3 South Brunswick High School Students Named Governor's STEM Scholars

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ – Three high school students from South Brunswick were named to the Governor’s STEM Scholars program, for the class of 2023.

Krishnan Tholkappian, Samuel Yeboah-Manson and Xinyi Zhang are seniors at the high school. They are part of 128 high school and college STEM students from NJ named to the program this year.

This is the largest class since the program began in 2013, state officials said.

The scholars were selected from a pool of more than 600 applicants. They must have at least a 3.5 GPA, be a high school sophomore through doctorial-level student at a New Jersey-based high school or university, and demonstrate a passion for STEM.

The Governor’s STEM Scholars is a public-private partnership between the Research & Development Council of New Jersey, the Office of the Governor, the New Jersey Department of Education, the New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education, and public and private research institutions based in New Jersey.

“New Jersey has always been at the center of innovation excellence and scientific discovery led by some of the world’s most talented STEM professionals. The Governor’s STEM Scholars looks to secure this legacy into the future by inspiring students who will make up the next generation of these scientists, engineers, and innovators,” Anthony Cicatiello, President of the Research & Development Council of New Jersey, said in a statement.

“As we welcome 128 exceptional high school and college STEM students into our 2023 Governor’s STEM Scholars class, we look forward to seeing the impact they make on the Garden State, the country and across the globe.”

The program introduces New Jersey’s high-achieving high school and college students to industry, academic, and government research in New Jersey, to establish a relationship between students, STEM, and New Jersey. Through the program, the state hopes to keep STEM students In NJ to become future STEM professionals.

Selected Scholars will participate in four conferences to explore different aspects of the state's STEM economy. These conferences will be held at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University, Rowan University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Stevens Institute of Technology.

Scholars will tour New Jersey STEM facilities and laboratories and a chance to network with STEM professionals, to gain a complete view of opportunities throughout the state.

According to state officials, 84 percent of this year’s Scholars identify as a Person of Color; 30 percent with a racial identity are underrepresented in STEM fields, specifically Black, Latinx or Indigenous. Sixty-four percent of the 2022 class are female and 36 percent are male. Eighteen percent of the Scholars are or will be first-generation college students.

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