Meet the 2022-2023 ACS Scholars
ACS Scholars Angelica Bonilla and Maxwell Plottel are making exciting plans for the future
By Kelly Rembold
ACS Scholars are an elite group of 40 undergraduate seniors who embody Carnegie Mellon’s high standards of academic excellence, volunteerism, leadership and involvement across the university. They represent the top 2% of their graduating class and are chosen each year by the university’s deans and department heads for their academic achievement, leadership and contribution to the CMU community. Each scholar receives a monetary award to advance their learning and career goals from an endowed fund established by generous ACS members.
Meet this year's Scholars.
Angelica Bonilla
Major: Computer Science and Arts
Hometown: Barranquilla, Colombia
Angelica Bonilla knew she wanted to attend a school with a dual degree program in arts and academics, and chose CMU because it provided the most interdisciplinary perspective. Her two favorite classes, algorithmic textile design and drawing with machines, provided her with the right toolset to build assistive technology for artists and technologists. They also helped define her current art practice and research interests. She’s keeping those interests in mind for the future as she hopes to build a creative lab or public space to support the art practices of herself and others.
During her time at CMU, Angelica taught a robot to dance, led a team of CMU students in creating and testing an augmented reality interface at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, interned at Google and presented her work at conferences.
“I simply don’t think I would have had the self-confidence, resilience or ability to accomplish what I had without this type of institutional support or if I had attended a different university,” Angelica says. “I truly am thankful for what this place has given me.”
Carmen Andrade
College of Engineering - Civil and Environmental Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico
Future Plans: Applying to master's programs in structural and earthquake engineering.
Maegen Bogetti
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - Global Studies, Environmental Sustainability Studies
Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania
Future Plans: Attend an environmental justice-focused graduate school program and conduct applied community-based research with communities that face environmental crises.
Erica Chiang
School of Computer Science - Computer Science
Portland, Oregon
Future Plans: I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science to study the interaction between algorithms and society, focused on issues like improving the quality of online interactions and making social systems more equitable.
Rae Duan
Mellon College of Science - Biological Sciences, Statistics
Zhuhai, China
Future Plans: Going to grad school (hopefully)!
Maxwell Plottel
Major: Behavioral Economics, Policy and Organizations, French and Francophone Studies
Hometown: Newton, Massachusetts
Maxwell Plottel chose CMU for its mixture of atmosphere and academics. He knew it was a friendly, dynamic place with a beautiful campus, and it was also the only place where he could major in behavioral economics as an undergraduate.
His interests include global trade, human behavior, geopolitics and history — areas he was able to explore through his education at CMU. The university also has helped him make valuable connections that guided his career path.
“I have been able to network extensively with CMU alumni in the fields I have interests in, which has been very helpful to me in distilling what I want to do after graduation,” Maxwell says.
Those future plans include working in commodities trading for a firm specializing in energy. As an ACS Scholar, he also looks forward to staying connected with the university and giving back.
“I am joining a cohort of people who believe in giving back to CMU and maintaining a lifelong commitment to the university, which is something I am excited to be able to be active in.”
Alejandro Gonzalez Lazaro
College of Engineering - Electrical and Computer Engineering
Monterrey
Future Plans: I plan to continue my education at CMU by finishing up the integrated master's/bachelor's program. After that, I'm planning to continue working in industry.
Matthew Grzybowski
College of Engineering - Civil Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy
Future Plans: I plan to pursue religious life with the Pittsburgh Oratory, doing campus ministry with CMU and Pitt Students.
Nicole Guccione
College of Fine Arts - Euphonium Performance
Rockland County, New York
Future Plans: I'm planning to take a gap year to travel, gain experience in my field and work. After this gap year, I may pursue grad school and hope to build a portfolio career in the field intersecting social justice and music.
Buyuan (Bill) Guo
School of Computer Science - Human-Computer Interaction
Shanghai, China
Olivia Corrodi
College/Major: School of Computer Science - Computer Science and Robotics, Business Administration, Human Computer Interaction
Hometown: Princeton, New Jersey
Future Plans: Working at Hive as a software engineer in San Francisco.
“My favorite CMU class was space robotics, through which I worked on MoonRanger, an autonomous lunar micro-rover. Having the opportunity to contribute to such an impactful project was an amazing experience and unlike many of the other courses I've taken.”
Nikki Hasson
College of Engineering - Mechanical Engineering , Biomedical Engineering
Torrance, California
Future Plans: I will be joining Procter & Gamble as an associate scientist in Cincinnati, Ohio. I will be working within the corporate functions department conducting upstream rapid prototyping and research and development for all the company's brands.
Dakota Hernandez
School of Computer Science - Computer Science
San Diego, California
Future Plans: I plan on working as a gameplay engineer for 1047 Games, the development team behind the game Splitgate.
Alice Ho
College of Engineering - Material Science and Engineering
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Future Plans: Grad school for a master’s degree and Ph.D. in electrical engineering or applied physics. Alternatively, I'm planning to get a full-time job in a relevant industry and go to grad school later.
Alison Hu
College of Fine Arts - Design, Human Computer Interaction & Game Design
Alpharetta, Georgia
Future Plans: I'll be working in the gaming industry as a UX designer in Los Angeles.
Aaron Garrison
College/Major: College of Engineering - Chemical Engineering
Hometown: Tacoma, Washington
Future Plans: I plan to pursue a Ph.D. in chemical engineering after graduation.
“My favorite CMU experience has probably been doing undergraduate research with Dr. Zachary Ulissi. Research has provided me with excellent opportunities to both apply the concepts I learn in courses as well as learn new skills in a more specific subdomain. The opportunity to take ownership of my own project, collaborate with the other members of the group, and see the novel work being done in my field all led me to discover my love for research, and inspired me to want to pursue a Ph.D. after graduation."
Rachel Koenig
Mellon College of Science - Physics, Hispanic Studies
Harrison, New York
Future Plans: Still figuring it out.
Caroline Kroger
College of Fine Arts - Art, Animation
Houston, Texas
Future Plans: I plan to continue my pursuit as a professional artist, working as a studio assistant and developing my work.
Zachary Leventhal
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - Economics and Mathematical Sciences, Statistics and Machine Learning
Brookeville, Maryland
Future Plans: Ultimately, I would like to get a Ph.D. in economics and possibly pursue an academic career. Leading up to that, for the next two years, I will be working as a predoctoral research assistant at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. My job will be to assist Professor Amy Finkelstein in her research, which is in the fields of health economics and public economics.
Kevin Lin
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - Information Systems
Wassenaar, Netherlands
Future Plans: I'll be joining Radix Trading as a quantitative developer in New York City.
Allison Hunter
College/Major: College of Engineering - Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering
Hometown: Pleasanton, California
Future Plans: Post grad, I am returning to San Francisco to work as a software engineer at Multiply Labs.
“My favorite CMU experience was going to the Final Four my freshman year for CMU women's soccer. It was unreal playing in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament and representing Carnegie Mellon on a national level. I have made so many amazing friends through the women's soccer team, and I gained so many life skills while playing for the Tartans.”
Greta Luo
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Science - Statistics
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Future Plans: I will be working in tech consulting this summer and will return to CMU for a master's degree in the information systems management, business intelligence and data analytics pathway.
Eran Ozsafati
School of Computer Science - Artificial Intelligence
Istanbul, Turkey
Future Plans: I'm planning on moving to San Francisco to work in the perception team for an autonomous vehicle company.
Sidney Rubinowicz
College of Fine Arts - Stage and Production Management
Wellington, Florida
Future Plans: I plan to move to New York City and freelance in stage management, ideally working on new play and musical workshops. I would also like to be an apprentice or fellow in stage management at a nonprofit theater in the city.
Emilia Schwallie
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - Ethics, History and Public Policy, French and Francophone Studies
Weston, Massachusetts
Future Plans: I will be attending University of California, Berkeley School of Law as part of the Class of 2026.
Chalisa (Jean) Udompanyawit
College/Major: College of Engineering - Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering
Hometown: Thailand
Future Plans: I'll be pursuing integrated master’s/bachelor’s program in electrical and computer engineering and will go back home to be a professor in Thailand.
"Our school has a lot of great minds that share a diverse range of passions. Being able to learn from those people out of your field is always eye-opening to me.”
Ryan Shaw
Tepper School of Business - Business Administration, Economics
Emerson, New Jersey
Future Plans: Investment banking analyst at Lazard in New York.
Joseph Shin
Mellon College of Science - Chemistry
Demarest, New Jersey
Future Plans: Attend medical school.
Ankitha Vasudev
College of Fine Arts - Architecture, Human-Computer Interaction
Bangalore, India
Future Plans: I will be continuing my education at CMU with the accelerated master's degree program in human-computer interaction and graduate in December 2023.
Sheldon Yawson
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - Psychology
New York City, New York
Iris Pan
College/Major: College of Engineering - Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering
Hometown: Johns Creek, Georgia
Future Plans: After graduating from integrated master’s/bachelor’s program in December 2023, I plan on going into industry as a medical device engineer. I hope to work in the research and development or clinical engineering space on devices that can better patients' lives.
“My favorite class at CMU was Chinese Calligraphy! It was a great way to learn and connect more with my culture while also combining my love for creative expression.”
Remi Adeoti
Tepper School of Business - Business Administration
Teaneck, New Jersey
Fatima Alhamadi
Carnegie Mellon University Qatar - Biological Sciences
Mohammed Al-Jawaheri
Carnegie Mellon University Qatar - Computer Science
Nabi Efe Cekirge
School of computer Science - Computer Science
Ashni Mathuria
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - English
Ola Owodunni
Mellon College of Science - Biological Sciences
Caillou Pena
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences - International Relations and Politics
Khunpob Sereesuchart
Mellon College of Science - Mathematical Sciences
Amanda Wagner
Tepper School of Business - Business Administration
