The 2026 Scholarship Luncheon

(above, l-r) The Summit College Club Foundation awarded nearly $30,000 in scholarships during the reception. Scholarship recipients were Bella Pires Silva, Lillian Arts, Julia Gumny, Anna Rice, and Jungmin Allison Kim. (Abigail Han is not pictured).

This year's scholarship recipients all have stellar academic records. But that's just the starting point of their achievements. As a group, these young women have mastered second, third, and even fourth languages, performed at Carnegie Hall, founded organizations, captained varsity sports teams, conducted research, and advocated for causes ranging from gender equality to life-threatening diseases. They exemplify intellectual curiosity and rigor, drive and resourcefulness, compassion and collaboration, as well as resilience. Several have navigated the challenge of building new lives in a new country — and have thrived. We are proud to honor them with scholarships and look forward to following their contributions in the years ahead.

Lillian Arts with scholarship committee member Barbara Sayres

Lillian Arts was awarded the Mary K. Tennant Scholarship, which recognizes academic excellence and leadership potential. Throughout her four years at Governor Livingston High School, Lillian maintained an excellent grade point average and distinguished herself as a student with a passion for knowledge and a willingness to tackle complex issues. Her academic interests center on political science and law, reflected in her active participation in Model United Nations, Student Council, and the Mayor's Youth Council. Athletics have also played an important role in her development: Lillian served as captain of the Governor Livingston varsity swim team and has been a lifeguard, swimming instructor, and assistant coach at the Berkeley Swim Club. She also demonstrated musical talent as first chair of the viola section in the school orchestra and as a member of the select string ensemble, and she served as a Catechist at the Church of the Little Flower. Lillian will enter the freshman class at Lehigh University in the fall.

Julia Gumny with scholarship committee member Lorna Ness

Julia Gumny is a recipient of a 2026 Summit College Club Foundation Scholarship, awarded to a high school senior young woman who has demonstrated academic excellence and leadership potential. A senior at Summit High School, Julia exemplifies these qualities in nearly every aspect of her life. As an AP Scholar, a Waxman Student Scholar, and a Summa Cum Laude graduate, she has achieved outstanding academic success across a wide range of challenging subjects including English, Spanish, History, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Computer Science. These achievements are all the more remarkable given that Julia emigrated from Poland to the United States via the UK just six years ago. Julia's leadership extends well beyond the classroom. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Summit High's literary arts magazine, Quintessence, which earned the "Superior" award from the National Council of Teachers under her leadership. As Original Oratory Chair of the school's award-winning Speech and Debate team, she both competes and mentors newer members. As President of the American Sign Language Club, she learned ASL — her fourth language — while raising awareness of the deaf community. She is also a founder of Summit High's Science Olympiad team and a competitive athlete in Cross Country, Track and Field, and Varsity Sailing. In the broader community, she has been a student leader at the Summit Free Market and a tutor to younger students. Driven by her passion for scientific research, Julia will attend George Mason University in the fall to pursue degrees in neuroscience and computer science.

Abigail Han and scholarship committee member Diane Russo

Abigail Han is a recipient of a 2026 Summit College Club Foundation Scholarship. A senior at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, Abigail combined a love of STEM with an exceptional work ethic, filling her schedule with as many advanced courses as possible. Her most impressive academic feat may be completing Honors Latin III independently over the summer so she could take AP Latin as a senior — a challenge her college counselor noted she pursued simply because "she just genuinely enjoys challenging herself." Abigail is also a standout athlete whose connection to Swarthmore College began when she attended a softball camp on that campus before she ever thought about college applications. That visit grew into something deeper: a genuine connection to the community and a determination to make it her future. She has matched that determination with a selfless spirit in her community service, raising over $30,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and volunteering at her local hospital. Described by her counselor as someone who "constantly puts others before herself," Abigail will begin her journey at Swarthmore this fall on a pre-med track.

Jungmin Allison Kim and scholarship committee member Marylou Motto

Jungmin Allison Kim was awarded the Tilla Thomas Merit Scholarship. A senior at Summit High School, Allison moved to the United States in time for her freshman year.

Since moving to the US, she is the only student in her class to become a National Merit Semi-Finalist, and to achieve the title of AP Scholar. On the ACT exam, she earned a perfect score, placing her in the 99th percentile of 3.5 million test takers. She will bring this academic firepower to Columbia University in the fall, where she plans to pursue a pre-med course of study. But academics are only part of her story. Every Saturday throughout high school, Allison studied piano, chamber music, and music theory with a professor at Juilliard a commitment that reflects the same discipline that defined her early training: until the age of 13, she attended an arts school in Korea and practiced up to ten hours a day. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and in major international competitions. Today she channels that same energy into benefit concerts, musical outreach for children with disabilities, and fundraising concerts for the Special Olympics earning the President's Volunteer Service Award three consecutive years. She was also editor in chief of the student magazine. Her interests in music, writing, and advocacy for women converge in a paper accepted for publication in the Student Research Journal, titled "Adoring Female Fans? Reframing Franz Liszt's Relationships with Women Through the Lens of the Salon."

Anna Rice and scholarship committee members Mary Segers and Sue Abely

Anna Rice was awarded the Kathi C. Madison Scholarship. A senior at Chatham High School, Anna compiled a four-year academic record of extraordinary rigor: 15 A grades, 13 A+ scores, 2 A- scores, one B+, and one B across 13 Honors and 11 Advanced Placement courses, for a cumulative GPA of 4.819. Her extracurricular commitments are equally impressive. She served as captain of Chatham High School's girls' varsity volleyball team, completed 170 hours of volunteer EMT service with the Chatham Emergency Squad, and founded one of the first all-girl troops in Scouts BSA (formerly Boy Scouts of America), an initiative that speaks to both her leadership and her commitment to gender equity. When asked how to separate all-girl and all-boy troops work in practice, Anna explained that the key was aligning the curriculum: the all-girl troops she helped establish emphasized the same outdoor and wilderness skills that had previously been associated only with boys, making integration across troops far more natural. Anna will study biomedical engineering at Rice University in the fall, with aspirations to become a pediatric neurologist. Those who know her describe someone who brings together analytical thinking and empathy — someone who, in the words of one supporter, simply "cares."

Bella Pires Silva and scholarship committee member Andrea Stein

Bella Pires Silva is a recipient of a Summit College Club Foundation Scholarship. A senior at Jonathan Dayton High School and a member of the school's selective Dayton Collegiate Academy, Bella has maintained an impressive academic record while taking on an extraordinary range of leadership roles: Student Council Vice President, student liaison to the Board of Education, chapter president of the National Honor Society, Mock Trial club president, and lead prosecuting attorney — all while organizing multiple Red Cross blood drives and holding a part-time job. What may be most striking about Bella is her trajectory. At the encouragement of an AP Government teacher who was impressed by a class presentation, Bella joined Mock Trial despite it being far outside her comfort zone. She pushed herself, found her footing, and ultimately became the poised lead prosecutor her teachers describe today. That same arc — from shy freshman to confident leader — is what drew her toward law. This fall, Bella will begin a 3+3 program at Seton Hall University, earning both a bachelor's degree and a law degree, with a particular interest in women's rights. Her math teacher put it plainly: "Every five years or so, a student graduates from Jonathan Dayton High School who leaves such an indelible mark on the place that it is hard to imagine the school without them. Bella Silva is unquestionably one of those students."