2021 AUI Scholarship Recipients

GALLEAN “GIGI” BROWN

Gigi is a senior at Jefferson High School in Shenandoah Junction, WV. Her advanced course load has included AP and dual enrollment classes which has allowed her to earn a 4.3 GPA. She is a member of National Honor Society, Interact Club, JHS Swim Team, and Hagerstown YMCA Club Swim Team. Throughout high school, Gigi has been an active member in her church’s youth group and held offices in Interact Club. She has participated in various volunteer opportunities including mission trips to serve underprivileged populations and provided math tutoring to fellow students through NHS. She is employed as a lifeguard at Cress Creek Country Club.

Gigi has a passion for math and is fascinated by all types of science. To keep busy during the COVID lockdown, Gigi took advantage of some of Harvard’s free online courses. Her favorite was “back yard meteorology”. Gigi loves to travel and participate in outdoor activities like hiking, stargazing, kayaking, and backpacking.

She is still deciding where to attend college, but would like to attend a small school and intends to focus her studies in the STEM field. She is thankful for AUI’s scholarship money and is hopeful that the degree she earns will afford her opportunities, skills, and knowledge to do good in the world.

Gigi is the daughter of Thad and Wendy Brown. Thad is an AUI Senior Accounting Manager and has worked at AUI since 2018.

JACKSON MANGLICMOT

Jackson is a senior at Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, VA. He is a member of the National Honors Society with a 4.0 GPA. He has played football, basketball, and baseball at FUMA and will major in Sports Management at the University of Tennessee next year. He has held several leadership positions and is currently the Public Affairs Officer and Recruiting NCO, Second Lieutenant, of Bravo company.

Jackson is the son of Ferzen and Sarah Manglicmot. Ferzen has worked at NRAO in Charlottesville since 2007 and is a MIS CNC Systems Administrator IV.

MEREDITH JENNINGS

Meredith is a senior at Albemarle High School in Charlottesville, Virginia. She will be graduating with an advanced diploma and a 4.6 GPA. She is involved in the National, French, and Thespian Honors Societies, as well as the Health Occupation Students of America club. She is planning on studying Biology or Health Sciences in college.

Meredith is also a member of the Girl Scouts of America, and has been a Girl Scout camp counselor for five years. She has been heavily involved in the Albemarle High School theater department throughout her high school career as a head costumer and production staff member. She is also an officer for the Health Occupation Students of America club, which does a lot of community outreach and works to help students pursue medical professions.

Meredith is the daughter of Jason Jennings. Jason is the Deputy Assistant Director in the Observatory Budget Department and has worked at the NRAO since 2009.

MARK DINDO

Mark is currently a senior attending Western Albemarle High School in Crozet, VA. He will graduate with an Advanced Diploma and currently holds a 3.9 GPA. In Mark’s free time, he enjoys reading technical articles on technology and experimenting with software, programming, and is an electronics hobbyist. Throughout high school, Mark has taken AP classes in computer programming, psychology, and science. Mark has also taken honors classes in World History and Mathematics.
Mark will be attending Piedmont Virginia Community College for the first two years and then transfer into the Bachelor of Computer Science program at the University of Virginia.
Mark is the Son of Philip and Marie Dindo. Philip has been working at NRAO in Charlottesville since 2016, and is an Electronics Engineer at the Central Development Lab.

SIMRAT SAINI

Simrat Saini is a senior at Albemarle High School in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he currently holds a 4.0 GPA. He has taken classes under the school’s Math, Engineering, and Science program for the past four years and, after graduating from high school, plans on majoring in industrial/systems engineering in college.

Simrat has participated in Scouts BSA since his sixth grade, and continues to be an active scout. He earned the rank of an Eagle Scout in November 2019. His Eagle Scout Project benefited his elementary school, where he built picnic tables and trash-can holders for use on the school’s playground. Additionally, Simrat is a member of the Order of the Arrow, scouting’s official honor society. He has been a member of the Albemarle indoor/outdoor track teams for the past four years and the cross-country team for the last two. Simrat is also a member of the school’s Math and Computer Science Honor Societies and assisted with the outreach/tutoring efforts of both organizations. He is also an avid observant of international issues and has been involved with Model United Nations since sixth grade, participating in the Virginia Model United Nations Conferences at the University of Virginia three times. Since the start of the pandemic, Simrat has worked as a cashier at the local Harris Teeter supermarket. He was also selected for and participated in a virtual summer internship program at the Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville. In his free time, Simrat enjoys reading Calvin and Hobbes, exploring the woods near his house, and cheering on the Arizona Cardinals.

Simrat is the son of Kamaljeet Saini and Harnavleen Saggi. Kamaljeet is a Research Engineer at the Central Development Laboratory in Charlottesville, VA and has been at NRAO since 2002.

SOPHIA INDEBETOUW

Sophia is a senior at Monticello High School in Charlottesville, Virginia, and a member of the Health and Medical Sciences Academy, a specialized program in biology and health sciences. She will be graduating with a 4.6 GPA including numerous AP courses. Sophia is broadly interested in the sciences, and has pursued several research opportunities including working on an oceanography research vessel, assisting in a neurology lab with zebrafish, and interning in a UVA chemistry immunology lab. Prior to covid, Sophia played on the Monticello soccer team as well as travel teams, and was a member of the varsity track team. Sophia is the principal cello in the Monticello Orchestra, and is a member of both the Math and Science Honors Societies. She is an avid chef, with a passion for exploring complex recipes including gluten free and nutritional alternatives. She has been working as a server and chef at the Firefly restaurant in Charlottesville. Sophia is hoping to attend Cornell University this fall, where she intends to study biochemistry.

Sophia is the daughter of Remy Indebetouw, Scientific Staff at NRAO-CV and the North American ALMA Science Center since 2008.

SOFIA VALLE

Sofia is a senior at Patrick Henry High School, in Hanover County, Virginia. Originally from Italy, she arrived in the United States in the summer of 2016. Ever since entering the academic environment, she was fascinated by her subjects and became heavily involved with her school work. She has an unweighted GPA of 3.91 and is in the top 1% of her class.

Sofia is the only girl out of three students in her class of 310 graduates pursuing a full, International Baccalaureate Diploma. Rigorous and challenging, Sofia is greatly interested in her coursework and in becoming a well-refined global citizen. She speaks four languages, Italian, Spanish, French, and English, and is planning to learn Russian in college. Sofia’s primary interests involve studying Western Philosophy, listening to classical music, and reading. Throughout her high school career, she has constantly found ways to involve herself with her community. She has done theater throughout the four years she attended Patrick Henry High School and Show Choir for two years. She is the president of the Spanish National Honor Society and the vice-president of the Science National Honor Society. Apart from the Honor Societies previously mentioned, she is an active member of Mu Alpha Theta, National Honor Society, International Thespian Society, and the BETA Club. During her senior year, she initiated a teen mental health club at her high school in collaboration with the Cameron Gallagher Foundation, a local non-profit organization whose principal aim is to break the stigma surrounding teen mental health. She often plans and leads the Foundation’s teen, monthly meetings. Furthermore, she is greatly involved with the Friendship Circle of Virginia, a Non-profit organization that advocates for disability rights and individuals with disabilities. Moreover, she is the secretary of the organization’s Teen Leadership Board. As part of her involvement with the Friendship Circle, she meets once a week with a young boy with autism, and through talks, dances, mathematics, and artistic work they have developed a great and everlasting bond. Lastly, she is a member of StandWithUs, a pro-Israel advocacy organization whose main intention is to fight antisemitism in our society.

In the fall, Sofia will be attending the College of William and Mary, in Williamsburg, Virginia. She intends to major in International Relations with a concentration in pre-law. Sofia is the daughter of Stephen Wunduke, a Sr. Electronics Engineer at the Central Development Laboratory in Charlottesville, Virginia.

PHILLIP JAMES RITTENHOUSE

P.J. is a senior at Pocahontas County High School in Dunmore, WV. He has been accepted to and plans to attend Coastal Carolina University in the fall with a major in Marine Science. He has had an interest in marine wildlife from a very early age and looks forward to learning about and working with the rescue and conservation of them in the future. During his middle and high school years he has been and still is very active in his New Hope Church of the Brethren Youth Group through which he has been involved in several community and outreach projects. He enjoys boxing, playing video games, working out at the gym, photography, and spending time with friends and family.
P.J. is the son of Phillip and Jeannette Rittenhouse. Phillip is a telescope mechanic at the Green Bank Observatory.

CAROLINE ROSE

Caroline is a home-schooled senior in Frost, WV. She currently holds a 3.9 GPA. She plans to attend Upper Iowa University, and will major in Accounting. Caroline has volunteered at Marlinton United Methodist Church’s after-school program for several years. She has also taught Sunday school to high school students, as well as teaching first through eighth grade students at Eaden in the Alleghenies summer camp. She volunteered at Frankford Veterinary Hospital during her junior year. Caroline enjoys reading, mathematics, drawing, knitting, and dancing. She has taken ballet and jazz dancing classes for seven years.

Caroline is the daughter of David and Sally Rose. David is a telescope operations specialist at Green Bank Observatory.

KRYSTOPHER MONK

Krystopher Monk is a homeschool graduate, Class of 2021 from Elkins, WV. He currently works as a teller at Freedom Bank. While in high school, he completed dual credit work through the College Now program at Cedarville University and is currently awaiting admittance to the Honors Program. He attends Landmark Baptist Church and their Youth Group in Elkins, WV. He enjoys analyzing chess matches and solving algorithms for rubix cubes. In 2018, he completed, with his family, traveling to all 48 Contiguous states, having entered all five Great Lakes, both Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico; having a large playing card collection from much of his travels. He will be attending Cedarville University as a traditional residential student in the fall of 2021 and will be majoring in Mathematics with a minor in Actuarial Science. He will also be taking advantage of the opportunity to fast-track his undergraduate work to an MBA with Certificate in Business Analytics.

Krystopher is the son of Greg Monk. Greg has been with the GBO since 1987 and is an Operations Specialist.

KELSEIGH MONK

Kelseigh Monk is a homeschool graduate, Class of 2021 from Elkins, WV. She currently works at Hardees. While in high school, she completed dual credit work through Liberty University Online Academy. She attends Landmark Baptist Church and their Youth Group in Elkins, WV. She is also a member of both the Puppet Team and BRATS (Blacklight Rods Action Theatre Song) Ministries. She is a member of the Elkins Otters Swim Team and, in her time in public school, a 2 year letterman for the Elkins High School Swim Team. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her horse, Lady, as well as any other animal that may cross her path. She also enjoys time outdoors. She will attend Liberty University as a traditional residential student in the fall of 2021 and will be majoring in Interior Design with a minor in Technical Studies in Carpentry. She hopes to design homes and commercial spaces upon completion of her degree.
Kelseigh is the daughter of Greg Monk. Greg has been with the GBO since 1987 and is an Operations Specialist.

AYDEN LEWIS

Ayden, the youngest of four brothers, is a senior at Socorro High School where he is ranked number two out of 113 in the class of 2021. Ayden has participated in a number of high school sports including Wrestling, Cross Country, Track, Golf and Soccer. His favorite sport, by far, has been Wrestling – he wrestled at State for his Sophomore (4th place) and Junior (3rd place) years; Senior year, TBD. During his Sophomore and Junior years, Ayden worked wrestling tournaments and during his junior year, refereed club wrestling events around NM.

At the age of about five years old, Ayden developed and was diagnosed with a severe hearing loss. Since then, he has used hearing aids to help him access information and the environment. In spite of the challenge, he has thrived academically during his school career in Socorro. Ayden is well versed (not fluent) in American Sign Language; he primarily uses spoken English.

Ayden has volunteered in a number of venues ranging from volunteer work after school at a local pet shop to unloading food donations at a church to supporting local sporting events. Ayden works a part-time job for Youth Development, INC in which he reviews Khan Academy videos. He is very focused on fitness and health. When he isn’t exercising, wrestling or EATING, Ayden enjoys anime, church and reading his Bible. Ayden plans to attend New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, NM beginning in the fall of 2021 and plans to major in Business Finance.

Ayden is the son of Faith and Allen Lewis. Allen is the Site Human Resources Manager in Socorro.

ROSE CARILLI

Rose Carilli was born and raised in Socorro, NM, along with her four loud older siblings. She is a senior at Socorro High School. She has been a member of the Young Voices of the Santa Fe Opera for 3 years and plans on studying voice and mathematics at either Texas Tech University or CU Boulder. She is a member of the Science Olympiad team and, before the pandemic, was the piano accompanist for one of the choirs at San Miguel Church. She also enjoys working out, graphic design, and baking whenever she has time.

Rose is the daughter of Chris and Adrianna Carilli. Chris has been a pre-doc, post-doc, and staff scientist at NRAO since 1985.

JEREMIAH AVERY

Jeremiah “J.J.” Avery is a senior at Socorro High School. J.J. began piano lessons at age 5 and later the trumpet during his elementary and middle school years. For several years he has played with the Socorro Community Band at different occasions such as the 4th of July celebration. J.J. has participated in youth soccer since his 4th birthday and has played on several tournament teams that have traveled to various parts of the southwest to compete. He was named 1st team All-state during his junior year of high school. His other favorite sport is golf. During his sophomore year J.J. was privileged to be a member of Socorro’s New Mexico state championship team and he placed 3rd overall, individually. Since middle school, J.J. has been a member of the Science Olympiad team which has had many successful years of competition. J.J. enjoys his part-time job at the local animal shelter caring for animals. He has taken dual credit courses at New Mexico Tech and plans to continue his collegiate career at Tech if he doesn’t follow his athletic career elsewhere.

J.J. is the son of Jayme and Brent Avery. Brent is the VLA warehouse and asset control supervisor and has been with NRAO since 1995.