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Updated: April 30, 2025 @ 11:53 pm
Two Gilbert teens who attend Chandler schools and a Tempe teen who attends school in Gilbert Public Schools are among the 20 winners of the coveted Flinn Scholarships.
Gilbert residents Smilangi Sidugari, a senior at BASIS Chandler, and Jishnu Nayak, a senior at Arizona College Prep High, earn the prestigious scholarships along with Rati Tabatadze, a senior at Gilbert Classical Academy.
Flinn Scholars, supported by the Flinn Foundation in partnership with Arizona’s three public universities, “are typically in the top 5% of their graduating class and demonstrate leadership and service in extracurricular activities,” a foundation spokesman said.
“Watching these young adults move seamlessly from explaining complex scientific ideas to unpacking global political challenges leaves no doubt that the future is in capable hands,” said Anne Lassen, Flinn Foundation vice president, scholarship and education initiatives.
“It’s no surprise that the nation’s top universities compete so fiercely to recruit them.”
Indeed, the scholarships themselves spark a fierce competition among some of the elite members of any year’s high school graduating classes.This year, over 1,100 seniors vied for the award, which requires academic transcripts, minimum standardized test scores, essays and short-answer questions, and recommendations.
The Flinn Scholarship provides many benefits beyond the cost of a four-year degree.
Those benefits include at least two study sessions abroad, a community of nearly 750 current and alumni Flinn Scholars, membership in a university honors college, personal mentors from top faculty and exclusive events with Arizona and global leaders in business, government, science, and the arts.
Flinn Scholars must attend one of Arizona’s three state universities, where they are members of their honors college.
The University of Arizona said it will welcome 10 of this year’s Flinn Class as freshmen this fall – including Smilangi and Jishnu.
Erin Deely, director of strategic recruitment and outreach for the W.A. Franke Honors College and its Flinn Scholarship adviser, said the U of A appeals to prospective college students “because of the plethora of resources we offer.”
“Here at the University of Arizona, we create an environment where all students can succeed and excel – and the W.A. Franke Honors College in particular is such an incredible environment for students,” Deely said.
Eight of the 20 new Flinn Scholars reside outside Maricopa County, including Clifton, Flagstaff, Kingman, Pinetop-Lakeside, Prescott, San Tan Valley, and Tucson.
Both Gilbert residents who won this year made their respective schools home to a Flinn Scholar for the second consecutive year. Only two other high schools shared that bragging right.
The 20 high schools represented by the Flinn Class of 2025 include a mix of public district and charter schools.
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