Wilmington Student Wins Full-Tuition Scholarship

WILMINGTON, MA — A Wilmington student has been awarded a full-tuition scholarship. Yale University freshman AJ LaConte won the Science Ambassador Scholarship, a full-tuition scholarship for undergraduate women and non-binary students in science, technology, engineering, and math, according to a statement.

The scholarship is sponsored by the game Cards Against Humanity. The program was created with proceeds from the game's "Science Pack" and "Climate Catastrophe Pack."

Each year, scholarship applicants upload short videos to YouTube, delivering a mini-lecture about a STEM topic they find interesting.

An advisory board of 45 science and tech professionals with advanced degrees judge the applications, picking one full-tuition winner each year.

LaConte "captivated the judges’ attention this year with their three-minute video on Doppler shifts," according to the statement.

“What drew me to AJ’s application was their clear commitment to teaching and mentoring across a broad spectrum of subjects. I am excited to watch AJ as they start their ambassadorship,” Scholarship Co-Chair Diana SM Buist said in a statement.

Since 2015 the scholarship has received more than ten thousand application videos from students around the world.

“I’m completely overwhelmed with gratitude for this opportunity," LaConte said in a statement. "I’ve had so much fun making videos so far, and I can’t wait to come up with more fun topics and develop a full collection of them. I hope that this platform will allow me to be a role-model for other trans and nonbinary STEM students, as I know how important having those figures in my life have been in helping me feel confident in myself and my pursuits."

LaConte's goal is to do research in astrophysics.