BEAM is excited to announce the fourth class of scholarship recipients through our College Scholars program! These scholarships are made possible thanks to the incredible generosity of our corporate partners, Hudson River Trading and Jane Street.
The scholarships enable BEAM students to attend their dream college and pursue their academic goals, even when financial barriers might otherwise stand in the way. With this invaluable support, our scholars can fully focus on their STEM education.
In addition, we are also thrilled to share three College Scholars who have been awarded scholarships sponsored by BEAM. These BEAM students have excelled in our math-focused programs and we know that they will continue to thrive as they move on to the next stage of their STEM journey.
We’re so proud of these accomplished students and all they’ve achieved. Keep reading to learn more about our new College Scholars!
brandon c.
Brandon’s scholarship is sponsored by Jane Street. He is attending Case Western Reserve University where he will double major in Computer Science and Computer Engineering.
In middle school, I struggled with identity and purpose as I went through a variety of personal and financial issues. When BEAM first came to my school, I remember being one of the few who were excited. I had been waiting for a challenge, for something bigger than myself or what was offered in my school. Through BEAM, I discovered and have maintained my passion for computer science since 7th grade.
BEAM made me feel special. BEAM challenged me, believed in me, and opened the doors to opportunities I never imagined. It was through BEAM that I discovered my talent in math and my passion for engineering. I took my first computer science class because of BEAM, and from there, my interest only grew. BEAM recommended me for enrichment programs like the Center for Talented Youth (CTY) at Johns Hopkins, where I explored engineering design and Arduino prototyping. Those experiences allowed me to explore different areas in my field.
BEAM wasn't the end of my passion; it became a part of my problem-solving and challenge-seeking personality. I continued to seek opportunities of my own. I started taking computer science classes in school and sought out opportunities on my own. I earned a paid internship with the DOE through CS4ALL, where I learned Java, and I completed a two-semester course in quantum computing with The Coding School.
Every step of the way, BEAM was in the background — whether it was the Saturday classes, SAT prep, or helping me find programs like CODE, a summer coding experience that strengthened my skills. Even when I didn’t initially pass the CTY placement test the first time, BEAM encouraged me to try again. On my second attempt, I succeeded, and that small change resulted in so many other changes — my maturity as an athlete, a student, and a minority grew in ways I never imagined.
Today, I’m preparing to attend Case Western Reserve University, one of the top colleges in the country for STEM. I plan to double major in Computer Science and Computer Engineering, with a minor in Cybersecurity. After that, I plan to earn my master’s in Robotics.
BEAM was the beginning of this journey. BEAM showed me that being a kid from Brooklyn — a kid with dreams bigger than my circumstances — didn’t mean I couldn’t achieve great things. This scholarship will help me continue this path, allowing me to pursue my education without financial barriers and stay true to the goal I set for myself years ago: to one day create technology that empowers and uplifts underrepresented communities, just like BEAM empowered me.
In the future, I also hope to work for BEAM. I want to live up to my passion to give back to the program — and more importantly, to the community it serves — regardless of the wealth or success I once thought I needed to do so. BEAM helped me find my purpose, and I want to be part of helping the next generation find theirs.
nehemias d.
Nehemias’s scholarship is sponsored by Jane Street. He is attending UCLA where he will major in mathematics.
When I was younger, I hated the idea of education. Like every child, I felt my time would be better spent elsewhere, viewing school as another boring feature of life. However, even then, one subject piqued my interest: mathematics.
By middle school, I had grown to adore math, and I quickly progressed through my classes. Soon after, my math teacher introduced me to BEAM, and despite my initial reservations, I promptly signed up. The moment I began BEAM Discovery, my whole life changed. Surrounded by students and staff who shared my passion for mathematics, I quickly fell in love with BEAM, and I thrived. I took advanced-level math courses that a low-income student like me couldn’t receive elsewhere. While initially intimidating, the program became the catalyst that sparked my passion for mathematics and nurtured my desire for knowledge. I’m extremely grateful for everything BEAM has given me.
Throughout high school, my love for mathematics grew. I took the highest-level courses provided to me, including AP Calculus AB and BC in my junior and senior years. While the work was grueling at times, the sensation of finally understanding a complex concept is what kept me hooked. I also had opportunities to teach younger students and found it extremely rewarding to help them grasp concepts that they struggled with. Additionally, I grew to enjoy sciences like chemistry and physics, which often explore the real-world applications of mathematics. Overall, my high school experiences were key to my mathematical journey and gave me a greater appreciation for STEM as a whole.
Naturally, I applied to university, choosing to major in mathematics. College applications were stressful and confusing; however, BEAM’s support kept me on track. Through BEAM’s college access program, I had the support I needed to craft quality college profiles, eventually leading to my acceptance to UCLA, where I have now committed. At UCLA, I hope to join clubs and activities that align with my interests, while continuing to take rigorous courses as I work towards my bachelor’s degree. BEAM has given a low-income, first-generation college student like me the chance to thrive, and for that, I am eternally grateful. I’d like to work with BEAM again in the future, contributing to the positive environment they have cultivated while spreading the beauty of mathematics to younger generations.
While I’m not entirely set on a career path, I hope to use my love for mathematics and problem-solving to make a difference. Specifically, I’d like to help low-income individuals like myself receive the quality education they deserve. As someone who’s received help from programs like BEAM, I understand the importance of a high-quality support network throughout your educational career, and I’d like to give future students the same opportunities I was given.
I know I cannot achieve these goals without continuing my education, so this scholarship is critical to my success. Without the support of this scholarship, my college tuition would impose a significant financial burden on my family. This scholarship significantly helps me finance my education as I work towards my long-term goals.
daisy d.
Daisy’s scholarship is sponsored by BEAM. She is attending UC San Diego where she will major in Biology.
When I was younger, I didn’t have much of an interest in math. It was just a subject I happened to excel in and that I had to do well in to get to college. Then BEAM visited my middle school and explained how their program was not only meant to hone our math skills but would also support us throughout high school and college. During the entrance examination, I was nervous about the problems I was solving. Some of the questions felt too easy for an advanced math program, and others I felt would take too long to solve in the amount of time they gave us. Then some questions were so bizarre that I almost forgot I was taking a math exam. But these strange questions were the ones I had most fun solving.
During my first summer at BEAM, math became more than just a graduation requirement. At the end of each day, I felt sad having to leave Kohyang Middle School. The classes I took made me realize the intricate world of math. I would take Sarah’s riddle class again if I could, and listen to Taylor talk about different strategies to win games using statistics. And, God, could I eat their delicious lunch food for all the lifetimes all of humanity has ever lived. But most of all I was relieved to have found a community within BEAM—within staff and students—to share these beautiful memories of spending the summer days chatting about math (MATH!).
In eighth grade when I was struggling with geometry, BEAM was there to offer support. If it had not been for them, then I would not have been prepared to take AP classes during high school. During senior year, when our college counselor was too busy to help all of us, Yesenia was there to offer her support. If not for the generosity and passion of the staff in this program, I might not have realized how fun math really is. When I play a sudoku and my friends wonder how I could find enjoyment in playing that game, I recall all the SAMSAMs I solved during my first summer at BEAM. When I read an explanation on how to solve a statistics problem, I remember the pride I felt when I wrote a math proof during my second summer at BEAM. Math and BEAM have become such ∫ parts of my life.
rica h.
Rica’s scholarship is sponsored by Hudson River Trading. She is attending CUNY Hunter College where she will double major in Computer Science and Mathematics.
In the summer after sixth grade, I joined the Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics (BEAM) program. That was the first time I felt like I truly belonged in a space where people loved learning math. BEAM wasn’t just about solving equations—it was about exploring ideas, asking questions, and learning to think deeply. I still remember struggling with a logic puzzle during open math time, and how proud I felt when I finally figured it out. BEAM made math exciting and helped me see how creative and rewarding STEM could be.
Since then, BEAM has been with me every step of the way. They supported me through the high school application process, gave me access to amazing programs and trips, and helped guide me toward college. Five years later, I returned to BEAM as a counselor. I wanted to give back by creating the same welcoming environment I once experienced. During open math sessions, I helped students tackle hard problems and reminded them that it’s okay to make mistakes. One student told me, “Thank you for showing me math is fun.” That moment meant a lot to me because it felt like a full-circle moment from when I was a camper.
Now, I plan to major in computer science and math because I enjoy solving problems and creating things that can help others. BEAM helped me believe in my abilities and showed me how powerful support and encouragement can be. This scholarship will help ease the financial burden of college and give me more freedom to focus on learning, internships, and research. I’m excited to keep building bridges, just like BEAM taught me.
jipper r.
Jipper’s scholarship is sponsored by BEAM. He is attending UCLA where he will major in Business Economics.
My interest in math grew at a very young age. My dad would teach me basic math concepts before school started, so going into kindergarten and 1st grade, I had a strong foundation already. Because of this, math became very easy for me. Simple addition that would take students multiple minutes to solve, I could do in a few seconds. However, as I got older and more mature, my interest for math developed into something else. It was when I took AP Calculus AB in 11th grade that I was pushed to my limits in math (no pun intended), and also when I realized why I liked it. My teacher would always tell me that they liked giving problems harder than the AP exam to better prepare students for the AP test. And it was when I was taking their tests, getting stuck on a problem for multiple minutes, my brain running through numbers and formulas… when... in an instant... my brain comes up with the next 10 steps to solving the problem. I really like how math makes me think and use problem solving, forcing me to solve a puzzle and piece things together using prior knowledge. I like how math encourages my brain to think at rapid speed, and that eureka moment when I do come up with the answer.
This enjoyment for math has always been with me, but pushing myself by taking AP Calculus AB made it clear why I enjoyed it. Because of my hard work, I was able to score an amazing 4 in AP Calculus AB, and as a senior, I am currently the only student in my high school who is taking AP Calculus BC, and using online resources like Khan Academy and YouTube to guide me. While I do not know my score yet, I feel very confident that I got a passing score, and am proud of my math skills.
My journey with math would be incomplete without acknowledging the tremendous support that BEAM has provided for me to help cultivate this interest. Specifically, when I took a Saturday class titled “Financial Mathematics”. This class really opened my eyes to the possibilities of math in the real world. I learned the basics of investing, how you could invest only a couple of dollars a month, and by the time you are 65, you would already be a billionaire. The world of money and math connected with me so much because it related to my favorite hobby of playing video games. Similar to obtaining an item that would help you progress faster in a video game, or changing your strategy to get a desired outcome you want, the world of money acts similarly, just like if you choose to invest your money in some place, you could progress faster and exponentially compared to if you just kept it. BEAM has taught me valuable pathways that the subjects of mathematics could lead to. And it is this specific class that I took for one semester in 10th grade that ultimately cultivated my interest in economics, and is the reason why I am going to be pursuing Business Economics at UCLA. I do not know where this major will take me, but I know that I am passionate about combining mathematics with the world of money, whether that be as an econometrist, a business analyst, a consultant, or even as an investment banker. BEAM really helped me decide where I want to take my math passion to study.
This scholarship will be such an amazing opportunity and support for me and my family, since paying for college has been one of the biggest things I’ve been worrying about this entire semester while waiting for my college admission decisions. The financial support is a big relief to my family, and to my mental health. Along with the constant support from BEAM, it will ensure that I will be able to succeed as a BEAM scholarship student in college.
I am 18 years old and I’m sure a lot of you all have been in a similar position as me at my age, where the world looks so full of opportunities so overwhelming at the same time. So while I am uncertain of what I want to do with my life, I do know this: I want math to be a core aspect of whatever I end up being in the future. Whether that be in economics, business, or another field, I want math to be in any career I pursue.
Finally, I want to give a big thank you to the sponsors of this scholarship. I really appreciate your value and significance for education, and specifically the importance of mathematics in our world. You are changing dozens of lives, just like you are about to do with mine. I am sure I can speak for every student when I say, this is a life changing opportunity and will definitely help us achieve the dreams we want to.
Diego r.
Diego’s scholarship is sponsored by Jane Street. He is attending UC Berkeley where he will major in Engineering.
Math and science have always been my favorite subjects. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to explore my STEM interests at school. Every school I went to only offered the most basic classes, and I was stuck taking classes where I already knew everything. The only reason I didn’t lose interest in STEM was because of BEAM.
BEAM gave me the opportunities that my school never gave me. They offered classes where I learned topics such as category theory. They even taught us about life skills, like how to write an email to how to build a resume. Even as I was preparing to go to college, BEAM helped me understand my financial aid options so I could make the most informed decision when choosing a college to commit to.
Thanks to the support I received from BEAM, this fall I will be attending UC Berkeley, where I will be majoring in engineering.
To this day, STEM-related topics continue to be my favorite subjects. The more I learn, the more I am reminded and fascinated by the fact that we can explain so many things through math and science. This interest is something I will continue to grow as I move on to college.
As I start my college journey, I am so grateful to receive this scholarship, because one of the biggest obstacles in pursuing the college of my dreams was financial aid. If I didn’t get the aid I needed, I knew I would be forced to make difficult choices, potentially leading to me missing out on lots of opportunities. Without this scholarship, my dreams of being the first in my family to graduate college and eventually getting a master’s degree may have never been a possibility.
desara z.
Desara’s scholarship is sponsored by BEAM. She is attending CUNY City College and will major in Chemical Engineering.
I consider the day I learned about BEAM to be one of the most defining moments in my academic journey. At the time, I thought I liked math simply because it felt straightforward. However, BEAM showed me that math wasn’t just about getting the answer in the end, it was about thinking outside of the scopes I was taught to stay within, asking deeper questions, and developing a persistence that turned setbacks into a drive for motivation rather than discouragement. What I once saw as simple memorization and replication turned into satisfying logic, and I realized that I wasn’t just enjoying math when I did something right; I had a genuine curiosity for it.
One of my most memorable experiences at the Discovery program was “free math time.” It was the first time in an educational setting where I felt completely in control of what I got to work on. My go-to was usually working on the 100 Challenge Problems, one of which began my specialized interest in proofs. In that problem, I was tasked with cutting a single hexagon into two, but of course, knowing BEAM, I wasn’t told how. Rather, it's a work of labor at first, making attempts, starting again, and adding onto a past technique. This was an effective mini-example of the logical thinking seen in proofs. A type of reasoning that later became a skill I was set on improving upon, and even became one of the first skills I wrote on my curriculum vitae.
After Discovery, I wasn’t ready to leave BEAM, and thankfully, it felt like BEAM wasn’t planning on doing so anytime soon either. They were always there with Saturday class invitations, the BEAM Pathway being brought to my attention, and the constant emails about new outside opportunities. Through all of it, they reminded me through everything that success isn’t about just having a knack for something or some fixed level of talent, but that it’s about the effort I bring to everything I do.
Later, BEAM itself helped jumpstart the other key moments I would see in my educational journey. They helped me prepare for the SHSAT, resulting in my acceptance into The Bronx High School of Science. Beyond academics, BEAM also gave me a strong foundation in collaboration, which became a blueprint for how I later worked with other people while conducting research in a neuroscience lab. It was my first real experience with the kind of teamwork and communication these types of environments demanded.
Today, still being the kid who blocks out everything to focus on a problem, I plan to bring that same energy as I major in Chemical Engineering at college. And I know that I have the Bridge to Entering Advanced Mathematics to thank for being the bridge that has been helping take me from where I was to where I want to be.