3-21-2025 4:50am

Local Students Awarded

16 BCPS students named 2025 Carson Scholars

Sixteen Baltimore County Public Schools students are among the 579 students nationwide and 199 statewide named 2025 Carson Scholars by the Carson Scholars Fund.

Each year, the Carson Scholars Fund recognizes a select group of high-achieving students in Grades 4–11 who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement (at least a 3.75 GPA) and humanitarian qualities.

The BCPS students honored as new scholars for 2025 are:

Rilynn Aikens, Grade 10, Pikesville High School
Marcus Amo, Grade 11, Towson High School
Ayele Attiwoto, Grade 5, Milbrook Elementary School
Carmiel Chumbong, Grade 8, Southwest Academy
Michael Cooper, Grade 11, Dulaney High School
Olivia Cruz-Waker, Grade 5, Woodholme Elementary School
Drew Ferguson, Grade 11, Hereford High School
Sophee Fields, Grade 8, Pikesville Middle School
Andrew Leiser, Grade 4, Summit Park Elementary School
Samantha Mun, Grade 11, Dulaney High School
Norah Mychailyszyn, Grade 5, Sparks Elementary School
Safora Noor, Grade 11, Towson High School
Gabriel Schorm, Grade 5, Harford Hills Elementary School
Quincey Spencer-Lucas, Grade 5, Bedford Elementary School
Phoebe Taylor, Grade 8, Hereford Middle School
Nicole Udoh, Grade 5, Wellwood International School

Each of these students will be awarded a $1,000 college scholarship, a medal, and a certificate and will be recognized during a regional awards banquet to be held on Sunday, May 18, at The HALL at Live event center in Hanover, Md. Also celebrated at that banquet will be the 39 BCPS students who have renewed their Carson Scholar status by maintaining high academic standards and continuing to engage in community service. Nationally, 931 students renewed their Carson Scholar status; 428 of those were students in Maryland.

The Carson Scholars Fund, Inc. was founded in 1994 to address the education crisis in the United States. When now retired world-renowned Johns Hopkins Pediatric Neurosurgeon Benjamin S. Carson, M.D. and his wife, Candy, read a research study about education in the United States, they were alarmed by the findings. The study showed that our nation’s students ranked #21 out of 22 countries; next to the bottom of the list in science and math. Furthermore, the Carsons observed that many school display cases were filled with large trophies paying tribute to their sport teams’ achievements, while honor students only received a pin or certificate.

Dr. and Mrs. Carson felt compelled to take action. They believed that if children could be taught early to excel, they would stay motivated and have a higher chance of educational success later in life. The Carson Scholars Fund was built on these principles.

In 1996, the first year that scholarships were awarded, 25 deserving students were recognized as scholars. Through the generosity of our donors and partners, we are now able to award more than 500 scholarships annually. In total, we have awarded more than 11,600 scholarships across the country. More than 5,300 Carson Scholars have been recognized for their academic and humanitarian achievements in multiple years. Scholarship winners have attended more than 900 colleges and universities, and have received more than $11.6 million in scholarship funds to help finance their education. Learn more about our scholarship program.

In his autobiography Gifted Hands, Dr. Carson wrote about how his life was changed once he embraced reading. As the Carson Scholars Fund grew, the Carsons established a second program- The Ben