BAY RIDGE — Lauren Mendoza, a Xaverian High School alumni and Bard College junior, won this year’s Goldwater Scholarship for science and math.
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 in honor of the late Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ). The scholarship supports college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering.
Mendoza, who will be graduating next year, explained that the scholarship meant a lot to her.
“My family would not be able to afford me going to Bard without financial aid, so some extra funds to help me get through my final year means a lot,” she told the Brooklyn Eagle. “It’s also nice to see all the hard work I’ve put into my academics being recognized via this award. I greatly appreciate the support I receive from my advisors, professors, friends and family, but it’s nice to receive more official recognition every once in a while.”
Mendoza took many steps to be given the award, including submitting three recommendation letters, her current transcript, an essay detailing her current research project, and a list of short-answer questions to the Goldwater Foundation.
“I have put in a lot of work to maintain my grades at Bard, and I believe that is reflected in my transcript,” Mendoza, a Bay Ridge native, said. “I have also worked hard to get to know my professors and research collaborators, as they are all wonderful people and have supported me throughout my academic career. I am sure they all wrote me very strong letters of recommendation.”
She thanked professors Clara Sousa-Silva and Paul Cadden-Zimansky and her research collaborator, Jason Dittmann.
“I have also been doing research with Professor Sousa-Silva since summer 2023, and I have spent much of this time grappling with extremely challenging astrophysical data, trying to characterize the molecular composition of Venus,” she said. “I told the story of this arduous journey in my research essay. I believe my commitment to a career in scientific research was displayed by my dedication to seeing this project through.
“However, I think much of my application’s strength came from my short answer questions. They detailed my career goals, motivations, research skills, and the coursework I have completed, which fully displays my aspirations to continue my research career once I graduate from Bard,” Mendoza said.
While at Xaverian, Mendoza formed a bond with her classmates and a love of physics and math which she said has contributed to her success.
“I explored a lot of different fields within the arts and humanities at Xaverian, and I would argue that I was at least semi-decent at most of them,” she said. “However, my friends and teachers at Xaverian made STEM enjoyable for me and I think that’s the biggest factor that led me to pursue a scientific career in college. In addition to this, I came into college with a strong physics and math background, which helped me to succeed in my classes.”
Mendoza, along with a friend, co-founded the high school’s math club.
Her parents were thrilled when they heard the news.
“They were all very proud of me,” she said. “My parents are adamant GIF users, so they sent me many of those to celebrate, including one of Snoopy dancing. My friends and my boyfriend, Yashar Khan, were similarly supportive. Yashar made sure to tell everyone about my accomplishments.”
After graduating from Bard, Mendoza hopes to receive a Ph.D. in astronomy and astrophysics, with some focus on Instrumentation and become a researcher and professor.
“I am extremely passionate about science education and how it can make science more accessible, as I believe both the perceived intellectual difficulty and the financial burden of a scientific career act as barriers to entry for students who may think they are not smart or wealthy enough to become scientists,” she said.
“In these roles, I aim to help my students pursue science and view it differently: not as something purely cold or inaccessible, but as a means of helping us grow closer to the world around us and to the people in our communities,” Mendoza concluded.
