2023 scholars

In May 2023 five new Dr. Doran Scholars were recognized at Wootton’s Senior Awards event.

Lillian Beaudet was active in swimming and Model UN in high school and also found joy by working with ceramics.  She will study at Montgomery College with the goal of one day focusing on educating women and advancing their financial literacy. 

Abigayle Dexter’s interest in teaching was partly inspired by her brother who has serious health challenges.  While at Wootton she interned at Fallsmead Elementary and worked at a day care. She’s headed to the University of Delaware where she will major in early childhood education.

Colin Hall found his path in high school after deciding to run track and field.  A senior on the team helped Colin develop motivation and persistence.  He also discovered a passion for theatre at Wootton. He’s going to Montgomery College and plans to major in Environmental Science.

Karen Lin learned as a young child how to be a “language broker” for her immigrant parents.  She developed a love for language and translation along the way, as well as an appreciation for her Chinese heritage.  She will be the first in her family to go to college when she enrolls at the University of Rochester.

Landon Townsend is fluent in French and Spanish and plans to study Arabic and International Relations at the University of Maryland.  As a fifth grader he had to make a difficult decision to alert a guidance counselor to a friend’s precarious mental health. He saved a life while sacrificing a friendship.

2022 scholars

In May 2022 five new Dr. Doran Scholars were recognized at Wootton’s first in-person Senior Awards event since 2019.

Giselle Guillen’s mother left El Salvador as a teenager with a dream that her daughter would have educational opportunities she did not.  Now, Giselle, the first in her family to attend university, is at Villanova after a stellar academic career at Wootton -only one B, in 9th grade!

Logan Simmons learned compassion and how to recognize pain in others after his beloved Old English Bulldog, Tank, had a serious injury.  After the accident Logan was not just Tank’s person, but his dedicated and patient caregiver.  These days Logan is an Honors student at the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus.

James Mu’s dedication to Wootton’s student government was evident, but his appreciation for his emigrant parent’s sacrifices were less obvious. Without ever meeting Dr. Doran, James picked up on the joy Dr. Doran brought to students that he says is still apparent in the photos on Wootton’s walls.  Now, at Duke, James joins the Doran family in supporting the Blue Devils.

Anna Keneally learned to love unconditionally after becoming friends with Jake, a younger autistic boy.  A gifted writer and the editor-in-chief of Wootton’s Common Sense, Anna is studying English and Literature at Haverford College while trying to be the person Jake always thought she was.

Jamie Reyer is the youngest of three who learned the value of friendship, after befriending an only child. The friendship also helped Jamie gain insights into herself and taught her how to be a better student.  She’s now studying nursing at Stevenson University.

Natalie Eisen will be pursuing her interest in science and research as a freshman College Park Scholar at the University of Maryland. Natalie ran cross country, did track and field, and was a competitive gymnast during high school.

Harshit "Archie" Garg will also be at the University of Maryland where he will study computer science. Archie struggled with speaking early in his life and found his passion working with computers. At Wootton, Archie was an active Patriot Ambassador.

Miller Romm will head to the Big Apple as he begins his journalism studies at New York University. Miller served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Wootton student newspaper, Common Sense. He loves writing, but also enjoyed playing on Wootton's baseball and basketball teams.

Alejandra Valdivia is entering Clemson University with the intention to study political science and global politics. She enjoys bringing people together and did that as a Patriot Ambassador. After graduation, she hopes to go to law school and become an immigration attorney.

Salma Younis will study neuroscience at the University of Maryland as part of their Global Public Health Scholars program. Salma received the Sam Williams Foundation Leadership Award in 2019 for her many volunteer activities at Wootton.

2020 scholars

Eliyambuya Baker has family ties to Tanzania and she lived in Germany before moving to Montgomery County.  Elie was very active in the Black Student Union at Wootton.  She's interested in medicine and excited about enrolling in related courses when she begins classes at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Kenny Cheung has family who came to Maryland from Vietnam.  At Wootton Kenny was active in the LGBT community.  At the University of Maryland in College Park he looks forward to studying electrical engineering with a particular focus on renewable energy.

Joanne Liu has a strong interest in Public Health and Human Biology.  Volunteering with Montgomery County rescue organizations, Joanne has been studying to become a certified Emergency Medical Technician.  She will be a freshman at Brown University in the Fall.

Angela Wong will enter the University of Maryland in College Park where she plans to pursue her passion for Engineering.  At Wootton Angela was active in the Women in Engineering Club where she expanded her knowledge of cyber security issues.

2019 scholars

John Riker is an accomplished writer who will pursue a degree in Journalism at Northwestern University.  He hopes to have a career in sports journalism.  John was the winner of the inaugural Michael J. Doran Writing Contest in 2016.

Ritika Naiknavare was a Wootton Patriot Ambassador.  She will study bio engineering at the University of Maryland.  With plans to get an MBA after college, Ritika hopes to start her own biotech company one day.

Rita Zhang was a competitive swimmer at Wootton and has been coaching younger swimmers on her community team.  Rita will study biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech.  She plans to use her skills in engineering, biology, and medicine to solve issues that impact people.

Hiruni Mendries will major in Biology at the University of Maryland with a pre-med track.  Her dream is to become a surgeon.  Hiruni picked up the Student Service Learning Award for the Class of 2019 after logging the most volunteer hours.

Darya Bidarmanesh has taken advantage of a dual enrollment program with Montgomery College and has already started her studies in Cybersecurity.   Active in the Wootton Computer Science Coalition and the Cybersecurity team, Darya will be the first in her family to attend college!

2018 scholars

Rifaa Qadri was born in Tunisia and grew up speaking Arabic and French. Her family emigrated to the US in 2013. Transferring to Woottton as a sophomore Rifaa had to learn English and make friends quickly.  Riffa reactivated the Best Buddies club at Wootton to bring together her peers and other students with physical or intellectual disabilities.  She will attend the University of Maryland where she plans to study Computer Science.  Rifaa's long term plans include law school and advocacy for the less fortunate.

Gabrielle Vinick is headed to the University of Wisconsin, Madison in the fall where she will study Political Science and Communications. She hopes to spur others to become interested in politics and civil engagement.  At Wootton, Gaby was in poms and ran many charity races.  In 2013 she launched Chemo Connect to provide patients undergoing chemo - especially those alone - support.

Katie Schreck loves writing and was a managing editor of Wootton's student newspaper, Common Sense.  She will incorporate her interest in Journalism with Sports Management at Temple University's Fox School of Business.  Already she has interned with the Washington Redskins radio station. Katie was selected as a Teen Engagement Fellow by The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.

2017 Scholars

More than 65 students submitted essays. Many wrote about a significant relationship. 

Jackson Helling will be a student at Virginia Tech’s Honors College.  He said, “I can see how Dr. Doran valued relationships so much…I will try to live as he would have wanted – being kind, generous, and making room for humor whenever possible.”

Eileen Chen, a peacemaker, will study at Carnegie Mellon University’s Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Kwame Frimpong intends to serve others through medicine and will be on the premed track at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. 

Evan Chen will focus on machine learning and statistics at Carnegie Mellon.   Evans reflected on the role of fathers and quoted American author Clarence Kelland, “My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.”

Gunleen Deol will attend the University of Maryland in College Park.  Gunleen quoted Walt Whitman, “To me, every hour of light and dark is a miracle.”

2016 Scholars

Malcolm Amobi

Stevenson University

Malcolm Amobi credits “Dr. Doran’s belief in me” for his success at Wootton.  He was inspired to take on a leadership role which included serving as a captain of the Wootton Varsity Football team. Malcolm also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in Montgomery County. As the first to attend college, Malcolm’s proud family are delighted that he is now a freshman at Stevenson University.

Andrew Guiberson

Army Corp of Cadets, Norwich University

Andrew Guiberson is convinced that “Dr. Doran lived with an integral mission to positively affect the lives of everyone he knew.”  He counts himself among those who benefited from Dr. Doran’s mentoring and support.  Andrew was a leader in the Student Government Association at Wootton.  Today, he is a proud member of the Army Corp of Cadets at Norwich University and preparing for a career in the U.S. Army.

Michelle Fan

California Institute of Technology

Michelle Fan credits Dr. Doran with helping her “get comfortable in my own skin” as a Wootton freshman.  She recalled, “He sat with me for what seemed like hours, even poking fun at himself to make an insecure freshman feel better.  For that, I am forever grateful.” An academic standout at Wootton, Fan is now studying at California Institute of Technology and eagerly diving into STEM courses.