Four New York City students have been selected to join the prestigious 2024 class of Milken Scholars. The scholarship Program honors high school seniors in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles County each year with a $10,000 cash prize and lifelong access to college advising, career counseling, internship assistance, community service opportunities, and a fund to help with graduate school applications, unpaid internships, study abroad programs, and other costs associated with their pursuit of a career.
The 2024 New York City Milken Scholars class includes Brooklyn's Amanda Cisse from Stuyvesant High School, off to Barnard College. Along with Abigail Ansah, from Bard High School Early College, Eana Shah from the Nightingale-Bamford School and Lesley Yupa from Townsend Harris High School.
Amanda Cisse was the the student government president and a student equity leader for the New York City Department of Education Stuyvesant Diversity and Inclusion Team. Cisse also won the U.S. Department of State National Security Language Initiative for Youth to study Mandarin in Taipei, Taiwan. Cisse' passion for bridging cultural gaps and maintaining a global awareness prompted her to take on leadership roles within her school and community.
Cisse won the national Princeton Prize in Race Relations and was a National French Exam Silver Medalist. Mayor Eric Adams recognized Cisse for her 10-minute civil rights documentary that earned first place In New York City’s National History Day competition and took third in the state. In addition, she received honors for serving as team access and inclusion lead at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Youth Preparedness Council.
Beyond serving as Stuyvesant High School’s student government president, Cisse extended her leadership as the Black Student League president, student newspaper opinion writer, and as a representative of Stuyvesant at the NYC Department of Education student leadership team. She excelled academically and was a College Board National African American scholar. Cisse' community impact shines brightly through her internships with New York City government officials, including for her state assemblywoman. This summer, she will continue her local involvement by working at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
Cisse will study economics and social history at Barnard College and plans a career in government.
Abigail Ansah from Bard High School Early College will be heading to Williams College, where she will study political science on the pre-law track. Eana Shah from the Nightingale-Bamford School will study data science on a premed track at Columbia University. Lesley Yupa from Townsend Harris High School will study global public health and chemistry at NYU and plans to pursue an MBA and a career in the medical field.
