Class of 2023 Graduates from South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics
May 27, 2023
HARTSVILLE, S.C. (May 27, 2023) – The South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics (GSSM) held its 34th Commencement Ceremony on Saturday. Nearly 150 families from every corner of the state came to Hartsville to celebrate their graduate’s achievement.
The GSSM Class of 2023 hails from 27 counties and 75 high schools across South Carolina. The atmosphere in the DeLoach Center was electric as Residential and STEM Foundations students received the GSSM diploma after two years of rigorous, advanced STEM studies.
“This year’s Commencement was another amazing celebration,” said GSSM President Danny Dorsel. “The GSSM Class of 2023 earned full-ride scholarships to our state and country’s best universities as well as publications in peer-reviewed research journals. The students also competed in international academic competitions, athletic state championships and earned national recognition in visual arts. The future is bright for these GSSM graduates.”
This year’s class was accepted to more than 175 top colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad.
“This year’s class is so talented, motivated and hardworking,” said GSSM VP of Academics Dr. Michael Newsome. “It’s always a bit sad to see the graduating class move on, but we are proud of their accomplishments and are very excited for their future. Our alumni make so many great contributions to South Carolina and the nation.”
Jason Hong, 1993 GSSM alumni and a professor in the Human Computer Interaction Institute that’s part of the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, served as this year’s Commencement guest speaker. Throughout Hong’s message, he reminisced about his time at GSSM and how the school built the foundation for his career. He also shared words of advice to the Class of 2023.
“It was a really great honor to be presenting to today and to talk to many of these alums,” Hong said. “I graduated 30 years ago, and I hope many of today’s graduates will be able to get back in 30 years’ time.”
On Saturday, May 20, GSSM hosted the Annual Completion Celebration for its virtual engineering certificate program, Accelerate, at Prestwood Country Club in Hartsville. Twenty-four students representing 12 South Carolina school districts earned program certificates after completing three years of challenging collegiate engineering curriculum. Participating schools included Chesterfield High School; Cheraw High School; D.W. Daniel High School; Gilbert High School; Green Upstate High School; Greenville Technical Charter High School; J.L. Mann High School Academy of Mathematics, Science & Technology; Lexington High School; Mayo High School for Math, Science & Technology; River Bluff High School; Seneca Senior High School; and South Pointe High School.
In total, the Class of 2023 received more than $19 million dollars in scholarship offers. Many received prestigious, merit-based scholarships, including, The Gates Millennium Scholarship; Breakthrough Scholar, Clemson University; National Scholar, Clemson University; Colonial Scholarship, College of Charleston; Darla Moore Scholarship, Francis Marion University; John D. Hollingsworth Scholarship, Furman University; Presidential Scholarship, George Washington University; 21st Century Scholars, Mt. Holyoke College; Presidential Scholarship, Rochester Institute of Technology; Presidential Scholarship, St. Olaf College; Stamps Scholarship, The Ohio State University; Singer Scholarship, University of Miami; Horatio Alger Scholarship and the US Army ROTC Scholarship.
Applications are being accepted for the GSSM Class of 2025 at scgssm.org.
Residential Program
Abbeville County
Omar Abdel Azim, student of Anas Abdel Azim and Nevine Shoala, will attend Clemson University
Aiken County
Aiden Fleming, student of Robert Fleming and Judalyn Fleming, will attend Clemson University.
Bennett Merion, student of Dan Merion and Renee Merion, will attend Clemson University.
Charlee Hutt, student of Sean Hutt and Coni Hutt, will attend Bryn Mawr College.
Megan Craney, student of David Craney and Katherine Craney, will attend Clemson University
Wanquing Kong, student of Fengchong Kong and Qiaoping Cai, will attend the University of Pennsylvania.
Anderson County
Audrey Cobb, student of Jason Cobb, will attend Clemson University.
Elliot Lewis, student of Matthew Lewis and Elizabeth Lewis, will attend Macalester College.
Jenna Long, student of Debra Long, will attend Rhodes College.
Lily Zarrouf, student of Fahd Zarrouf and Dania Zahlouk, will attend Clemson University.
Mary Hogg, student of James Hogg and Elizabeth Hogg, will attend Western Carolina University.
Beaufort County
Alexander Crosson, student of David Crosson and Rachel Crosson, will attend Clemson University.
Alexandra Compton, student of Steven Compton and Nancy Compton, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Alexandra Hall, student of Gregory Hall and Carrie Hall, will attend Drexel University.
Gabriel Mickel, student of Daniel Mickel and Melinda Meickel, will attend the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
George Simmons, student of Chilton Simmons, will attend the University of Michigan.
Ivan Chen, student of Song Chen and Amy Cheng, will attend Duke University.
Jacinda Byam, student of Tana Byam, will attend Agnes Scott College.
Joseph Humphrey, student of Charles Humphrey and Barbara Humphrey, will attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Juliana Martel, student of Paul Martel and Juliana Martel, will attend the College of Charleston.
Simon Griswold, student of Jason Griswold and Valisa Griswold, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Stella Le Mehaute, student of Patrick Le Mehaute and Suzanne Le Mehaute, will attend the College of Charleston.
Tobin Wilson, student of Carlton Wilson and Addie Wilson, will attend Texas A&M University.
Berkeley County
Johnathan Harris, student of Mark Harris and Elizabeth Harris, will attend Clemson University.
Joshua Cade, student of Sandy Cade, will attend Clemson University.
Wilson Davenport, student of Christopher Davenport and Angelina Davenport, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Zachariah Lee, student of Pamela Lee, will attend Trident Technical College.
Charleston County
Andrew Streb, student of Kristine Streb, will attend Clemson University.
Briggs Murray, student of Terri Murray, will attend Clemson University.
Charles Dullanty, student of Margaret Dullanty, will attend Elon University.
Grant Keiser, student of Matthew Keiser and Sarah Keiser, will attend the College of Charleston.
Paulo Hitopoulos, student of Christine Hitopoulos, will attend Olin College of Engineering.
Chesterfield County
Julianna Palmera, student of Harold Palmera and Kellys Vargas, will attend Emory University.
Clarendon County
Nathan Phan, student of Chi Phan and Monica Phan, will attend Brown University.
Darlington County
Gianna Bambery, student of John Bambery and Veronica Gallo-Bambery, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Haven Modequillo, student of Ylva Grade Modequillo, will attend AMA University.
Mabel Brown, student of Gordon Brown and Martha Brown, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Taylor Salazar, student of Jenny Salazar, will attend Roanoke College.
Tyler Melton, student of Amy Melton, will attend Clemson University.
Zoe Latham, student of Monty Latham and Kimberly Latham, will attend Clemson University.
Dillon County
Brycelyn Berry, student of Bryan Berry and Monica Berry, will attend Francis Marion University.
Dorchester County
Elizabeth Simpson, student of Steve Simpson and Dana Simpson, will attend Furman University.
Ethan Anderson, student of Addis Anderson and Lauren Anderson, will attend Clemson University.
John David, student of Melissa David, will attend Clemson University.
William Lin, student of Jitong Lin and Wenmei Shao, will attend North Carolina State University.
Florence County
Abhinav Cheedipudi, student of Bhargavi Sanikommu, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Jermarion Frazier, student of Kisha Scott, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Om Patel, student of Malvika Patel, will attend Carnegie Mellon University.
Salvador Torres, student of Margarita Sanchez-Moerno, will attend Rice University.
Georgetown County
Jorja Jersek, student of Mark Jersek and Melissa Nordstrom, will attend the College of Charleston.
Greenville County
Adam Adderley, student of Cedric Adderley and Meisha Whitlock, will attend Drexel University.
Anna Byford, student of Elizabeth Byford, will attend Rochester Institute of Technology.
Katherine Crum, student of Angela Crum, Wofford College.
Iyanuoluwa Dosunmu, student of Basil Dsounmu and Ayodele Dosunmu, will attend Washington University in St. Louis.
Connor Dow, student of Jeffrey Dow and Jennifer Dow, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Emma Gully, student of Rick Gully and Jeannie Gully, will attend Clemson University.
James Hammond, student of Dana Messick, will attend Clemson University.
Lauren Hattan, student of Kara Hattan, will attend Clemson University.
Jessica Hu, student of Jane Zhang, will attend the University of California (Irvine).
Lillian Kinney, student of Edward Kinney and Elizabeth Kinney, will attend Rochester Institute of Technology.
Sare Koruk, student of Yavuz Koruk and Nevriye Koruk, will attend Duke University.
Gayatri Misra, student of Anadi Misra and Neeta Dubey, will attend Clemson University.
Eleanor Shepard, student of Michael Shepard and Nancy Shepard will attend The Ohio State University.
Tomoki Shiratori, student of Yusuke Shiratori and Hisae Shiratori, will attend the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities).
Matthew Smith, student of Katy Smith, will attend Clemson University.
Marcellus Smith, student of Marcie Smith, will attend Olin College of Engineering.
Armelle Varillas, student of Gerardo Varillas and Sonia Varillas, will attend Johns Hopkins University.
Michael Wang, student of Guoling Wang, will attend Duke University.
Emily Zhang, student of Zhe Zhang and Man Lu, will attend Clemson University.
Greenwood County
Jon Ali, student of Syed Ali and Farha Ali, will attend Clemson University.
Michael Gardner, student of David Gardner and Rebecca Gardner, will attend Purdue University.
Grant Sackmann, student of Diane Sackmann, will attend Grinnell College.
Raja Villareal, student of Rollo Villareal and Diem Villareal, will attend the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Ava Zou, student of Qiu Er Zou and Yun Chen, will attend the College of Charleston.
Kershaw County
Peyton Shaw, student of Michael Shaw and Pamela Shaw, will attend Rochester Institute of Technology.
Lancaster County
Michael Arambula, student of Jessee Aramnula and Sarah Godfrey-Arambula, will attend the College of Charleston.
Eric Gorski, student of Richard Gorski and Joanna Gorski, will attend Texas A&M University.
Reina Johnson, student of Revery Johnson and Celsa Johnson, will attend Clemson University.
Logan Senkier, student of Michael Senkier and Jennifer Senkier, will attend Clemson University.
Varun Sethi, student of Rahul Sethi and Sonali Sethi, will attend Clemson University.
Laurens County
Anna Kiley, student of Patrick Kiley and Kelly Kiley, will attend Loyola University Chicago.
Guillermo Sarah, student of Jeffery Scarlett and Katherine Scarlett, will attend the University of Rochester.
Lexington County
Marilyn Bertok, student of Steven Bertok and Rebecca Bertok, will attend Clemson University.
Sara Caldwell, student of Quinton Caldwell and Kristie Caldwell, will attend Harvey Mudd College.
Kathryn Follmer, student of Nicholas Follmer and Whitney Follmer, will attend Clemson University.
Audrey Hester, student of Sharon Shaw-Hester, will attend Michigan State University.
Elijah Hood, student of Michael Hood and Alison Hood, will attend Clemson University.
Charalampos Kiaris, student of Hippokratis Kiaris and Ioulia Chatzistamou, will attend the University of California (Los Angeles).
Jivana Kuhanandha, student of Mahalingham Kuhanandha and Indragandhi Kuhanandha, will attend the University of Washington.
Hir Panchal, student of Dharmesh Panchal and Jalpa Panchal, will attend Northeastern University.
Femur Rothenberger, student of Mark Rothenberger, will attend the College of Charleston.
Mackenzie Sturkie, student of Lindsey Sturkie and Kuniko Sturkie, will attend the College of Charleston.
Deniz Turk, student of Ercan Turk and Irina Turk, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Marion County
Lex Baker, student of Kirby Baker and Lisa Baker, will attend Rochester Institute of Technology.
Newberry County
James Tribble, student of James Tribble and Christine Tribble, will attend Clemson University.
Orangeburg County
Isoiza Isa, student of Onize Isa, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Wynter Stroman, student of Necole Stroman, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Pickens County
Katherine Feng, student of Xizhou Feng and Rong Ge, will attend Washington University in St. Louis.
Richland County
Nyasia Brown, student of Camelia Brown, will attend Johns Hopkins University.
Amiah Burton, student of Stevin Burton, will attend Spelman College.
Caroline Cadena, student of John Cadena and Shelley Cadena, will attend Clemson University.
Evelyn Cunningham, student of Robert Cunningham and Erin Cunningham, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Hollyn Downing, student of Paul Downing, will attend Clemson University.
Amaya Johnson, student of John Johnson and Bornita Johnson, will attend Rice University.
John Jones, student of John Jones Sr., will attend the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.
YeJoon Shin, student of Gil-Soo Shin and Myung Park, will attend Duke University.
Robert Tyson, student of Robert Tyson and Kimberly Tyson, will attend Rochester Institute of Technology.
Nikolaos Xanthakos, student of Pandelia Xanthakos, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Rachel Zheng, student of Karen Yu, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Spartanburg County
Charles Dugaw, student of Jubal Dugaw and Jill Dugaw, will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Demetrius Jackson, student of Helen Jackson, will attend Columbia University.
Aidan Sabin, student of Melody Sabin, will attend the University of Rochester.
Taliesin Vaneman, student of Kelly Vaneman, will attend Rochester Institute of Technology.
Tara Wright, student of Cathy Wright, will attend Carleton College.
Sumter County
Isaac McDougald, student of Phillip McDougald, will attend the College of Charleston.
Kirti Reddy, student of Padmanabha Byrappa and Sudharani Nanjaiah, will attend the College of Charleston.
York County
Ritisha Adusumilli, student of Sree Rama Adusumilli and Usha Parupudi, will attend the College of Charleston.
Hayes Brewer, student of Ryan Brewer and Victoria Brewer, will attend Clemson University.
Steven Cerabona, student of Joseph Cerabona, will attend Clemson University.
Riley Clark, student of Nathan Clark and Margaret Clark, will attend Clemson University.
Abram Crowder, student of Randolph Crowder and Jennifer Crowder, will attend Clemson University.
Dharani Kunireddi, student of Suresh Kunireddi, will attend Clemson University.
Mary Love, student of James Bolin and Gretchen Bolin, will attend the College of Charleston.
Olivia Nelson, student of Frank Nelson and Leah Martin, will attend the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Meera Patel, student of Seema Patel, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Alyia Santiago, student of Ricardo Santiago and Coryn Santiago, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Mritika Senthil, student of Vijaya Sadanandam, will attend the University of Pennsylvania.
Wyatt Shiltz, student of Carlton Shiltz, will attend Clemson University.
Keerthi Surisetty, student of Bhargavi Surisetty and Chandra Surisetty, will attend Clemson University.
Jack Veltkamp, student of Bradley Veltkamp and Cary Veltkamp, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Tianshuo Yang, student of Hang Yang and Xiu Ping Yang, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Miya Zhao, student of Huang Zhao and Feng Wang, will attend Yale University.
STEM Foundations Program
Berkeley County
Jordan Rawlinson, student of Wilbert Rawlinson and Tonya Rawlinson, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Charleston County
Sarah Bean, student of Miles Bean and Suzanne Bean, will attend the College of Charleston.
Dorchester County
Margaret O’Brien, student of Kevin O’Brien and Rebecca O’Brien, will attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Reagan Walker, student of Steve Walker and Mary Walker, will attend Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Greenville County
Havva Dokmeci, student of Adem Dokmeci and Gulhanim Dokmeci, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Dheeran Indiran, student of Indiran Balavinayagam and Karuna Manickam, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Lexington County
Haley Starnes, student of Kevin and Jennifer Starnes, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Marion County
Princess Brown, student of Sharon Dargan, will the University of South Carolina.
Richland County
Justin Lee, student of Chris and Sherri Lee, will attend the University of South Carolina.
Spartanburg County
Dayton Randolph, student of Garland Randolph and Tamala Randolph, will attend Winthrop University.
York County
Hayden Keene, student of Ryan Keene and Erin Keene, will attend Clemson University.
Joy Smith, student of Jane Smith, will attend Central Piedmont Community College.