The Park Scholarships program at North Carolina State University has named 41 students to its Class of 2024 – the 25th class of Park Scholars.

Biographies of each new Park Scholar are available: Park Class of 2024

“The Park Scholarships program brings the nation’s brightest service-oriented leaders to NC State. The 25th class of Park Scholars joins a vibrant network of alumni driving important changes in their communities throughout North Carolina and around the world,” said Eva Feucht, director of the Park Scholarships program. “This program helps exceptional students develop their potential in scholarship, leadership, service, and character as they learn to think and do the extraordinary.”

The 25th class of Park Scholars was selected from a pool of more than 2,100 applicants from 3 countries, 43 states, and 96 of North Carolina’s 100 counties on the basis of outstanding achievements and potential in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. A Selection Committee comprising more than 400 accomplished NC State alumni, faculty, and friends conducted application review, interviews, and outreach.

The Class of 2024 represents 11 U.S. states and 18 North Carolina counties. Its members include student body presidents, varsity athletic team captains, published writers, Eagle Scouts, and National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. They are researchers and editors, tutors and mentors, and accomplished musicians and artists. Among this group are a state champion tennis player, an international Crossfit competitor, and a cancer researcher. Their service work and philanthropic interests run the gamut: members of this cohort have volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity, AmeriCorps, and numerous local hospitals and libraries. One founded a leadership organization for women and another traveled to Ghana to teach primary school math and chemistry. Several are active in battling the opioid epidemic in their communities and others are mental health advocates.  

The Park Scholarships program develops and supports Park Scholars in scholarship, leadership, service, and character, preparing them for lifelong contributions to the campus, state, nation, and world. The Park Scholarship is a four-year scholarship valued at approximately $111,000 for in-state students and $205,000 for out-of-state students. 

As recipients of one of the most prestigious and comprehensive undergraduate scholarships in the nation, the incoming class of Park Scholars will have access to opportunities for innovative enrichment activities such as grants for undergraduate research and study abroad. Park Scholars have recently received several distinguished national scholarships, including Goldwater Scholarships (Daniel Haller ’22, Nikil Milind ’21, Ana Sofia Uzsoy ’21, and Noah Wolfe ’22), Knight-Hennessy Scholarships (Ziad Ali ’19 and Madison Maloney ’19), the Marshall Scholarship (Kobi Felton ’18), Payne Fellowship (Naila Segule ’20), National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships (Charlotte DeVol ‘19 and Madison Maloney ‘19), and the Truman Scholarship (Ashley Lawson ’18). They lead major service initiatives such as the Krispy Kreme Challenge, which has donated more than $1.87 million to the North Carolina Children’s Hospital, and Service Raleigh, a partnership with the Goodnight Scholars that leads 1,500 volunteers in an annual citywide day of service.

The Park Scholarships program is named for the late Roy H. Park ’31, an NC State alumnus who created the charitable Park Foundation which is dedicated to education, media, and the environment. The Park Foundation has committed nearly $145 million to support the scholarship since launching it with an initial grant in 1996. This support includes their 2013 commitment of $50 million to begin a Park Scholarships endowment at NC State. Now, hundreds of alumni, students, families, Selection Committee members, and friends join the Park Foundation in funding the program.