Press Releases
Five $10,000 Milken Scholars Awards Go to Standout NYC Students
2025 class members embody "Lifelong Leaders for a Better World"
June 25, 2025
Santa Monica, Calif., — Today, five exceptional NYC high school seniors have been announced as 2025 Milken Scholars, gaining a multitude of cheerleaders and a lifetime of support in college, career and life. The scholarship Program, a joint initiative of the Milken Institute and the Milken Family Foundation, 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 2025 NYC Milken Scholars are:
- Gumana Elrufai, Brooklyn Technical High School, Yale
- Anthony Kim, The Bronx High School of Science, Yale
- Marcellino Melika, Francis Lewis High School, MIT
- Janet Omoruyi, New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math (NEST+m) High School, University of Pennsylvania
- Andy Xian, Stuyvesant High School, Harvard
The Milken Scholars Program was established in 1989 by Mike and Lori Milken. After completing a rigorous nomination, application and interview process, Milken Scholars are selected based on academic performance, community service, leadership, and their ability to persevere in the face of personal challenges. Past recipients include inaugural poet Amanda Gorman; Ruben Harutunian, treasurer of the board of the Binational Fulbright Commission in Egypt and minister-counselor for public diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo; Dr. Joelle Simpson, chief of emergency medicine at Children's National Hospital; and award-winning entrepreneur Emanuel Yekutiel.
"Lori and I are sincerely heartened by the nearly 600 Milken Scholars over the past 35 years whose dedication and pursuit of excellence embody the program's mission of inspiring Lifelong Leaders for a Better World," said Mike Milken.
The NYC Milken Scholar Alumni and community members will gather later this month to celebrate the 2025 NYC Scholars at an annual Recognition Ceremony. In July, they will attend a three-day summit in Los Angeles with fellow 2025 Milken Scholars from Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles County, as well as undergraduates and alumni facilitators in fields across all industries. Students gain insight and guidance from speakers, panels and activities while discussing the Summit theme, Toward a Flourishing Future, and learning more about the support structure they will receive throughout their college careers and beyond. Access to such resources creates a setting that propels these exceptional youth into a position where they can achieve their personal, academic and professional goals and, in the process, become "Lifelong Leaders for a Better World."
Mike and Lori Milken founded the Milken Scholars Program to promote and assist exceptional youth as they navigate the transitions from high school to college and from college to graduate school or the world of work. As of 2025, the program reaches nearly 600 students representing more than 80 countries of origin since its first 1989 class.
Milken Scholars represent a variety of backgrounds, experiences and academic and professional interests, and are admitted to top colleges and universities. Twenty-four percent were born outside the U.S. and 78% have parents originating from over 80 countries. More than half are among the first generation in their family to attend college, while 46% are the first in their family to attend college in the U.S. The class of 2025 is one of the most diverse yet, representing 16 countries spanning North America and the Caribbean, Central America, South America, West Africa, Northeast Africa, the Middle East, Northern Eurasia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.
MEET THE 2025 NYC MILKEN SCHOLARS
Gumana Elrufai
Yale
If you can change one life, you can change a million. Gumana Elrufai is the embodiment of this philosophy – seizing every day as an opportunity to make a positive impact on not only her community, but also the world. A graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School, Gumana advocates for Sudanese immigrants as a volunteer for the Sudanese American Community of New York. Combining her interests in global affairs and political science, she founded The Voice of Sudan youth group and served as a youth organizer for the New York Civil Liberties Union. She also worked as a youth organizer and ambassador for NYC Votes youth, where she assisted with youth lobby days, helped draft legislation, organized Get Out the Vote events, and helped register many of her Sudanese neighbors.
Gumana's love of learning shines through in her roles on her school's mock trial and congressional debate teams. As a mock trial presenter, she competed citywide and trained her peers for scrimmages. In her time as co-captain and secretary of the congressional debate team, Gumana competed nationally and in 2024, led her team to qualify for the state championships for the first time. She is an AP Scholar with Honor, National Honor Society member, Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America Scholar, College Board National African American Recognition Program honoree, and Gates Scholarship semi-finalist.
Furthering her commitment to building community, Gumana founded and manages the Tigers NYC Youth Soccer Team, finding coaches, funding, and play space accommodating a "pay-what-you-can" model to make youth sports more accessible. She serves as president of her school's Cards 4 Kindness Club, where she leads the creation and donation of positive cards to homeless shelters, schools, nursing homes and hospitals.
Gumana will study global affairs at Yale and plans a career in law.
Anthony Kim
Yale
Fueled by his family's determination to overcome financial hardship, Anthony Kim's passion for social justice is amplified across The Bronx High School of Science and throughout Greater New York. As project director in Assemblymember Ron Kim's district office, Anthony helped secure over $640,000 in aid for local families, spearhead public housing research that spurred legislation and influenced the reopening of the NYC Section 8 waitlist, lead a team in developing a comprehensive government aid guide, and more. His impact in this office garnered Congressional Recognition and certificates of merit from local assemblymembers.
Excelling in both humanities and STEM, Anthony is an AP Scholar with Distinction, National Honor Society member, two-time regional Gold Key Scholastic Art and Writing Awardee, and first-place winner in biochemistry and physics at the National Mathematics and Science Competition. He has earned multiple national championship titles in both policy debate and Lincoln-Douglas debate. Anthony is an alumnus of MITES (MIT Introduction to Technology, Engineering, and Science) and led the Bill of Rights Institute Fellowship, where he advised on curricular content for over five million students and 50 thousand teachers. Also a Bank of America Student Leader, Anthony developed a file automation program which he plans to expand throughout the city.
Anthony's community impact is further exemplified in his role as nonprofit and program development fellow for the YMCA of Greater New York, where he created a college access initiative. He also serves as a Boy Scouts of America senior patrol leader, Korean Presbyterian Church of Bayside youth group leader, and a free, private hockey coach for children. Musically, he served as section principal (flute) for his school's concert band and as concertmaster for his church orchestra.
Anthony will study computer science and engineering at Yale and plans a career in entrepreneurship and government.
Marcellino Melika
MIT
A Francis Lewis High School graduate and soon-to-be first-generation college student, Marcellino Melika embraces every opportunity to deeply engage with his studies. A published researcher and national science award winner, he interned at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, and HYPOTHEkids. Marcellino's research has expanded across the topics of bioinformatics, light pollution, plant bioacoustics and neurodegenerative disease through his additional work with York College, Princia, and his school's research program, where he served as a lead researcher. He is a biology captain on his school’s Science Olympiad Team and lends his knowledge to others as a STEM peer tutor.
Marcellino's talented journalism work led him to become a 2024 SXSW EDU panelist, WNYC Radio Rookies reporter, and podcast production intern for Chalkbeat NY and The Bell. He is a four-time Greenman Leadership Scholar, USC Bovard Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, Yale Young Global Scholar, Horatio Alger New York State Scholar, and National Merit Scholar.
In 2023, Marcellino traveled to Costa Rica on a fully funded environmental sustainability volunteer service trip, where he helped build an accessible forest path for differently abled people. He is a cellist and treasurer for his school’s string orchestra. As head of his school’s eSports club, Marcellino organizes livestreams and competitions for a team that has seen national success.
A QuestBridge Match to MIT, Marcellino will study electrical engineering with computing and plans a career as a physician-scientist, or a biomedical or software engineer.
Janet Omoruyi
University of Pennsylvania
Janet Omoruyi's passion lies across a breadth of disciplines, but one common thread among them is serving the underrepresented. As president of her school's Black Student Union, she directs Black History Month assemblies, creates K-12 Black history curriculum, founded her school's first Juneteenth celebration, and spearheads a citywide initiative, Cards for the Culture – engaging over 100 volunteers across nine high schools to write uplifting cards to Black older adults. Additionally, Janet directed a school supplies drive serving Black families, which inspired a feature in the Staten Island Advance.
A graduate of NEST+m High School, Janet served as student government secretary and 12th grade representative, founded Breast Cancer Awareness Day, directed the first-ever K-12 Cultural Exploration Day, and secured scheduled rests during the school day for students. Captain of the cheer and debate teams, Janet was also a junior chemistry researcher under NYU's ARISE program, conducting novel research into organic solar cells. Championing women in space, Janet won the 2022 NYC Space Prize Challenge, receiving a Zero-G flight package valued at $16,000 and the opportunity to address former U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. Janet is an AP Scholar with Distinction, National African American Awardee, and Ron Brown Scholarship recipient.
A talented vocal artist, Janet has performed at Carnegie Hall and the MET Museum as a soprano vocalist in the NYC All-City High School Chorus and organizes open mics as president of her school's Spotlight Club. She is a published and award-winning writer, with works featured in the American High School Poets Holiday Special Anthology, the New York Times August 2024 Summer Reading Contest, and recognition from the NYC Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
Janet will study public policy and energy research at the University of Pennsylvania and plans a career as a policymaker or entrepreneur in the renewable energy sector.
Andy Xian
Harvard
From a young age, Stuyvesant High School graduate Andy Xian has channeled adversity into action. At nine, he sold his Pokémon cards and took on jobs like babysitting and folding clothes to help his family afford rent. These actions presented an early glimpse into the resourcefulness that would shape his mission: empowering underserved communities through economic and social reform. As a Gates Scholar and ATLAS Fellow, Andy has worked to dismantle systemic barriers through leadership roles, including founding the NYC Internship Branch at Borex Capital and interning for New York City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera's congressional campaign, where he advocated for housing access and environmental equity.
Andy is a two-time global finalist in the Wharton Investment Competition and a New York State winner in the Global Youth Investment Summit. A Yale Entrepreneurial Society Fellow and NYU Stern Endless Frontier Labs Young Ambassador, he also conducted socioeconomic research as a research assistant at Harvard. Passionate about physics and languages, he is a National Spanish Exam Gold Medalist and an International Young Physicists' Tournament Nationals qualifier.
A decorated fencer, Andy is a Junior Olympics qualifier and captained the Stuyvesant Varsity Fencing Team to a city championship while consistently placing first and second citywide. He also served as class co-president and first-chair trombonist in Stuyvesant's jazz and symphonic bands. Deeply committed to community service, Andy helped secure over $300,000 in tech donations through We Care Act NYC and co-led Excelsior Learning to provide free SHSAT prep for middle schoolers. He also apprenticed at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, where he deepened his passion for cultural preservation.
Andy is an incoming intern at Balyasny Asset Management and plans to study economics and sociology at Harvard, exploring the intersection of markets, systems, and policy.
About the Milken Scholars
Michael and Lori Milken founded the Milken Scholars in 1989 to honor exceptional young individuals who have demonstrated the potential to make a profound difference in the world. Scholars are chosen while high school seniors on the basis of distinguished academic performance, school and community service, leadership, and evidence of having overcome personal, financial, and/or social obstacles. Milken Scholars receive financial assistance plus a strong support system of resources and networks during their academic and professional careers. For more information, visit www.MilkenScholars.org.