North Allegheny, Ligonier Valley students earn $5,000 scholarships

Two area high school seniors learned Wednesday night they each will receive $5,000 scholarships for exceptional academic achievement.

Grace Jin of North Allegheny Senior High School and Philip Cornell of Ligonier Valley High School were announced as winners at the Trib Total Media Outstanding Young Citizen Awards banquet at the Monroeville Convention Center. They were two of 100 high school juniors and seniors invited to the banquet.

High school seniors were eligible to apply for the scholarship.

Cornell is ranked No. 1 in his class of 135 students. He is a four-year letterman in golf and swimming. He is a member of JROTC and he hopes to become an engineer in the Air Force. In addition to extracurricular activities, Cornell organized a chili cook-off to raise money for a nonprofit organization, Canyon Heroes.

“I was amazed they picked me because I heard the other kids' bios and thought I paled in comparison,” Cornell said.

Jin is a National AP Scholar after scoring a perfect 5 out of 5 on eight AP exams. She has played in two solo piano recitals at New York City's Carnegie Hall and won second place in the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition. She plans to attend Yale University and to study medicine and public health. Jin also hopes to volunteer with Doctors without Borders.

She could not attend the banquet because she is at Yale for orientation. Her mother, Michelle, accepted the scholarship award on her behalf.

“This will encourage her in her life in the future to contribute to society and help others,” Michelle Jin said.

There were 548 students from 97 schools nominated by their teachers as Outstanding Young Citizens. The winners were selected by a panel of judges.

“It's an honor to be in the presence of so many phenomenal young people in our region. I know they will make an impact in our world,” Jennifer Bertetto, president and CEO of Trib Total Media, which publishes the Tribune-Review, said after the awards presentation.

Eight other high school students received gold medals for their achievements. The gold medal winners are:

• Thomas Cwalina, a senior at North Allegheny Senior High School, has a 4.61 GPA. He is a two-time state champion on the water polo team, and has worked with nurses at UPMC of Children's Hospital's Salud Para Ninos, where he translated Spanish at the medical clinic. He wants to study chemical engineering and pursue a career in the medical field.

• Adam Heil, a senior at Upper St. Clair High School, was an apprentice at Carnegie Mellon University's Green Design Institute last fall. He has been awarded a US Army ROTC college scholarship. After college, he plans to join the military.

• Dighan Kelly, a senior at Allderdice High School, won a Hines Ward Positive Athlete Award in Cross Country in 2014 and is a member of the National Art Honor Society and National Honor Society. She plans to study public health, diplomacy and international affairs and travel the world after graduation.

• Jahnik Kurukulasuriya, a junior at Allderdice High School, has taken first place at the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science every year since 2012. He plans to earn a degree in biomedical engineering and conduct research in underprivileged areas.

• Nathan Masarik, a senior at Highlands High School, is a member of a national qualifying swim team. He has been accepted to the U.S. Naval, U.S. Merchant Marine and U.S. Military academies. Upon graduating from one of those schools, he plans to serve in the military.

• Zain Mehdi, a senior at North Allegheny Senior High School, has accumulated more than 950 hours at University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. He is an AP National Scholar and AP Scholar with Distinction. He plans to become a neurosurgeon and career researcher in medicine.

• Keerthana Samanthapudi is a senior at North Allegheny Senior High School who has a 4.6875 GPA on a 4.0 scale and ranked first in her class. She earned a perfect score on the National Spanish Exam (Level 1). She plans to study medicine and business.

• Sreeroopa Som, a senior at Fox Chapel Area High School, is published in the International High School Journal of Science. She is a two-time first-place winner of the state science fair. She plans to attend Stanford University and eventually conduct cancer research.

Samson X Horne is a Tribune-Review staff writer. He can be reached at 412-320-7845 or shorne@tribweb.com.