The selected students receive cash prizes along with lifetime access to career and academic counseling networks.
Ten exceptional high school seniors from across Los Angeles County have been inducted into the 2026 class of Milken Scholars, securing financial backing and a lifelong professional support system as they transition to university life.
The joint initiative by the Milken Institute and the Milken Family Foundation awards each recipient an unrestricted $10,000 cash prize. Far beyond the initial merit award, the scholarship serves as an entry point into a permanent network providing college advising, career counseling, internship placement assistance, and targeted funding for study abroad programs or graduate school applications.
The program explicitly seeks out resilient, high-achieving youth from remarkably diverse backgrounds. Demographically, more than half of the 2026 class will be the first in their families to attend college, while nearly a quarter were born outside the United States. Collectively, the incoming class represents familial roots tracing back to 14 different countries spanning Latin America, West Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
Local alumni and community leaders are scheduled to gather later this month for an annual recognition ceremony honoring the Los Angeles recipients. Following the regional celebration, the students will travel to Washington, D.C., at the end of July for a three-day national summit titled “Leading in a New Era.” The conference will bring together the full 2026 cohort from Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and feature an interactive visit to the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream on Pennsylvania Avenue, where the scholars’ personal biographies will be featured in the center’s exhibits.
Philanthropists Mike and Lori Milken established the program to bridge the systemic gaps talented youth face during major academic and professional transitions, helping them secure placement at the nation’s elite colleges and universities.
The 2026 L.A. Milken Scholars are:
- Brandon Chang, West Ranch High School, Harvard
- Adrian Drouin, Harvard-Westlake School, Columbia
- Rachel Hang-Rothman, Mira Costa High School, Cornell
- Noa Jacoby, Milken Community School, Vanderbilt University
- Gabrielle Kadouri, Milken Community School, University of Texas at Austin
- Jianing “Jackie” Li, Walnut High School, Northwestern University
- Jaiden Nwabuzor, California Academy of Mathematics and Science, Yale
- Valeria Urbalejo, Harbor Teacher Preparatory Academy, Yale
- Brendon Wu, Alhambra High School, Stanford
- Andrea Yang, Diamond Bar High School, MIT
MEET THE 2026 L.A. MILKEN SCHOLARS
Brandon Chang, Harvard
West Ranch High School (WRHS) graduate Brandon Chang believes science is most impactful when it’s accessible to everyone. Driven by a passion for expanding access to STEM education, he founded GalaxSea Explorers, a nonprofit that has delivered free space education to more than 260,000 low-income students worldwide through classroom curriculum, books, camps, and educator resources. His work has been recognized by CBS News, the George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award, the Princeton Prize in Race Relations, and the Biden-Harris administration. Brandon conducted aerospace research through the NASA Student Engagement Program and UC Santa Barbara Summer Research Academies, headed after-school Target Tutors, and coached Rancho Pico Junior High’s MathCounts team to its first California state competition appearance in 14 years.
At WRHS, Brandon served as president of Key Club, math club, and space club; vice president of the National Honor Society; captain of the varsity speech and debate team and Science Olympiad team; and as an associated student body senate facilitator. He also founded Roots & Rhetoric, a civic writing and debate class for middle school students. Brandon is a decorated Olympiad competitor, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Scholarship finalist, MIT-PRIMES Mathroots participant, and three-time National Speech and Debate Association National Showcase finalist.
Brandon serves on the William S. Hart Union High School District Fentanyl Prevention Youth Advisory Board. He is a youth adviser for the Los Angeles Times’ High School Insider publication, where he has published civic perspective op-eds and STEM equity articles as well as co-led youth civic coverage through a “Letter to the President” column and co-hosted an education policy podcast.
Brandon will study applied mathematics and computer science at Harvard and plans a career as an aerospace engineer or statistician.
Adrian Drouin, Columbia
Adrian Drouin has learned that resilience and service go hand in hand. After being displaced by the Eaton Fire, the Harvard-Westlake School graduate remained committed to uplifting his community through volunteer work with Friends In Deed, where his food bank distribution and Spanish translation services united many during a devastating time. Adrian’s helping hand extends to his neighborhood’s Fire Safe Council, where he helped to clear flammable brush and remove invasive species to reduce wildfire risk. Along the way, he broadened his academic interests by shadowing a doctor in the Shimojo Psychophysics Laboratory – later becoming a research assistant studying human behavior – and completed Harvard’s edX certification course in linear models and matrix algebra.
Adrian excelled academically and athletically as captain of the varsity wrestling team and representative on his school’s athletic leadership council. A talented musician, he performed as a first-chair tenor saxophonist, which provided him with opportunities to record in professional studios, participate in Stanford’s summer jazz camp, and perform internationally. A National Merit Scholarship finalist, Adrian is a member of the National Honor Society, Cum Laude Society, National Society of High School Scholars, and Spanish Honor Society, while earning a consistent place on the school’s Honor Roll.
Whether mentoring younger students as a former assistant karate instructor or serving neighbors through volunteer work, Adrian believes leadership begins with giving back. Through athletics, music, academics, and community engagement, he has developed the positive mindset to drive his future career and enhance the communities he serves.
Adrian will study applied mathematics at Columbia and plans a career in finance or mathematics.
Rachel Hang-Rothman, Cornell
Rachel Hang-Rothman discovered that fashion goes far beyond fabric — it’s a powerful form of self-expression. After she survived a scary e-bike accident, Rachel’s lingering health issues forced her to forgo her lifelong dedication to competitive tennis. Channeling that loss into a new passion, the Mira Costa High School (MCHS) graduate founded the fashion narrative club. Through meetings and a meticulously designed monthly newsletter, the club explores how clothing shapes personal identity and society at large. Rachel has interned in marketing and public relations, building campaigns for various Amazon retailers, supporting celebrity partnerships, and compiling media database research – skills that translate to curating personalized style bundles through her Depop business.
Rachel served as co-vice president and networking chair of MCHS’ entrepreneurship insights club, where she connected students with local business leaders and mentors. An AP Scholar with Distinction, AP Capstone Diploma candidate, and recipient of the California Seal of Biliteracy in French, she is a member of both the National Honor Society and the California Scholarship Federation. Rachel further developed her entrepreneurial interests through the Young Entrepreneurs Academy and the Manhattan Beach Youth Council.
Committed to helping young people shine, Rachel created fashion education programs at both Richstone Family Center and Indivisible Arts, developing curricula, organizing fashion shows, and raising funds to support underserved youth. She later expanded the program to the Redondo Beach Teen Center and is working toward founding her own fashion nonprofit that will host clothing drives.
Rachel will study business at Cornell and plans a career as an entrepreneur.
Noa Jacoby, Vanderbilt University
Inspired by opportunities to support those around her, Milken Community School (MCS) graduate Noa Jacoby developed an interest in mental health, which has taken her from the classroom to the workplace. She interned with Social Scholars, a psychologist-led social skills program for children and pre-teens, and conducted research at Pelago Health, a virtual clinic specializing in substance use management programs. There, she collaborated on addiction recovery pilot program research, analyzed data, and presented findings to supervisors. Through each experience, Noa has developed a deeper understanding of how empathy, research, and evidence-based care can improve lives.
At MCS, Noa was a respected student leader and athlete. She co-founded the hot takes debate club, represented her peers on the student advisory committee, and participated in the Milken student ambassador program—where she welcomed prospective families and led campus tours. She also mentored incoming freshmen through the Vatikim mentorship program and sat on the student government Jewish life committee. A standout varsity volleyball player and team captain, Noa earned offensive player of the year, Liberty League first team, Iron Woman of the Year, and most valuable player honors for her leadership and performance on the court.
As co-chair of Yozma Heart Action, Noa earned recognition awards for organizing visits, card-writing campaigns, and fundraisers supporting elderly individuals in underserved communities. She also served as a co-counselor for Camp Wise LA, where she provided summer programming for elementary and middle school students.
Noa will study child development at Vanderbilt University as a Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholar and plans a career in psychology.
Gabrielle Kadouri, University of Texas at Austin
Gabrielle Kadouri, a Milken Community School (MCS) graduate and a decorated athlete, plans to become an orthopedic surgeon dedicated to improving recovery outcomes through research and personalized treatment. Her interest in sports medicine led her to pilot a student apprenticeship program with the Milken Sports Medicine Department, where she assisted athletic trainers with injury prevention, rehabilitation, and athlete care. She has shadowed female pediatric orthopedic surgeons and medical students while participating in the Perry Initiative at Cedars-Sinai, an immersive program introducing young women to orthopedic surgery and biomedical engineering. Building on those experiences, Gabrielle has begun researching sex-based differences in concussion symptoms and recovery, hoping to advance treatment protocols that better support athletes’ long-term health.
Gabrielle served as president of MCS’s school advisory committee and as a justice on the student judiciary committee, where she lent her voice to curriculum evaluation, new policies, and student discipline. She captained the varsity soccer and junior varsity volleyball teams while earning the status of AP Scholar.
MCS’ Cancer Kids First chapter—founded by Gabrielle—gives students the chance to create comforting and encouraging artwork for pediatric cancer patients. She also supports the Side-Out Foundation by helping to organize annual fundraising efforts and participating in the Dig Pink volleyball tournament benefiting metastatic breast cancer warriors. As a science tutor, she mentors neurodiverse elementary students, helping them strengthen study habits and build strong academic foundations for their future endeavors.
Gabrielle will attend the University of Texas at Austin to study kinesiology and plans a career as an orthopedic surgeon.
Jianing “Jackie” Li, Northwestern University
Originally from China, Jianing “Jackie” Li has spent her years at Walnut High School combining scientific curiosity with a commitment to serving communities facing significant barriers. She is a first-author, peer-reviewed neuroscience researcher whose work on treatments for drug-resistant epilepsy reflects her long-standing passion for improving neurological care. Jackie has pursued research and clinical training through the UC Santa Barbara Summer Research Academies, where she completed more than 200 hours of genetics research and was selected as one of only 10 students from over 400 participants to deliver an original GRITx Talk. She also completed Georgetown University’s Advanced Medical & Public Health Internship, served as a research mentee in the UC San Diego BE-BOAT program, and gained patient care experience through the COPE Health Scholars program.
Jackie founded STEM Explorers, mentoring more than 50 middle school students in STEM subjects while launching the first post-pandemic Science Olympiad chapter at a local middle school. As founder and statewide ambassador of the Walnut branch of the Metastatic Cancer Initiative, she leads fundraising for metastatic cancer research and helped raise more than $100,000 for neurodivergent youth as fundraising coordinator for the Starlight Autism Care Club. Also a student outreach coordinator for Project Kinship, she co-developed restorative healing programs supporting formerly incarcerated individuals and their families.
Jackie’s leadership extends to varsity golf, where she served as team captain, and to Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), where she earned international recognition by placing ninth in the world and first in California in human heredity. She was recognized with the President’s Volunteer Service Gold Award and placed among the top 15% of entries in The New York Times Tiny Memoir Contest.
A QuestBridge Match, Jackie will study neuroscience on a premed track at Northwestern University.
Jaiden Nwabuzor (wa-boo-ZOH), Yale
After witnessing a loved one fall victim to a phishing scam, California Academy of Mathematics and Science (CAMS) graduate Jaiden Nwabuzor decided to educate himself in cybersecurity and safeguard at-risk populations. That passion led him to earn a cybersecurity certificate through Long Beach Community College and serve as vice president of the computer science and cybersecurity club at CAMS, where he taught cryptography, operating system hardening, and digital forensics. He also secured partnerships that expanded student access to Cisco industry certification and dual-enrollment cybersecurity courses while gaining professional experience as a head virtual reality intern for California State University Dominguez Hills’ STEM Technological Adaptive Learning Program and as an extern with the Ron Brown Scholars Program and General Catalyst.
At CAMS, Jaiden served as webmaster for Key Club, member recognition coordinator for Key Club’s local division level, event coordinator for the California Scholarship Federation, and sergeant-at-arms for the Black Student Alliance. As a Link Crew board member, he helped lead a freshman mentoring program to foster a sense of student camaraderie. As co-captain of VEX Robotics Team 687C, he helped lead the team to state recognition while serving as a mentor for a training program inspiring the next generation of engineers. Jaiden earned top-division finishes in CyberPatriot and the National Cyber League and competed as a four-sport varsity athlete, serving as co-captain of the XC and basketball teams. His honors include Coca-Cola Scholar, Gates Scholar, Amazon Future Engineer, AP Scholar with Distinction, and USC Bovard Scholar.
Jaiden teaches confirmation classes and delivers motivational speeches for students at his church while volunteering for events and community service initiatives through the church and Key Club.
A QuestBridge Match to Yale, Jaiden will study computer science, economics, and data science, and plans a career in cybersecurity.
Valeria Urbalejo, Yale
Harbor Teacher Preparatory Academy (HTPA) graduate Valeria Urbalejo is passionate about expanding opportunities for underserved communities. She hopes to become a diplomat who advocates for justice on a global scale. Her commitment to public service has led to valuable experiences, including reporting on local issues through the USC Annenberg Youth Academy for Media and Civic Engagement and participating in the ACLU National Advocacy Institute, where she collaborated with peers on civil rights initiatives. Valeria completed Harvard Law School’s Future-L program and supports her family’s floral business by providing bilingual customer service, coordinating event logistics, and managing social media.
A student adviser on the Region South Superintendent Student Advisory Council, Valeria drafted policy recommendations, championed first-generation student initiatives, and designed a peer tutoring pilot program, which she later presented to LAUSD board members. At HTPA, she served as co-editor of the journalism club and secretary of the writing club, where she launched an online book fair and reported on community stories. Valeria is an AP Scholar with Distinction, a recipient of the College Board’s National First-Generation Recognition Award, and has earned both a Spanish California Gold Seal of Biliteracy and an LAUSD Biliteracy Award.
Service remains at the heart of Valeria’s leadership. As a volunteer page at LAPL’s Harbor City-Harbor Gateway Branch, she mentors students, creates youth library displays, and helped establish a sensory room for autistic children. She also volunteers as a high school tour guide, supports fundraising efforts for Shelter Helpers, and serves as a student instructor through LAUSD’s Beyond the Bell summer program.
Valeria is a QuestBridge Match to Yale and will study political science. She aims to pursue diplomacy as a career.
Brendon Wu, Stanford
Brendon Wu believes AI has the potential to revolutionize medicine and improve lives on a global scale. Motivated by a passion for biomedical research and emerging technology, the Alhambra High School (AHS) graduate’s research extends across the GeneLab Bioinformatics Internship at NASA Ames Research Center and the UCSF Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, where he conducted machine learning research and presented his findings at the AI4ALL Symposium. As a NASA GL4HS Research Fellow and Harvard OpenBio Laboratory scholar, Brendon has explored the intersection of biology and AI, while his project, Narco-Aegis, earned recognition as one of five national finalists in the U.S. Presidential AI Challenge.
Brendon served as president of AHS’s computer science club, co-founder and co-president of the STEM Olympiad Club, and captain of the speech and debate team. Beyond campus, he served as a section leader for Stanford Code in Place, teaching Python to students worldwide and co-authoring research accepted to the Association for Computing Machinery’s SIGCSE 2026 Conference. His many honors include recognition as a National Merit Scholarship finalist, UK Biology Olympiad gold medalist, SkillsUSA state champion in extemporaneous speaking, National Speech and Debate Association Academic All-American, and Coca-Cola Scholarship semifinalist.
Brendon serves on Harvard’s Making Caring Common youth advisory board, where he developed community-building curriculum for educators nationwide. As a senior council member for the Los Angeles County Public Health youth advocacy council, he helped develop AI ethics training for thousands of Department of Public Health employees and advanced a countywide motion promoting social media safety in schools. Brendon also represents local youth on the Alhambra Youth Commission, is the executive director of MAS Hacks, tutors peers through AP Ambassadors, and teaches classical piano.
Brendon will study biomedical computation at Stanford University and plans to found an AI proteomics-based drug discovery company.
Andrea Yang, MIT
Driven by a fascination with solving complex problems through computation, Andrea Yang has spent her years at Diamond Bar High School pursuing research, building software, and creating opportunities for other students in STEM. Andrea has conducted research with the Bogdan Lab at USC, the Balazsi Lab at Stony Brook University, the Karginov Lab at UC Riverside and completed the Summer Science Program at Georgetown University. Her projects have spanned machine learning, computational biology, scientific computing, and applied mathematics—from modeling gene regulatory circuits to developing Fourier Neural Operator architectures for inverse partial differential equations. She has also contributed to research in computational neuroscience and protein modeling, with ongoing manuscripts and conference submissions.
Beyond research, Andrea is the founder and lead developer of Starfly, a California nonprofit that develops educational technology encouraging girls to explore computer science and engineering. She independently programmed the iOS application—leading software development, design, outreach, and implementation. The project earned recognition through the Congressional App Challenge and the Rise Global Finalist program. Through the Athena Initiative, she co-organized Halo, Los Angeles’ first girls-only high school hackathon. From there, she co-organized Ascend, an international summit at SpaceX. She has taught hundreds of girls internationally how to build projects with code, continuing her fight for equitable STEM education opportunities for students regardless of background.
A two-time USA Biology Olympiad national semifinalist and 2025 AIME qualifier, Andrea has also been recognized as a Coolidge Senator, BuildGirls Scholar, National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) national honorable mention recipient, Chambers Scholar, and two-time President’s Volunteer Service Gold Awardee.
Andrea will study electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, where she hopes to continue exploring the intersection of machine learning, mathematics, and the natural sciences.
