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Three transfer students who are eager to see how an Elmhurst University education will shape their futures have been named the top three winners of the 2025 Elmhurst University Transfer Scholarship Competition.
Stefan Soh, a student-athlete from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, who is transferring to Elmhurst this fall to study computer science, received the first-place award — a $10,000 renewable scholarship for up to two years of study at Elmhurst. Trinity Barrueta, of Riverside, Illinois, who is transferring to Elmhurst to study bioinformatics, was awarded the second-place $5,000 renewable scholarship. The third-place award, a $2,500 renewable scholarship, was given to Khamiya Langston, of Maywood, Illinois, who plans to study accounting.
A record 127 transfer students, most from area community colleges, participated in this year’s scholarship competition. In the first round, applicants were asked to submit a video about a defining moment when their curiosity drove them to explore something in a different way; and how that moment would affect their experience at Elmhurst and beyond.
For the second-round event, called Flight Path 101, those who participated in the scholarship competition, as well as other incoming transfer students and prospective transfer students, were all invited to campus to enjoy an evening with Elmhurst staff and students.
Students got to know their fellow incoming classmates, and had the opportunity to map out their courses, tour the campus and downtown Elmhurst, hear about career and other resources, and learn how to make a successful transition to campus.
Capping off the evening was the awards ceremony, where Christine Grenier, vice president for admission, and Kristina Black, director of transfer admission and academic partnerships, announced the winners of the Transfer Scholarship Competition.
In his video, Stefan Soh, who is joining Elmhurst as a sophomore, described playing basketball for most of his life, and how the sport taught him “powerful skills like leadership, discipline and teamwork.” In college he became interested in data science and its potential “interplay” with basketball. Guided by his curiosity, he set out to create analytical tools to help coaches make better decisions under pressure and build stronger rosters. “At Elmhurst, I’ll keep asking bigger questions to find smarter answers,” he said.
Trinity Barrueta, who is transferring from Triton College to Elmhurst as a sophomore, said her defining moment came aboard a research vessel off the California coast, during an expedition for students interested in STEM. “I pushed myself past my expectations, and that really allowed me to flourish because the research I was completing was in the field that I am truly passionate about,” she said. “At Elmhurst, I plan to channel this drive into collaborative research on biology and data science. This journey showed me that curiosity doesn’t just open doors; it launches you into uncharted waters.”
Khamiya Langston, who is transferring from College of DuPage to Elmhurst as a junior, plans to study accounting while also feeding her passion for art. In her video, she described discovering ceramics and how the art form gave her a way to feel seen and heard. When she found an opportunity to sell her work, “that’s when I realized that all of it had mattered — the struggle, the learning, the curiosity, it all had purpose. And the most beautiful part? People connected with my story.” At Elmhurst University, she said, “I want to continue to explore who I am and what I’m meant to share.”
All students who submitted videos to the scholarship competition and participated in Flight Path 101 received a $500 renewable scholarship for up to two years of study.
For more information about transfer programs at Elmhurst University, email [email protected] or call (630) 617-3400.
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