A Sampling of Our 2026 Scholarship Recipients
Below are the profiles of some of the 2026 scholarship awardees.
Lilian, one of two 2026 recipients of the Lan Tran Community Excellence Scholarship, is an inspiring example of hard work, resilience, and service to others. While pursuing the challenging International Baccalaureate Diploma, she earned a 4.1 GPA, joined multiple National Honor Societies, served as president of the Ethiopian Eritrean Club, and engaged in community service in a variety of ways, all while working since she was 16. Through it all, Lilian has shown remarkable intelligence, leadership, compassion, and determination. Her community service and responsibilities at home have deepened her commitment to the health of children and their families. Against this background, she plans to study biology or public health at the University of Virginia and become a physician assistant. Off to a strong start, she has been a member, through Justice High School, of a Youth Public Health Ambassadors Program, earning multiple certifications from the Morehouse School of Medicine and George Mason University.
Allen, one of two 2026 recipients of the Lan Tran Community Excellence Scholarship, stands out for his intellect, work ethic, and heart for service. A curious student, he challenged himself with demanding courses while earning a 4.1 GPA. He showed the same dedication to wrestling, becoming team captain in his senior year and volunteering as a coach at a local Boys & Girls Club. In addition, Allen helped with his mother’s childcare business, also supporting the immigrant families by bridging language gaps as they navigated school and other aspects of life. Grounded in his Vietnamese heritage, he additionally worked to make civic participation more accessible, including promoting civic engagement among students and connecting them with campaign efforts. He was the school vice president of a major political party’s youth arm and a member of the Vietnamese Student Association. Self-motivated and compassionate, Allen sees college as a chance to unite his interest in industrial and systems engineering, his planned major, with his desire to lift the communities that shaped him. He will begin the next chapter of his life at Virginia Tech.
Nayely, one of our Step It Up Foundation scholarship winners, is a truly extraordinary young woman. She is dependable, honest, trustworthy, and creative, and is highly respected by her peers. She demonstrates the tenacity to face difficult circumstances, not expecting immediate results, but knowing if she perseveres, she will succeed. And she has! During her three years at Justice High School, she has learned English, taken advanced courses, and maintained a near-perfect attendance record and GPA. She accomplished all this while holding down two jobs. Nayely’s kind, strong grandmother inspires her to make the most of every available opportunity and to aspire to achieve an education in the medical field. Such training will enable her to care for others, possibly older people like her grandmother. Nayely will begin these studies at Northern Virginia Community College this fall, bringing her motto along: “Never give up—today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, and the day after tomorrow will be sunshine.” We are so happy to support Nayley as she eventually enjoys this sunshine and brings it to others.
Sanam is the winner of the Svendsen Memorial Scholarship, which honors Nancy and Eric Svendsen, who spent their lives helping people in the international community. Sanam came to this country not knowing English, yet she applied herself to studying the language and excelling in her coursework. She is profoundly curious and possesses a natural aptitude for the sciences. She enjoys her family’s encouragement of her academic pursuits, and in return shoulders a lot of responsibility for helping her family make its way in their new country. Sanam’s fellow students regard her as a compassionate listener, a provider of sound advice, and someone whose cheerful demeanor creates a positive environment for everyone around her. She is especially interested in supporting other women aspire to and achieve lofty goals. Her curiosity, intellect, hard work, and passion to contribute to her community will serve her well as she prepares for a career as a medical doctor starting at Marymount University.
Ashley describes music as one of the most meaningful parts of her life, serving as her source of comfort, balance, and fulfilment. A viola player, Ashley enjoyed being a member of Justice High School’s most advanced orchestra program where she developed impressive skills. She also participated in outreach events and concerts with younger students in the Justice pyramid, where she saw music connect people across different ages and skill levels. She thinks a lot about music and how it is similar to human interactions, with each voice rising, contributing with its own tones but also blending. Not surprisingly, her counselor and teachers describe Ashley as a student with an inquisitive mind and a compassionate friend and supportive classmate. Not only did Ashley excel as a section leader in orchestra and member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, but she balanced this with outstanding academics and girls’ soccer. The eldest of four and the first to go to college, Ashley acutely feels the responsibility to serve as a mentor and example. She already has succeeded in all these endeavors, earning a spot at the University of Mary Washington, where she planned to study health science.
Zain started his academic path at Justice High School in ESOL classes but challenged himself to take the most advanced courses the school offered. Through determination and refusal to let initial fears deter him, he succeeded in every way, taking 13 International Baccalaureate course and achieving an extraordinary GPA. Zain is the recipient of the 2026 Nancy J. Weisgerber Scholarship. Ms. Weisgerber was a principal at our school, but a teacher first, and always reached out however possible to improve the lives of her students and their parents. In addition to his extraordinary academic achievements, Zain spent a lot of his time contributing to the success of his fellow students. He considered his role as president of the Arabic Honor Society to be a chance to help them face their challenges with confidence. He balanced his heavy courseload with tutoring his peers and volunteering as a teacher assistant. He also spends a lot of time helping to care for his younger siblings. Zain’s concern for the welfare of others inspires him to pursue his goal of becoming a medical doctor. We wish him continued success in his pre-med studies at George Washington University.
Kenza’s math teacher and field hockey coach said it all: “Kenza embodies the qualities of a well-rounded student-athlete: intelligent, driven, team-oriented, and compassionate.” Awarded the Wolfpack Student Athlete scholarship, Kenza’s teacher/coach described her as both one of the most exceptional students she has taught, and an athlete who showed impressive growth on the field hockey pitch—so much so that her team chose her as their captain. Kenza plans to pursue a career in medical-related sciences because she wants “to take a humanistic approach to scientific research that makes people feel valued and human... to find better ways to help people feel seen.” Kenza attributes her empathy to growing up with an autistic family member who taught her that everyone is mentally different, has different needs, learns differently, and has different interests. Kenza is pursuing her dreams at George Mason University.
Khaled epitomizes the student who excels at both scholarship and athleticism, earning him the award for the Wolf Pack Student Athlete scholarship. Passionate about football, Khaled was MVP and named to the Second Team All District. At the same time, he excelled in school, earning a 4.28 GPA, which included earning all A’s and the admiration of the teacher of the HL IB Analysis math course, a dual enrollment course with George Mason University and the most difficult math class offered by Justice. Khaled attributes his success to football, where he learned how to stay disciplined and keep going even when things were not easy. As though this were not enough, Khaled also played basketball, track, and lacrosse, was active in several clubs, served as Communications Manager for DECA, participated in National Honor Society, Cardz for Kidz, Arabic Honor Society, and Best Buddies. AND he worked! Khaled experienced setbacks when he suffered a serious injury during a firework display and saw a family member battle cancer. Through these difficult circumstances Khaled learned to be resilient. He will be turning his boundless energy to engineering, a field in which he learned through Virginia Tech’s Pathways for Future Engineers summer program that something designed on a computer or in a lab can change someone’s life forever. Khaled plans to attend Virginia Tech, where he will apply engineering to real-life problems.