Celebrating 10 Years of Scholarship and Success!
Founded in 2015, The Banyan Scholarship has proudly supported the dreams of 44 students, empowering them to achieve academic excellence. As we celebrate our 10th anniversary in 2025, we look forward to continuing our mission of transforming lives and building brighter futures for years to come.
BANYAN COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP FOR SOUTH ASIAN AMERICANS
2025 BANYAN SCHOLARS
LEANN LAMBERT
Leann, whose family is from Sri Lanka, grew up in Staten Island, NY. She graduated from Notre Dame Academy and is currently a freshman at Villanova University. She is on a pre-law track and studying Political Science. Her aspiration is to help those less fortunate than her especially regarding immigration issues. She has used her passions for social justice to host drives and community events to give back to those who are in need. In high school, Leann has volunteered at the District Attorney’s office and the State Senator’s office to provide resources for low income families in the area and resolve ongoing community issues. After college, she plans on attending law school and working hard to become an immigration lawyer. Outside the classroom, she is involved in various clubs at Villanova such as the Pre-Law organization, South Asian Community Organization, and the Student Government Association.
AFZAL AKHTAR
Afzal was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated salutatorian of Midwood High School’s Class of 2025. Passionate about science, research, and medicine, Afzal served as the president of his school’s Science Olympiad team, winning them their first-ever back-to-back regional victory. Beyond leadership, Afzal distinguishes himself in research. Most notably was his behavioral science study analyzing self-efficacy’s effect on high school students' performance under time stress, a research paper that garnered him the AP Capstone Diploma and 1st place and 3rd place in the prestigious St. Joseph Poster Presentation and Terra NYC STEM Fair, respectively. Currently, Afzal is a student in the distinguished Sophie Davis Biomedical Education Program, working hard to achieve his dream job of becoming a physician.
SAMIYA RUBAIYA
Hailing from Brooklyn, Samiya Rubaiya has always been deeply engaged in community organizing. She began in third grade, participating in tenant rights and housing advocacy efforts on Avenue C Plaza in Kensington. That early experience shaped her commitment to civic engagement, which she carried into high school as a Participatory Budgeting delegate and Steering Committee member, helping secure funding for community developed projects as a liaison with the NYC DOE. Samiya expanded her impact by working with Councilmember Shahana Hanif as a founding member and Youth Lead for her Youth Leadership Council and as Lead Youth Intern on her re-election campaign. Now a first-year student at Pitzer College, Samiya plans to study International Political Economy, Critical Global Studies and Middle Eastern Studies with the long-term goal of pursuing a career in diplomacy and completing a Fulbright Fellowship.
RASHMI TIMALSINA
Rashmi was born in Nepal and grew up in Queens, NY. In high school, she took part in extracurriculars ranging from the Arts to STEM. She joined the dance and band club at her school, volunteered at her community center (teaching kids Nepali dance and literacy) and joined a STEM program at Columbia University, where she and her teammates presented STEM solutions to problems in NYC to speakers from NASA, international non-profit organizations, and authors. Furthermore, she took 12 APs, which opened her up to learning about the world in all different perspectives. She is currently a freshman at the University of Rochester, majoring in Molecular Genetic Biology on the pre-med track, where she looks forward to starting research and building a strong foundation for her future in medicine or research. Outside of classes, she enjoys calling friends and family, badminton, chess, art, and music.