Elizabeth Djajalie, a Thunder Mountain High School senior in Juneau, AK, was chosen from nearly 17,000 applicants to win the $10,625 National Honor Society (NHS) Scholarship Award. NHS is supported by its parent organization, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), which also administers the National Association of Student Councils.
“Winning the NHS Scholarship showed me that my leadership was making a real impact,” said Elizabeth Djajalie. “It gave me not only hope but certainty that my service was significant and would be carried on by countless students moving forward.”
Elizabeth Djajalie is a young leader in STEM, innovation, education, and public communication. Born and raised in Juneau, she founded the Alaska Science and Engineering Fair Student Spokespersons Board, raising over $15,000 for the statewide STEM nonprofit. The “Future Women of STEM Podcast” she launched, produced, and hosted aired on public radio and has reached listeners on four continents via Spotify.
Elizabeth has conducted graduate-level research on environmental biotechnologies, and she most recently studied using environmental DNA metabarcoding and qPCR to detect, quantify, and conserve various Pacific salmon species. This project was recognized by the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Taiwan International Science Fair, among others. She has sung the national anthem for numerous community commemorations, performed with her orchestra at Carnegie Hall, and received several art and writing awards. She is also a U.S. Senate Youth delegate, Regeneron STS Scholar, AIME qualifier, Distinguished Young Woman of Alaska, public radio guest host, and tennis state champion.
NHS awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to 600 high school seniors this year. Four of the top finalists were awarded a $10,625 scholarship for embodying the pillars of NHS membership: scholarship, service, leadership, and character. The recipients of these awards are Chase Hartman from Tampa, FL, for Service; Jensen Coonradt from Oswego, IL, for Leadership; and Aadya Gattu from Warrington, PA, for Character. Twenty finalists received $5,625, and Ella Mayor from Simi Valley, CA, earned the top $25,000 scholarship. Their bios are here.
“These NHS scholarship winners are leaving behind an incredible legacy as they embark on their next adventure,” said NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe. “Throughout their time in NHS, they’ve tackled challenges from child trafficking to health literacy, published critical work including poems, research, and a children’s book, and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for worthy causes. Their tremendous efforts reflect what NHS is all about.”
The announcement is part of NASSP’s Trailblazing Leadership Week, bringing together the 2024 State Assistant Principals of the Year and the NHS Scholarship finalists to celebrate their accomplishments and connect with one another. NASSP also announced the National Assistant Principal of the Year during the event.
