MIT announces 35 exceptional students chosen as Burchard Scholars for 2024

MIT’s School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) disclosed that for 2024, 35 MIT undergraduate sophomores and juniors were selected as Burchard Scholars.

The Burchard Committee elected the scholars from a competitive applicant pool, with all candidates showing excellence and involvement in humanistic areas. Students can major in science, design, engineering, as well as humanities, arts, and social sciences.

Throughout the current year, the Burchard Scholars will participate in seminar dinners alongside SHASS faculty, fostering interactions and discussions among themselves and with faculty. The program aims to expand the perspectives of talented students and enhance their skills in articulating, critiquing, and debating ideas.

These scholars will also partake in various cultural activities in the Boston area over the year.

At the heart of these dinners are presentations by SHASS’ faculty, covering diverse topics such as nuclear security, artificial intelligence from an economic perspective, and cross-cultural histories found in ancient manuscripts. The seminars tap into the school’s broad range of expertise, providing numerous avenues for scholars keen on exploration.

It’s noteworthy that previous Burchard Scholars often go on to secure esteemed scholarships like Rhodes and Marshall. Margery Resnick, the Burchard program director, praises these MIT undergraduates stating, “They are thoughtful, smart, and enthusiastic about the opportunity to discuss a wide range of ideas with faculty and fellow students.”

The 2024 Burchard Scholars include individuals from various academic backgrounds:

• Mustafa Al-Obaidi, mechanical engineering, junior;
• Saul Balcarcel-Salazar, physics, junior;
• Miguel Buitrago, philosophy, sophomore;
• Julia Camacho, urban studies and planning, junior;
• Kaelyn Dunnell, literature, junior;
• Isabella Gandara, biological engineering, junior;
• Renee Ge, electrical engineering and computer science, junior;
• Graham Guite, biological engineering, sophomore;
• Janka Hamori, electrical engineering and computer science, junior;
• Vivian Hir, electrical engineering and computer science, junior;
• Sashko Horokh, mathematics, junior;
• Janvi Huria, electrical engineering and computer science, junior;
• Emily Kang, electrical engineering and computer science, junior;
• Kelly Kim, literature, sophomore;
• Esther Kinyanjui, electrical engineering and computer science, junior;
• Alice Le, writing, junior;
• Rumi Lee, electrical engineering and computer science, junior;
• Effaima Longe, chemistry, junior;
• Tarang Lunawat, electrical engineering and computer science, junior;
• Ariel McGee, writing, sophomore;
• Leena Mehendale, biological engineering, sophomore;
• Zev Moore, management, sophomore;
• Franklin Nguyen, electrical engineering and computer science, junior;
• Mishael Quraishi, materials science and engineering, junior;
• Syd Robinson, materials science and engineering, junior;
• James Rock, political science, sophomore;
• Katie Spivakovsky, Biological Engineering, sophomore;
• Mohamed Suufi, electrical engineering and computer science, junior;
• Alex Tang, biology, sophomore;
• Margaret Wang, mathematics, junior;
• Ashley Williams, electrical engineering and computer science, junior;
• Felicia Xiao, physics, junior;
• Kaitlyn Yanna, nuclear science and engineering, junior;
• Elizabeth Zhang, electrical engineering and computer science, sophomore; and
• Grace Zhang, mathematics, junior.