Ian Cho ‘26
Picture of the Warrens with Grant Recipients: Henry Wang ’25, Rory Hutchins ‘25, Ryan Kim ‘26, Matthew Lee ‘27, Jihu Choi ‘25, Lori Cui ‘25, Teni Ogunjumo ‘27
St. Mark’s offers a diverse array of grants, each with their distinct mission: Class of ’68 V Form Fellowship, A.A. Jones Family International Studies, Experiential Project, Matthews Fund, and Thomas H. Kean ’53 Fellowship. The Warren Scholars Grant has been added this year to honor the tenure and legacy of Mr. and Dr. Warren as they prepare to depart the St. Mark’s community. Reflective of the Warrens’ contributions at St. Mark’s, the Warren Scholars Grant will support students with a genuine passion for environmental sustainability, global citizenship, and ensuring community and belonging. What are some of the students pursuing with their grants this year?
The common misconception around grants at St. Mark’s is that they are only offered to V-form students. However, many underformers are using such grants to pursue their passions. Rising sophomore Matthew Lee plans to provide wellness support for visually impaired students through museum visits, a computer camp, and a theater education. He “found out about the grant during orientation and then at the school meeting.” Fascinated by the opportunity to pursue his passion further, “[he] met with Dr. Worrell to find out more.” He reveals that the motive behind applying for the grant was that “[he had] started a non-profit organization to help blind students, so [he] wanted to fund activities during the summer for them using the grant.” Read more on Matthew’s inspiring project under the Matthews grant.
Teni Ogunjumo, another rising sophomore, aims to address the “lack of representation in AI education” amid the rapidly growing technology. This summer, she will attend an AI4ALL Program at Stanford to gain insights into “both technical knowledge and practical skills” and how AI can be used to solve our world’s problems. She has been selected for the Kean Fellowship grant. Learn more about Teni’s project here.
Lori Cui ‘25 has been selected for two grants this year, the Class of ‘68 and the Kean fellowship grants, to pursue her passions for debate, social justice, and public policy. She said she applied for the grants because she felt there weren’t many “resources to support the debate program… so we wanted some financial support to continue to go to competitions.” For her Class of 68 Fellowship grant, she has collaborated with Condy Bao ‘25 to provide St. Mark’s students who are passionate about debate with access to various debate tournaments. Entering debate tournaments often imposes a financial burden on many students, so the grant will allow students to follow their passions without financial barriers.
She will use the grant funds for transportation and commuting to equity conferences as a Next Gen Activator Fellow representing St. Mark’s. She reveals that transportation has always been hindering the pursuit of her passion, but the grant allowed her to attend various conferences to “amplify [her] voice and contribute to the learning experience of [her] peers.” By pursuing her grant, she describes how “[St. Mark’s] is automatically invited to the conference, and [she] cannot wait to bring fellow St. Markers to learn more about social justice history and how to continue progressing for equitable change today.
Once again, a warm congratulations to the Grant winners of this year. The St. Mark’s community is truly excited to see the students' impact on the school and society. Learn more about the application process and the grant's missions here.