2025-2026 ARCS Scholars Award Celebration Recap

A group of ARCS Foundation scholars and leaders pose together indoors during the annual scholar awards celebration.

The Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation Atlanta held its annual Scholar Awards Celebration on November 12. Dean Kimberly Jacob Arriola of Emory University’s James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies emphasized the impact of ARCS funding in supporting research and scholars.

“Organizations like ARCS Atlanta matter because they remind us that scientific leadership depends not only on technology or infrastructure but on people—scholars, educators, and visionaries whose work ensures progress,” Dean Arriola noted in her speech during the awards ceremony.

ARCS Foundation Atlanta is a 501(c)3 non-profit that supports outstanding scholars in Georgia whose research may lead to advances in science, engineering, and medical research to benefit society and enhance our overall quality of life.

ARCS scholars at Georgia Tech, Morehouse College, University of Georgia and Emory are leading the way by publishing groundbreaking research, securing competitive grants and patents, and mentoring the next generation of scientists. In 2025, fifteen Emory scholars were selected, and over the years, a total of over $2 million has been awarded to support Emory scholars. 

“The scholars’ achievements reflect not only individual brilliance but also the power of collaboration. Their achievements show us what becomes possible when talented students are given the resources, community and confidence to pursue bold ideas,” said Arriola.

ARCS Atlanta by the numbers:

  • We would not be celebrating our scholars if not for the work of 15 founding ARCS Atlanta Chapter members, women who believed in the importance of investing in the limitless potential of future generations. 
  • For 33 years, ARCS Atlanta has been an enduring partner to higher education, expanding opportunity, advancing discovery and strengthening Georgia’s academic institutions. 
  • Since its inception, ARCS Atlanta has awarded a cumulative total of more than $8 million to well-deserving scholars at Emory University, Morehouse College, the University of Georgia, and the Georgia Institute of Technology. 

Congratulations to the 2025-2026 ARCS Atlanta Scholars:

  • Sarina Abrishamcar 
  • Reem Al-Ahmad 
  • Elise Bezold 
  • Lina Dimitrov 
  • Nasab Ghazal 
  • Louis Hopkins 
  • Riley Hughes 
  • Sara Kim 
  • Hadassah Mendez-Vazquez 
  • Vedhika Raghunathan 
  • Brandie Shackelford 
  • Sydney Shuff 
  • Nuri Smith 
  • John Talbott 
  • Kaylin White