NC State Goodnight Scholars Named

North Carolina State University’s Goodnight Scholars Program revealed the 50 students selected for its Class of 2020. The students, selected from a pool of 96 finalists, come from nearly 700 North Carolina applicants.

Biographies of the students are available here.

“We are excited to announce our eighth class of Goodnight Scholars,” said Allison Medlin, director of the Goodnight Scholars Program. “They are a truly exceptional group, representing 29 North Carolina counties and 21 different STEM and education majors. Their academic and personal accomplishments while in high school were remarkable, and we can’t wait to see what they do at NC State.”

The 96 finalists were selected from a pool of 695 candidates from across North Carolina. Finalists were interviewed by current and former NC State faculty, staff, and alumni, as well as industry representatives from SAS Institute and the Kenan Fellows Program. Finalists demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in their high school careers, including stellar academic and extracurricular achievement, community engagement, and inspiring goals for success in the STEM and/or STEM education fields.

The Goodnight Scholars Program was established in 2008 out of the philanthropic generosity of North Carolina natives and NC State alumni Dr. Jim Goodnight, co-founder of global business analytic software leader, SAS Institute, and Mrs. Ann Goodnight, director of community relations at SAS Institute and secretary for the NC State Board of Trustees.

The Goodnight Scholars Program is targeted at North Carolina residents from middle-income families who aspire to study in a science, technology, education, mathematics (STEM) or STEM-related education discipline at NC State. Students who are accepted into the program receive an annual scholarship valued at $19,500 per year for up to four years ($78,000 total).

Over its eight years, the Goodnight Scholars Program has evolved into a comprehensive student development program focused on cultivating professional and personal skills for 200 current Goodnight Scholars through a series of programming initiatives. Scholars receive guidance from local and national STEM industry leaders and entrepreneurs; participate in professional development workshops; and engage in local, national, and international outreach efforts. These efforts include STEM-education outreach to Triangle elementary schools, as well as service trips to Trinidad and Tobago. Each programming initiative sponsored by the Goodnight Scholars Program strives to “develop critical skills and habits necessary for academic achievement; expose and educate students to current trends and advancement in the STEM and education industries; and establish strong personal and/or professional relationships with fellow Goodnight Scholars, NC State faculty/staff, NC State alumni, and STEM/education professionals.”

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