Millie Pandya (above) as seen in her senior yearbook picture.

Millie Pandya, a senior at Rock Ridge High School and the Academies of Loudoun as a part of the MATA Health Sciences Program, was recently  awarded the Jefferson Scholarship. She is the first student from Loudoun County to be given this prestigious scholarship in over twenty years. As a recipient, Millie will be attending the University of Virginia on a full ride. 

I had the pleasure of interviewing Millie, and she was able to give us a few insights about the scholarship and what she has planned for the future. 

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What is the Jefferson Scholarship?

The Jefferson Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship that is run by the Jefferson Scholars Foundation in a direct partnership with the University of Virginia. It is the premier undergraduate award, and scholars are selected through a competitive process based on exceptional performance in leadership, scholarship, and citizenship. The full-ride to the University of Virginia also covers supplemental enrichment experiences, including but not limited to funded research and multiple study abroad summer opportunities. The criteria focuses on applicants’ high school accomplishments and their ability to conduct and present themselves well in high pressure interviews and competitions. They pick 30-35 incoming students annually out of thousands that apply from all over the U.S. and more than 40 countries abroad.

Why do you think you received it?

I believe I received the award due to my extensive debate experience in high school, as well as my award-winning community involvement (volunteering, private tutoring business, mentoring) and ranking in my home high school Rock Ridge (top 1%, valedictorian, NMSQT scholarship recipient). I am most proud of my efforts in exploring implementation and dissemination sciences in the context of health policy and global comparative medicine! 

Now that you’re heading to college, how has your experience at the Academies of Loudoun shaped you?

My experience at the Academies has shaped me [by giving] me the opportunity to carve my own pathway, as both ACL and MATA have numerous unexplored resources for their growing student body. With the Academies being a very new school, it seems like there have been so many accomplishments in the three years it has been open, which only makes me prouder to be our very first Jefferson Scholar. The staff, especially Ms. Trudel and Mr. Bauer in the counseling department, are always willing to hear out your ambitions and are the very first ones to support any academic or community based endeavor you could dream of. 

It is through those resources that I was initially nominated for the Jefferson Scholarship and was able to establish an ACL/MATA Health Sciences booth at the Sterling Health and Wellness Fair. Additionally, the hands-on, practical nature of the premed programs at MATA as well as the support of Ms. Myers and Mrs. Sappington helped me stand out as a unique applicant during the college application process as a whole. 

What do you hope to gain from the University of Virginia?

I am most excited to continue some of the community-based efforts that I have started at Rock Ridge and ACL at the University of Virginia, specifically concerning inclusivity and equity within Public Forum debate through the Charlottesville Debate League (CDL). I also hope to research implementation and dissemination sciences in the context of health policy and global comparative medicine, as my goal is to one day make a tangible impact on the healthcare system in this country. 

By addressing daunting social and scientific questions in this political climate, I simply hope to keep facilitating conversation! UVA is famous for student self-governance, and I am really excited to continue contributing to change and reform where I see fit. Additionally, as a representative of the Jefferson Scholars program, I [look] forward to getting to talk to and advise prospective Scholars in future years at the local, regional, and national level!

More information regarding the Jefferson Scholars Program can be found at https://www.jeffersonscholars.org/scholarship. 

 

written by Keerthi Selvam

edited by Saanvi Gutta and Tryphena Pilli