OURS National Scholarships

by Liza Davitaia Kristie Moore (’27, Global Studies) has been selected to receive a 2026 Strauss Scholarship, which provides a $15,000 award consisting of a $7,000 scholarship and an $8,000 project grant. Kristie will use this funding to lead Central Asia Peace Scholars, a year-long program empowering 150 youth from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan through leadership training, peace education, and community projects. Kristie has studied Russian and Tajiki through the Critical Language Scholarship Program (CLS) and the Boren Scholarship and conducted field research across Central Asia. She plans to pursue

by Liza Davitaia UC Berkeley senior Carolyn Nguyen (’26) has been selected as a 2026–27 Winston Churchill Scholar, making her Berkeley’s first recipient in a decade. Awarded by the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States, the Churchill Scholarship supports a year of master’s study at Churchill College, Cambridge, for students pursuing advanced work in science, mathematics, and engineering. A double major in Molecular and Cell Biology and Business Administration (Haas), Nguyen is passionate about advancing next-generation therapeutics. At Berkeley, she conducts research in Dr. James Nuñez’s lab, applying CRISPR-based

by Jessica Park African American Studies and Political Science Alumna Sydney Roberts has been awarded a 2026–27 Schwarzman Scholarship. Roberts, a former ASUC president who graduated from Cal in 2024 as a double major in the Berkeley Social Sciences Division, is one of 150 inspiring and innovative leaders selected from a pool of more than 5,800 candidates worldwide — the largest applicant pool in the program’s history. She is Berkeley’s 21st recipient of the award since its founding in 2013. This fall, Roberts will participate in a one-year, fully funded

Congratulations to juniors Janessa Reyes (Asian American & Asian Diaspora Studies), Vinaya Sivakumar (Cognitive Science/Interdisciplinary Studies), and Annabel Gensler (Political Science) — left to right — who have been selected to join the 2025–2027 cohort of the Voyager Scholarship for Public Service (Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service) created by the Obamas and Brian Chesky, CEO and Co-Founder of Airbnb. The two-year Voyager Scholarship provides scholarships of up to $50,000 to help shape 100 young leaders who can bridge divides and help solve our biggest challenges. The program offers students financial

We would like to wrap up the 2024–2025 academic year by congratulating all of the current Cal Bears and recent alums who received nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships this academic year, as well as those who submitted strong applications for the 35 scholarship and fellowship programs our office supports. Astronaut Scholars – Carolyn Van-Dy Nguyen (’26) Boren Scholarship – Kristie Moore (’26) Critical Language Scholarship – Alexandra “Sasha” Bergseid (’29), Giselle Carreño (‘25), Utkarsh Dubey (‘27), Abigail Klein (’26), Tiffany Mar (’25), Khephra Owl (’25), and Arya Vishin (‘25) Goldwater

We are very pleased to announce that seven UC Berkeley students have been awarded the U.S. Government’s Critical Language Scholarship (CLS), a fully-funded 8–10-week overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students at every level of language learning. The next application deadline will be in November 2025 (for summer 2026 programs). Students in any year of college are eligible to apply! Please join us in congratulating the following students: Alexandra “Sasha” Bergseid (’29, EECS) will be spending the summer in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, continuing her study of Russian.

by Lauren Miller Roxana (Qinhong) Wang, a recent graduate of the UC Berkeley class of 2024, has been awarded a 2025-26 Schwarzman Scholarship. Wang, who studied Comparative Literature and Ancient Greek and Roman Studies in the College of Letters & Science, was selected as one of 150 scholars from a pool of nearly 5,000 candidates. She is Berkeley’s twentieth recipient of the award since its inception in 2013! “Many highly qualified Berkeley students apply for the Schwarzman Scholarship every year, so it is impossible to predict who will be offered