How A Pelham Senior Earned A Place Among Just 300 Regeneron Scholars

PELHAM, NY — A remarkable student, who recently made a name for herself on the world stage, said that hard work and late nights is only part of the story, and that it really does take a village.

Pelham senior Aadita Roy was one of just 300 students across the U.S. and 10 other countries to be named a scholar in the Regeneron Science Talent Search competition, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math competition for high school seniors.

Roy's achievement marks the fifth time in the past seven years and third in a row the school has had at least one student named to the Regeneron Talent Search Competition.

Roy’s project is titled "Pro-Inflammatory Macrophages Induce Pyroptotic Death of β-Cell; Modeling Macrophage-Mediated Pancreatic Endocrine β-Cell Damage Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Vascularized Macrophage-Islet Organoids."

And if her study sounds like it involved a lot of hard work, you're not wrong, but she said she had plenty of support along the way.

"Being recognized as a Regeneron STS scholar is a tremendous honor that I hold with great pride," Roy said. "The journey leading up to this has been filled with countless late nights in the lab and at school, dedicated to conducting research, writing my paper, and finally gaining the courage to hit submit on my application. I am very proud of the hard work that has brought me to this point, and I am grateful for the support of my mentors, teachers, and peers who have been instrumental in my journey. From current students actively pursuing excellence in science research to alumni feedback and support, this achievement reflects the continuous dedication from the Pelham science research community that fuels our program's success."

Pelham Memorial High School Science Research teacher Steve Beltecas said that support is evident throughout the school system.

He thanked Principal Mark Berkowitz for his support of the program and Tom Callahan, the District’s Director of Math & Science, who spearheaded an initiative to bolster writing skills for science students. Beltecas also expressed gratitude to fellow science research teachers Joe DiBello and Lori Tortorella, who joined the program this school year and Middle School Science Teacher Maria Buckley, who advises the school’s STEAM Research Club.

"Receiving recognition from such a distinguished organization and participating in this esteemed competition is a validation of the strides we have made in improving our writing skills," Beltecas said. "This honor speaks volumes about the commitment and excellence that define our Science writing initiative. We take immense pride in the progress we have achieved, and this award serves as a motivating force to continue our pursuit of excellence in the field of writing. We are so proud of all of our students in our program as a win for one is a win for all."

Scholars in the Regeneron Talent Search were chosen based on their outstanding research, leadership skills, community involvement, commitment to academics, creativity in asking scientific questions and demonstration of exceptional promise as leaders in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through original, independent research projects, essays, and recommendations. The 300 scholars hail from 196 American and international high schools in 36 states and China.