The Park Scholarships program at North Carolina State University has named 42 students to its Class of 2026 – the 27th class of Park Scholars.

The Park Scholarships program brings exceptional students to NC State University based on outstanding accomplishments and potential in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. The program develops and supports Park Scholars in these areas, preparing them for lifelong contributions to the campus, state, nation, and world. The Park Scholarships program provides a four-year scholarship valued at approximately $116,000 for in-state students and approximately $208,000 for out-of-state students.

Biographies of each new Park Scholar are available: Park Class of 2026

“Every day, Park Scholars make a positive difference for others,” said Eva Feucht, director of the Park Scholarships program. “At NC State, Park Scholars receive a world-class education while developing their potential in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. The talented Park Scholars of the Class of 2026 join a vibrant network of 162 students on campus and more than 1,000 Park alumni around the world.” 

The 27th class of Park Scholars was selected from a pool of 2,260 applicants from 3 countries, 40 states, and 97 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Park Scholars have demonstrated outstanding achievements and potential in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. A Selection Committee comprising 428 dedicated and accomplished NC State alumni, faculty, and friends conducted application review, interviews, and outreach.

The Class of 2026 represents 9 U.S. states and 20 North Carolina counties. Its members include published authors and poets, dedicated tutors and mentors, decorated athletes and coaches, award-winning researchers and engineers, and talented musicians and dancers. These scholars have organized important community events ranging from an equity convention to county-wide blood drives. They advocate for sustainability, equity, inclusion, and representation. They include entrepreneurs and winners of national engineering competitions and an international environmental competition. They have raised tens of thousands of dollars to fight cancer and benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Be Loud Sophie Foundation, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Among this group are multiple Eagle Scouts, a published COVID-19 researcher, and the manager of a research project at the International Space Station.

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 Churchill Scholarships (Ana Sofia Uzsoy ’21 and Nikhil Milind ’21), Goldwater Scholarships (Daniel Haller ’22, Nikhil Milind ’21, Ana Sofia Uzsoy ’21, and Noah Wolfe ’22), Knight-Hennessy Scholarships (Ziad Ali ’19, Madison Maloney ’19, and Karli Moore ’16), the Marshall Scholarship (Kobi Felton ’18), National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships (Daniel Haller ’22, Noah Wolfe ’22, Nikhil Milind ’21, Ana Sofia Uzsoy ’21, Ziad Ali ’19, Charlotte DeVol ’19, and Madison Maloney ’19), Payne Fellowship (Naila Segule ’20), and the Truman Scholarship (Ashley Lawson ’18). They lead major service initiatives such as the Krispy Kreme Challenge, a student-run charity race that has donated $2 million to the North Carolina Children’s Hospital, and Service Raleigh, a partnership with the Goodnight Scholars Program that coordinates hundreds of volunteers in a 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 $150 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 and a $10.8 million grant in 2018.

Now, thousands of alumni, students, staff, faculty, parents, family members, and friends are joining the Park Foundation in funding the Park Scholarships program. These donors recognize that gifts to the Park Scholarships program are an investment in remarkable students committed to scholarship, leadership, service, and character, who repay that investment many times over throughout their lifetime. Thanks to 3,566 gifts to the Park Scholarships Sustaining Endowment, an additional scholar has been added to the Class of 2026.

Learn more at park.ncsu.edu.