South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics Celebrates the Class of 2025 at Commencement Ceremony

June 2, 2025

HARTSVILLE, S.C. (June 2, 2025) — The South Carolina Governor’s School for Science & Mathematics (GSSM) celebrated the achievements of its Residential and STEM Foundations Class of 2025 during a commencement ceremony held Friday, May 30, at the DeLoach Center on the campus of Coker University.

The ceremony honored students from across South Carolina who successfully completed one of the school’s two intensive STEM programs. GSSM’s Residential program offers a two-year, on-campus high school experience in Hartsville, while the STEM Foundations program provides an online, rigorous STEM curriculum.

This year’s keynote speaker was GSSM alumnus Neel Sus ('95), an award-winning engineer, entrepreneur and investor whose career spans advanced technology, healthcare, and renewable energy. In his address, Sus encouraged graduates to lead with curiosity, courage, and compassion as they navigate their futures.

Navneeth Nalajala, a York County senior who will attend Drexel University, was selected by the faculty as the student speaker. His remarks reflected on the resilience, growth, and friendships shared by the Class of 2025.

“The 36th graduating class of GSSM now joins a global network of nearly 3,000 Govie alumni,” said President Danny Dorsel. “The Class of 2025 is filled with remarkable young women and men poised to make a positive and innovative impact on the world. We are honored they chose to spend their final two years of high school at GSSM, and we wish them continued success as they embark on the next chapter of their academic and personal journeys.”

Graduates from both programs have been accepted to top-tier institutions including Princeton University, Duke University, the University of Chicago, the United States Naval Academy, Emory University, and many of South Carolina’s flagship universities. Students plan to pursue degrees in fields ranging from biomedical science and aerospace engineering to international relations and computer science.

A recording of the ceremony is available on GSSM’s official YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@scgssm1988) for those who were unable to attend in person.

A full list of graduates, including their hometowns and college destinations, follows:

Aiken

Brenda Garrett, Wingate University
Adam Towner, Rice University
Roland Yang, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Anderson

Audrey Howard, College of Charleston
Daniel Lin, University of South Carolina
Jacob Rizk, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Daytona Beach)

Barnwell

Amolik Sinha, Clemson University

Beaufort

Matthew Bertagna, Clemson University
Peter Dastous, University of California (Los Angeles)
Eleanor McLeod, University of South Carolina
Evan Phillips, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Emily Wilson, University of South Carolina

Berkeley

Abigail Bailey, Harvey Mudd College
Bryson Still, Clemson University
Mason Taylor, University of South Carolina
Laurel Wallace, United States Naval Academy

Charleston

Parveen Adem, Case Western Reserve University
Madisen Oberg, Texas A&M University
Jack Szymanski, University of Colorado Boulder

Colleton

Niquee Agina, College of Charleston

Darlington

Ella Alexander, Clemson University
Whitt Byrd, Clemson University
Travis Flippin, University of South Carolina
Sarah Henderson, The University of Alabama
Roberto Rigoni, University of South Carolina
Daniel Threatt, University of South Carolina
Ryan Watford, Baylor University

Dorchester

Layla Anderson, Clemson University
Christopher Ivey, Clemson University
Jean Lim, Purdue University (Main Campus)
Teagan Mann, Boston University
Sage Touchberry, University of California (Los Angeles)

Edgefield

Kaitlyn Reeder, University of South Carolina

Florence

Elizabeth Aniello, Amherst College
Annie Chen, Washington University in St. Louis
Joshua Chen, Clemson University
David Coman, University of South Carolina
Saicharan Nagalla, University of South Carolina
Kori Rouse, College of Charleston
Ava Shockey, Clemson University
Peter Steinmetz, Columbia University
Sophia Stevenson, Clemson University

Georgetown

Samantha Ford, College of Charleston

Greenville

Jenna Ackerman, Clemson University
Tabitha Bowlin, North Carolina State University
HiuLam Chen, Indiana University (Bloomington)
Aedan Honohan, Clemson University
Truman Sebanc, University of Minnesota (Twin Cities)
Gael Valverde Taipe, Princeton University
Grace Zhang, University of South Carolina

Greenwood

Shirley Gardner, University of Kentucky
Yo Lai, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Horry

Samuel Bennett, Coastal Carolina University
Daniel Hartford, Lewis & Clark College
Braeden Montroy, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Kershaw

Madeline Catoe, Auburn University
Mary Catoe, Auburn University
Rehden DuRant, Georgia Southern University

Lancaster

Makena Barker, University of South Carolina
Aidan Chirico, Clemson University
Esther Cho, University of South Carolina
Rachel Graham, College of Charleston
Robert Johnson, Clemson University
Alyssa Norgaard, University of South Carolina
Addison Reginato, University of Michigan
Brendan Stagner Mancini, College of Charleston

Laurens

Lenys Sarah, University of Rochester

Lexington

Gabriel Barahona Smith, Citadel Military College of South Carolina
Jordyn Boulet, Furman University
Preston Coplen, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Maxwell Corwin, University of South Carolina
Katherine Dawkins, Clemson University
David Floyd, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Hutch Froese, Clemson University
Bose Kaikini, University of South Carolina
Brinda Panchal, Clemson University
Rishi Patel, Clemson University
Junior Tchapmou, University of South Carolina
Khushi Udani, University of South Carolina

Marion

Sanjith Sunil, Clemson University

Marlboro

Chloe English, University of South Carolina
Hayden Snyder, University of South Carolina

Newberry

Ashby Birmingham, Undecided

Oconee

MacKenna Baum, University of South Carolina
Shivali Patel, Clemson University
Breana VanAtter, Clemson University

Pickens

Dorothy Hood, Wofford College

Richland

Raymond Chen, Carnegie Mellon University
Xandrea Farmer, Wake Forest University
Patrick Li, University of South Carolina
Alexander Pan, University of Chicago
Landon Park, University of South Carolina
Isaac Srulevich, University of New Hampshire (Main Campus)
Isabella McDonald, University of South Carolina
Samantha Witcher, Wake Forest University

Spartanburg

Bennett Brockman, University of South Carolina
Alexis Gonzalez-Banchi, University of South Carolina
Gabriel Howe, University of South Carolina
Excellia Liu, Duke University
Anna Orlova, Vanderbilt University

Sumter

Jacob Geddings, College of Charleston

Union

Dallas Crosby, Clemson University

Williamsburg

Noel English, North Carolina A & T State University
Samantha Preeal William Lenord Sajeev, University of South Carolina

York

Alexandra Adams, Roanoke College
Maryelena Baldassarre, Clemson University
Arpan Bansal, Clemson University
John Banzon, Rutgers University (New Brunswick)
Dao Bui, University of South Carolina
Wyatt Burton, Winthrop University
Shatakshi Dixit, Clemson University
Atif Ejazi, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Manav Harikumar, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Akhil Kanthamneni, University of Pennsylvania
Elijah Kasal, University of South Carolina
Jared Kehr, Truman State University
Sydney LaSala, University of South Carolina
Yuri Ma, University of South Carolina
Shreya Mathur, University of South Carolina
Mariana Mikhael, Rutgers University (New Brunswick)
Navneeth Nalajala, Drexel University
Akshara NallaReddy, Indiana University (Bloomington)
Paolina Naneva, University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh)
Jason Reggero, Liberty University
Dalton Smith, Clemson University
Lena Vicari, College of Charleston
Peyton Weidner, Clemson University
Shie Yanagi, University of South Carolina
XinYue Yang, Oxford College of Emory University
Renan Yilmaz, Winthrop University
Phoenix Zhao, University of Chicago

STEM Foundations Program graduates