USGIF Announces 2026 Scholarship Award Winners

USGIF is proud to announce the 2026 class of USGIF Scholarship recipients, a talented group of high school seniors, undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students advancing the future of geospatial intelligence. The USGIF Scholarship Program is the only scholarship program for students pursuing GEOINT and related disciplines, awarding more than $2M in scholarships across 153 colleges and universities since 2004.

“This talented group of scholars reminds us why USGIF invests so deeply in the next generation of GEOINT talent,” said Ronda Schrenk, CEO of USGIF. “These students are already advancing the future of geospatial intelligence, and we’re proud to help open doors as they build their careers in this community.”

Please join us in congratulating this year’s scholars:

2026 Scholarships Recipients

Named Scholarships

• Stu Shea Endowed Scholarship
  Hailey Richardson, The University of Alabama
  
• Reinventing Geospatial, Inc. (RGi) Scholarship for Geospatial and Engineering
  Erin Lepsch, Michigan State University
  
• Ken Miller Scholarship for Advanced Remote Sensing Applications
  Vicky Sobot, Arizona State University
  
• Black Cape Scholarship for Students in Geospatial Intelligence
  Ariel Ooms, Michigan State University
  
• Vantor Scholarship for Innovation in GEOINT
  Ryder Cuch, Dartmouth College
  
• AWS Scholarship for Leadership in GEOINT
  Anna McNulty, Southern New Hampshire University
  
• GDIT Horizons Scholarship
  Eric Borowski, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
  
• Leidos Scholarship for AI/ML Advancement
  Joseph Pelczar, George Mason University
  
• Future Geospatial Innovator Award
  Florence Onyike, Virginia Tech
  
• Globe Building St. Louis Scholarship
  Ashutosh Pawar, Saint Louis University
  
• Westway Services Scholarship for Veterans
  Kyle Porto, Delta State University

Doctoral Scholars

• Muskan Kingrani, Rochester Institute of Technology
• Jacob Tagnan, Florida State University
• Clifford Boateng, Mississippi State University

Graduate Scholars

• Sophia Meyers, University of Pennsylvania
• Dylan Lang, The City College of New York (CUNY)
• Anonymous, Stanford University

Undergraduate Scholars

• Kyle Cacha, University of Southern California
• Navya Sarapadi, University of Michigan
• Emma Bergquist, Brigham Young University

Rising College Freshmen

• Zara Jackson, University of Michigan
• Tarun Batchu, University of California, Berkeley
• Deklan White, Texas A&M University

Congratulations to the 2026 USGIF scholars. We look forward to seeing the impact you make in the GEOINT community.

USGIF Scholarship applications reopen for the Fall 2027-Spring 2028 cycle early next year.

Want to learn more about this year’s recipients and their achievements? View the full list of 2026 USGIF Scholarship recipients →

Support USGIF’s Scholarship and Education Programs at GEOGala 2026

One of the best opportunities to support USGIF Scholarship and Education programs is to attend GEOGala on Thursday, December 3, 2026. Plan to join us to celebrate The Honorable Stacey A. Dixon as she is presented with the Lundahl-Finnie Lifetime Achievement Award. The evening will feature live and silent auctions, with proceeds directly benefiting USGIF’s Scholarship and Education Programs.

Learn more about these programs and other ways to support the next generation of GEOINT leaders→USGIF’s Scholarship and Education Programs