Meet the Clemson University National Scholars
National Scholars are an academically and geographically diverse group. They have majored in disciplines from all of Clemson's academic colleges. And they have come from as close as Greenville, S.C., and as far away as Tirana, Albania.
Just as they were selected in part for their commitment to leadership and service, Scholars continue to be involved in extracurricular activities at Clemson. In fact, most hold leadership positions in campus organizations.
National Scholars also work closely with Clemson professors through the Creative Inquiry program and in conducting other research.
Meet our Scholar cohorts (organized by the year they were admitted to Clemson University) below:
2024 National Scholars
Nadia Chestnut
Hometown: Columbus, GA
Major: Data Science
Minors: Artificial Intelligence and Philosophy
Visit Nadia's LinkedIn page
Adam Gibson
Hometown: Arlington, VA
Major: Data Science
Minor: Artificial Intelligence
Visit Adam's LinkedIn page
Fred Lucca
Hometown: Santo Ângelo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Major: Management (Business Analytics)
Visit Fred's LinkedIn page
Elizabeth Perkins
Hometown: Charleston, SC
Major: Language and International Business
Minor: Political Science
Visit Elizabeth's LinkedIn page
Ella Thompson
Hometown: Charleston, SC
Major: Economics
Minor: Sustainability
Visit Ella's LinkedIn page
2023 National Scholars
Gretchen Highberger
Hometown: Bettendorf, IA
Major: Environmental Engineering
Minor: Environmental Science and Policy
Visit Gretchen's LinkedIn page
Carley Hitzelberger
Hometown: Greenville, SC
Major: Nursing
Minors: Spanish and Public Health Certificate
Visit Carley's LinkedIn page
Shayar Joshi
Hometown: Greenville, SC
Major: Packaging Science
Minor: Engineering Leadership
Visit Shayar's LinkedIn page
Summer Marold
Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC
Majors: Language and International Business
Visit Summer's LinkedIn page
Briggs Murray
Hometown: Charleston, SC
Majors: Political Science and French
Minors: East Asian Studies and English
Visit Briggs' LinkedIn page
Tulsi Patel
Hometown: Simpsonville, SC
Major: Philosophy
Concentration: Medicine, Health and Human Values
Minor: Public Policy
Visit Tulsi's LinkedIn page
Claudia Portocarrero
Hometown: Miami, FL
Major: Language and International Health
Visit Claudia's LinkedIn page
2022 National Scholars
Sara Alkelani
Hometown: Greenville, SC
Majors: Political Science and Sociology
Visit Sara's LinkedIn page
Caleb Cayouette
Hometown: Charleston, SC
Major: Economics
Minor: Creative Writing - Poetry
Visit Caleb's LinkedIn page
Owen Michael Eastman
Hometown: Ridgeside, TN
Majors: History and Economics
Minors: English and Legal Studies
Visit Owen's LinkedIn page
Malia Fairbanks
Hometown: Champaign, IL
Major: Computer Information Systems
Minors: Cybersecurity and Business Administration
Visit Malia's LinkedIn page
Eliza Haines
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Minors: American Sign Language Studies
Visit Eliza's LinkedIn page
Rebecca Han
Hometown: Bluffton, SC
Major: Financial Management
Minor: Computer Science
Visit Rebecca's LinkedIn page
Daisy Ryan Hutnik
Hometown: Hopewell, NJ
Majors: Economics and Political Science
Visit Daisy's LinkedIn page
Elijah Austin Wilbanks
Hometown: Shelby, NC
Major: Industrial Engineering
Visit Elijah's LinkedIn page
2021 National Scholars
Elizabeth Caldwell
Hometown: Hendersonville, TN
Major: Genetics
Minor: Biochemistry
Visit Elizabeth's LinkedIn page
Amandine Courbon
Hometown: Greenville, SC
Major: Management
Minors: Food Science and Sustainability
Visit Amandine's LinkedIn page
Matthew Ployhart
Hometown: Chapin, SC
Major: History
Minor: Russian Area Studies, Political and Legal Theory
Visit Matthew's LinkedIn page
Elsa Saine
Hometown: Columbia, SC
Major: Chemical Engineering
Minor: Mathematical Sciences
Visit Elsa's LinkedIn page
