lives. Her long-term plan involves using business and technology to transform the boundaries of education and enhance resources for youth. To pursue these goals, she has already taken steps such as participating in The University of Texas McCombs School of Business' Future Executive Academy and enrolling in computer science classes.

Maggie Simonyan | Panorama City, CA

In the bustling and hectic streets of Los Angeles, Maggie Simonyan reminisces of her homeland Armenia.

Passion is a fundamental value that resonates deeply within her – whether it’s Armenia or government – every aspect of her life revolves around this fervor. Maggie utilizes her passions to get involved with her community and the international world as well, founding and presiding over Armenian Youth Aid, a non-profit that works internationally to improve education in low-income communities and villages in Armenia. In just two years, Armenian Youth Aid raised funds for the rebuilding of a school, distributed over $2,000 worth of books amongst struggling schools, aided the construction and launch of a recreation center, raised funds for musical and technological equipment for schools, and much more.

With a keen interest in politics, Maggie serves as President of the Mid-Valley Youth in Government Delegation. This program works with the YMCA and California State Capitol officials to allow delegates to engage and participate in simulations of various sectors of the American government. Currently, Maggie interns for California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, performing legislative research, organizing and participating in community events, gaining insights into the field representative's role, reaching out to constituents, and assisting them in accessing state resources.

With a fierce and dedicated attitude, Maggie dreams of a future where she is bettering her country. Empowered by this, she is unwaveringly committed to pushing herself beyond her limits and achieving nothing short of greatness. Every success she achieves is a testament to the resilience and strength of her people. Every obstacle she overcomes is a step toward a brighter future for her country.

“I am Armenian,” Simonyan said. "Every piece of me I could describe is Armenian and I take pride in that.”

William Vo | Richmond, VA

William Vo

2023 Hamilton Scholar William Vo has been deeply shaped by his family’s struggle during and after the Vietnam War. William, an immigrant from Vietnam, has dedicated himself to building and improving communities – particularly through the use of technology. His family’s beginnings are his motivation to succeed and set an example for those around him.

William is the proud founder of his high school’s potluck. He led the effort to bring different cultures and backgrounds together to share and understand unique perspectives, foods, and histories. His idea started with a small group of friends who brought food every week to share – together they created beautiful memories that brought them closer together. r With the support of his friends, William initiated the first student-run event at his school. This took students and teachers by storm, opening a clear gateway for all to learn and understand each other's background and differences.

William is also the captain of his school’s CTF and Technology Teams, winning numerous competitions including the Congressional App Challenge and Capital One Infomercial. He leads his team in MetaCTF, National Cyber League, and PicoCTF. With his skill set focused primarily on programming, he interns as a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Developer at Capital One and stands as president of the programming club. He has many interests outside of computer science, including serving as the president of his school’s chess club and playing Libero for his school’s varsity volleyball team. He is a part of many programs helping to pursue his passions such as Partnership for the Future (PFF), Pathway of Future Engineers, and Dean’s Early Research Initiative (DERI).

William comes from a family that fought and died in the Vietnam war, in turn causing his mother to drop-out of high school to support their struggle; the disruption of war caused countless years of poverty upon his family.. Motivated by his origins, William wants to pursue success to help others and let his mother rest happily in the latter phase of her life.

Sunya Afrasiabi | Williamsville, NY

Sunya Afrasiabi

As the daughter of Iranian and Chinese immigrants, 2023 Hamilton Scholar Sunya Afrasiabi brings an expanded worldview to her pursuit of lifelong education and neuroscience, having lived in Canada, China, and the United States.

Sunya is most proud of founding the BFB  #MyStory Program, a storytelling project that shares the stories of local immigrants and refugees through photography, writing, or videography. Over time, the project has expanded, allowing her to forge connections across ethnic groups in her community.

In addition to her passion of sharing the stories of communities across Western New York, Sunya is an advocate for community: she’s involved in multiple advisory committees in her school and community, and uses writing as a medium for change. Sunya serves as a correspondent for the Riley’s Way Foundation, manages the newsletter for Bridges from Borders, and acts as editor-in-chief of her school newspaper.

Beyond this, Sunya is deeply interested in the sciences and aspires to a lifetime of education. She’s participated in her school’s Science Olympiad, Science Honor Society, and volunteers at her local hospital.

After witnessing great suffering from illnesses within her family, Sunya hopes to better the world’s understanding of the correlation between the brain, the mind, and the body. Her goal is to pursue a medical career as a neurosurgeon while making significant contributions to the field of neuroscience and neuropsychology. In the meanwhile, Sunya remains committed to continuing her philanthropy and advocacy work through writing.

Sabrina Zheng | Newark, DE

Sabrina Zheng

2023 Hamilton Scholar Sabrina Zheng (she/her) believes life is too short not to explore, leading her to discover and connect her passions in sociology, history, advocacy, and computer science. 

Since her sophomore year, Sabrina has dedicated significant effort into Dear Asian Youth, a youth-led, global organization dedicated to uplifting and promoting the Asian community through intersectional activism.  Through this organization, Sabrina serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, helping to identify and educate on diversity, equity, and inclusion aspects of Dear Asian Youth’s content. Sabrina’s contributions include editing social media posts, podcast episodes, and Asia regional guides. She also reviews internal team proposals and scholarship recipients. As Vice President of her school’s Dear Asian Youth chapter and Central Regional Lead, Sabrina directly supervises nearly 15 Dear Asian Youth chapters across the central region of America.

Beyond Dear Asian Youth, Sabrina has also been involved in Engage for Change, an in-school volunteer club with the mission to provide volunteer opportunities to students limited by transportation.  She has served as a member, Director of Operations, and is currently the club’s President. 

Her curiosity in computer science, inspired by a close friend, led her to take an additional class about Quantum Computing and help lead Delaware’s first Computer Science Honors Society as Secretary. Sabrina is helping develop a mentorship program to teach local middle school students computer science and programming skills. Inspired by her first-generation and low-income background, Sabrina hopes to share her college admissions process knowledge as a co-founder and President of the Preparing for College Admissions Club, to educate students at her rural high school about the college admissions process.

Although she is not certain of the career she wants to pursue, she wants to continue exploring throughout her life. She is extremely grateful to her friends, mentors, family, and Alexander Hamilton Scholars for believing and supporting her aspirations.

Rachel Xu | Gainseville, FL

As a young woman passionate about the humanities, widening her worldview, and giving back to community, Rachel has spent three years as a peer educator with her local Planned Parenthood through their LIGHT program, increasing awareness about teen sexual health.  In and outside the classroom, Rachel serves on the School Advisory Council, National Honor Society, and UF PALS Leadership Council – all while competing in club events with the Health Occupations Students of America and Florida State Spanish Conference. Additionally, she has won numerous national, state, and local essay, poetry, and art contests and has been published in various anthologies. During her weekends, Rachel rehearses and performs with the Annasemble Orchestra as a violinist. 

She performs volunteer outreach with theUnited Way, Westside and Holy Faith Church, Haile's Angels, Huagen Chinese School, and more.  She enjoys  crafting poetry, sketching, learning Spanish, strength training, and playing recreational badminton and tennis. On Saturday mornings, she teaches English classes through Zoom in partnership with the Florida Literacy Coalition.

Last year, Rachel was chosen to be a part of the ReThink Service Fellowship program for teens passionate about serving their community. She conducted a sexual health education tabling event on two of the three Global Youth Service Days. For at least five hours a week, Rachel met with her mentor, attending the scheduled Zoom calls, independently designing her website/poster, and emailing contacts to consolidate the materials/authorization necessary. On the day of the event, she and the other volunteers disseminated general reproductive health information through engaging activities, games, and giveaways. The service project disseminated this important information to 150 people.

Pedro Nevarez | La Puente, CA

Pedro Nevarez

Pedro proudly leverages his social capital and charisma to achieve his goals. As an equally proud gay and Hispanic man, Pedro believes his infectious confidence and self-understanding uniquely set him apart as he is able to welcome people to be their authentic-selves around him.. This ability drives Pedro as he taps into a keen understanding of others.

Above all, Pedro puts a big emphasis on his dedication to service. As Student Body President, he’s proud to serve for two consecutive terms, getting the chance to participate in different committees that help him target the systemic issues in his community. For example, Pedro actively advised school administrators on how best to distribute resources to students as part of the Local Control and Accountability Plan committee.. Through this experience thousands of dollars were dedicated to address mental health support and food insecurity for K-12 students. Furthermore, alongside 15 other school-district stakeholders, Pedro serves as a member of the Ethnic Studies Committee to create a comprehensive ethnic studies course centered around making fellow students understand how their ethnic backgrounds tie into their day-to-day life. Not one to sit idly, Pedro engages in hands-on activities; he is president of his school’s Key Club and is a CIF-bound competitive swimmer.

Because of a low-economic status Pedro has always been driven to improve the standing of his community. With clear memories of the stinging cold and wrenching hunger of his youth, Pedro always wanted to provide temporary aid to his community while working towards a better systemic fix. In the future he hopes to use the art and beauty of saidcommunity to pursue a career in marketing for humanitarian organizations.

Nashla Turcios | Los Angeles, CA

Nashla Turcios

2023 Hamilton Scholar Nashla was forced to leave her home in Honduras because of crime and corruption; her experience motivates her to help others from similar backgrounds by employing technology and its intersection with human rights.

Through her work with the Advocacy Project, a non-profit organization that promotes peace worldwide, Nashla used her tech skills as a website developer and vlogger to help spread awareness about their mission. She is also interning with the database management team at CARECEN, a non-profit organization that provides legal services for Central American immigrants. Nashla is a summer 2023 research intern at George Mason University's Inspired Lab where she will explore the intersection of race and software engineering. She firmly believes that technology must be conscious of bias in order to be truly helpful and make a positive impact on people's lives.

Finally, Nashla uses her leadership and tech skills as the programming captain for her FRC Robotics Club at school. Despite the challenges she faced growing up, Nashla is determined to use her passion for technology to help underdeveloped countries and make a positive impact in the world.

Najman Mahbouba | Los Gatos, CA

Najman Mahbouba

2023 Hamilton Scholar Najman Mahbouba, based in the California Bay Area, is passionate and highly-motivated regarding public policy and the social sciences.. Growing up in Iraq, Najman hopes to promote international and national positive change through public policy creation, research, and advocacy.

He largely shares this passion with fellow peers at the Policy Initiatives Institute - a student-directed organization revitalizing public policy engagement and education among youth. As Executive Director, Najman has led over 150 high school and university students through 10+ national and international campaigns, 75 published analyses, 20+ interviews of legislative leaders, and endorsements from 10 US Representatives. Through these accomplishments, the Policy Initiatives Institute has reached thousands of students in over 120 countries. Beyond advocacy, Najman is passionate about academic research, having received $10k+ in research scholarships from institutions such as UC Santa Barbara to conduct public policy related projects; his current project focuses on the perceptions of public school teachers in Iraqi Kurdistan regarding government-created education policies and guidelines. Lastly, Najman continually advocates for research supported, non-partisan public policies, including non-carcel options with San Jose State University, mental health reforms at the Eating Disorders Coalition, and weight-loss supplement regulation with the Harvard Public Health STRIPED. On these topics, he has testified at the California Senate, the Maryland Senate, and is an invited advisor for the California Department of Public Health on supplement regulation. Flowing from these efforts, Najman has won an array of prestigious accolades, including the Horatio Alger National Scholarship, Yale University Young Leader Scholarship, US Department of State NSLI-Y Language Development Scholarship, and National Society of the Colonial Dames of America Essay Contest.

Moving forward, Najman hopes to continue these projects throughout university. His undergraduate studies in social sciences and public policy will equip him with the further knowledge necessary to reach his legislative aspirations. He eventually hopes to transform his passion for public policy related nonprofit leadership, research, and advocacy into a career.

Miriam Monreal | Dallas, TX

2023 Hamilton Scholar Miriam Monreal is a persevering and creative student at Irma Rangel YWLS in Dallas, Texas. She appreciates the weird and unconventional, and is always looking for ways to grow. But, no matter how far she goes, Miriam always comes home to her family and her community.

Miriam’s proudest achievement is being elected as Art Club President for her senior year. The club provides students a place to recharge after a rigorous day while exploring new creative paths. Miriam is proud to organize fundraisers with the club, especially the annual Art Spring Market, providing young artists a platform for their work, all while enabling access to quality art for the public. Furthermore, Miriam co-founder of her school’s National Art Honor Society, allowing students to earn recognition in the art field.

Beyond school, Miriam has taken her art to the competitive level. Earning her first publication, Miriam recently won the Express Yourself! Cover Art Contest and received a scholarship; her art will serve as the cover of a published collection of poems written by students. Furthermore, Miriam was one of three in her school to compete in film at the state level, creating a short animated film exploring her own identity.

Beyond school and art, Miriam involves herself in many extracurriculars. As Secretary of Robotics Club, she worked hard designing t-shirts, organizing team members, and advertising a schoolwide recycling initiative. Miriam also loves research and history; recently she worked as a research intern at the Southern Methodist University, aiding her mentor, Dr. Ashlyn Hand, in writing her book about religious freedom and U.S. relationships in foreign policy. Miriam loves contributing to the local conservation scene, regularly volunteering with the Trinity River Audubon Center and the Texas Conservation Alliance. Her goal is to identify 100 different Texas bird species by the end of the year!

In the future, motivated by issues like climate change, habitat loss, and the impacts of environmental damage on POC communities, Miriam hopes to study Environmental Science and join the conservation movement. One day, Miriam hopes to come back and support her younger siblings so that they have the opportunity to study too.

Marissa Arana | Dallas, TX

Marissa Arana

2023 Hamilton Scholar Marissa Arana, from Dallas, TX, is committed to changing the world, all while remaining unapologetically herself as a first-generation college-bound student. Her goal: work on Capitol Hill after majoring in Public Policy and minoring in Spanish.

As a proud Latina, Marissa deeply values her work within the League of Latin American Citizens (LULAC); spurred on by the pride and joy of her Hispanic heritage, Marissa dedicates her work to her mother. As her district’s 2022-2023 Youth Deputy Director for Women, Marissa brought awareness to women’s issues by donating to women’s shelters and educating teens on sex health as Texas continues to restrict teens’ sex education. She also brought awareness to Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) to her school throughout March via presentations and infographics hosted around campus. Now, as District III’s Youth Director, Marissa plans to re-mobilize her district’s youth after inactivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout high school, Marissa participated in extracurriculars ranging from art club to robotics. Her love for fine arts shines through in her service as Vice-President of Art Club and co-founder of her school’s chapter of the National Art Honor Society; finally, since sixth grade, Marissa expresses her long-term love of cello through performing in Varsity Orchestra and as part of the National Conference on Magnet School of America.

Marissa also has a keen eye towards helping her community. Her service includes: being a student of Peer Assistance Leadership Service (PALS), Secretary of Rainbow Rangers, Irma Rangel’s Gender-Sexuality Alliance, and a member of the National Honor Society. Always in pursuit of being well-rounded, Marissa served as a member of the Robotics Thunderchicks team and was co-founder of Irma Rangel’s ESPORTS team; in addition to competing, Marissa ensured all robots and game tokens followed protocol.

As a child, Marissa faced many challenges, including a toll on her own mental health as a result of an abusive household and taking on responsibility for her family at a young age. However, despite being called worthless, Marissa only worked harder. She now focuses on ending domestic abuse and providing a healthy environment for the children to come. Although life in an immigrant single-parent household is often full of hardship, Marissa is incredibly proud of her mother and heritage. She strongly believes that her family built her from the ground up and any work she accomplishes is theirs.

Mariam Kaba | Woonsocket, RI

Miriam Kaba

2023 Hamilton Scholar Mariam Kaba from Woonsocket, RI, is highly motivated and ahead of her time. As the oldest daughter and first-generation student, Mariam continues to step-up and take on a leadership role, serving as a role model for younger students while expressing her appreciation for life through community work.

Mariam received the first-ever Transform Rhode Island Scholarship, the only scholarship program of its kind in the United States. for her transformative idea of “Restoring the Village,” focused on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities in Rhode Island. Through TRIS, Mariam received a seat at the table as the Papitto Opportunity Connection invests $1 million to bring her idea to life. “Restoring the Village” includes mobilizing community members and organizations to implement her vision of a thriving Woonsocket. Elements of her vision include job aid and educational support – such as career exploration, financial literacy, and mental health wellness opportunities – for Woonsocket through dedicated community activities. Her work with TRIS subsequently earned her the Leadership RI Emerging Leader Award.

Additionally, Mariam is involved with a wide variety of extracurricular positions, including: 

• Vice President of Future Business Leaders of America-PBL school chapter; she places in state competitions and attends nationals. 

• Vice President and Event Coordinator for Silence Is Violence:401, a youth-led advocacy organization.

• Peer Mentor at her school, assisting ninth graders in their high school transition. She is a part of the 

• Class Activities Officer for the 2024 student council and student government

• Youth Ambassador for The WATCH Coalition

• 2020 Intern for Community Alliance: Working as a Youth on Youth Violence Research and Web Developer where her passion for advocacy and helping others began.

 Mariam’s combination of experience,  internships, and first-hand witnessing of what her community lacked and inner city violence, she’s become an active member of her school and community.

Luis Morales Carrera | Renton, WA

Luis is a highly-motivated and community-driven individual. He works tirelessly to ensure that his community can move forward with him. He is very passionate about opening doors to others and being the first in many things. His motivation to change the world of tomorrow by using his voice of today is what keeps Luis from giving up and always giving his best.

Luis is most proud of his work at a local non-profit organization called Sustainable Renton which focuses on food sustainability. Luis joined Sustainable Renton in late April of 2022 as a volunteer and a few months later, he started interning for the organization as their first-ever youth coordinator. With his new position, he was able to change the teen volunteering system that delivered a higher teen volunteer participation rate. Luis also focused on growing the organization's Instagram marketing, which he was able to grow by 138%. The reason why Luis holds the organization so dear to his heart is because quote “I love the work I did, the work I do, and the work I will continue to do for the organization, I am passionate about helping out my community and making sure no one has think about whether they will have their next meal”.

Additionally, Luis has other notable accomplishments like winning 1st place at his area DECA competition for the same competition, 2 years in a row. And he is heavily involved in school clubs, currently president of MUN, DECA, Educators Rising, and co-president of the Latinx club. Luis' passion for government has led him to be heavily involved in his local government. He is currently part of the Renton Youth Court program Mayors Inclusion task force, both of which focus on getting youth voices in local government.

Luis’s biggest inspiration comes from his mom, a hardworking mother who has always shown him that giving up is never the right decision and that he must always continue to try to beat the odds.