The Texas Exes is pleased to announce the Forty Acres Scholars Program Class of 2029. This program inspires and nurtures visionary leaders and helps them use their talents to benefit society. Earlier this spring, 64 impressive finalists joined our staff and current Scholars on the UT campus for a full weekend showcasing life on the Forty Acres. The weekend included visits to their admitted colleges, a mock class with a UT professor, a field tour of the Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, networking dinners, informative panels, and more—all concluding with individual interviews.

Today, we are thrilled to introduce you to our 20 new and exceptional Forty Acres Scholars. Among the incoming class are founders of community service programs, school clubs, and businesses. Also in the mix are four high school valedictorians and six AP Scholars with Distinction. Many more are decorated varsity athletes, team captains, club presidents, musicians, and entrepreneurs.

These Scholars will receive full funding for their tuition, a living stipend, a book stipend, and opportunities for enrichment activities including a global experience, professional and personal development, volunteer and service opportunities, and the chance to help further their education. As the only program of its kind administered by an alumni association, the Forty Acres Scholars Program helps Scholars develop a unique connection with their alma mater—and with each other. Over their four years on campus, Scholar cohorts form a tight bond with each other and serve as a powerful network and resource to each other during their time on campus and beyond.

Meet the Class of 2029:  

Isabelle Grace Ballard from New York, New York, is the recipient of the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Forty Acres Scholarship. While attending Avenues the World School in New York, Ballard was the editor of the school newspaper, a part of Humanities Fellowship, and the editor of the school fashion magazine. Her awards and recognitions include the Youth Journalism International 2024 Excellence in Journalism First Place Award, Feature Writing by an Individual and Youth Journalism International 2024 Excellence in Journalism Finalist, and the Frank Keegan Award for News Reporting. She also is very good at learning every lyric to every song! Ballard plans to major in journalism while also exploring art history, philosophy, political science, and theology. She is the daughter of Lisa Ballard and Andrew Ballard.

Sienna Dierkes from Frisco, Texas, is the recipient of the Susie and John L. Adams Forty Acres Scholarship. While attending Frisco High School, Dierkes was the founder & lead organizer of TEDxFrisco HS Youth, the social media manager for Global Renewal, a global anti-trafficking organization, where she volunteered more than 700 hours, and founder of Aero Design Lab, a marketing agency, where she worked with more than a dozen clients. Her awards and recognitions include being a Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneurship Competition Global Finalist, graduating summa cum laude, and Spanish National Honor Society. Dierkes plans to major in Canfield Business Honors while also exploring Finance. She is the daughter of Vikki DiPerna and Jim Dierkes.

Ella Dillinger from Boerne, Texas, is the recipient of the Lowell Lebermann Scholarship. While attending the Geneva School of Boerne, Dillinger served as executive editor of design and concept for the Geneva Quarterly, the school magazine, volunteer coordinator for Rebecca’s Wish, a local nonprofit, and was the girls varsity tennis team captain. Her awards and recognitions include the Geneva Quarterly winning a silver crown and two gold crowns from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association while on staff and in leadership, played violin in the 1st in state school orchestra, and was a PSAT National Rural and Small Town Recognized Scholar. She was also born in Germany! Dillinger plans to major in Civics Honors and Plan II Honors. She is the daughter of Mandy and Michael Dillinger.

Betty Falvo from San Antonio, Texas, is the recipient of the Catherine G. and Sam L. Susser Forty Acres Scholarship. While attending Alamo Heights High School, Falvo was the school mascot all four years, attending sporting events, pep rallies, and fundraisers. She was co-founder and president of Rho Kappa History Honor Society. Falvo also served on the high school's strategic planning committee for three years, where she met with administrators, counselors, department heads, and parents to discuss school policy, curriculum, construction plans, and school-wide events. Her awards and recognitions include earning the President's Volunteer Service Award all four years for serving 100+ hours each year. The majority of these volunteer hours were spent serving families at a local homeless shelter. She served as secretary of the French Club and Latin Club and was a member of National Honor Society, Science NHS, Mu Alpha Theta, Sociedad honoraria Hispanica, and Latin Honor Society. Falvo is a classically trained pianist, loves going to concerts, and can't wait to take on Austin's live music scene. She was also the valedictorian of her class. Falvo plans to major in Canfield Business Honors and Plan II Honors. She is the daughter of Annamarie and Mark Falvo.

Sean Gelman from Marlboro, New Jersey, is the recipient of the Stamps Forty Acres Scholarship, supported by the Carl and Keely Carter Family Fund. While attending Marlboro High School, Gelman was the president of Marlboro High School’s Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) chapter, president of Marlboro High School’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter, and student CEO of the Business Administration Magnet Program at Marlboro High School. His awards and recognitions include first place in the United States in Accounting II at the FBLA National Leadership Conference (2024), captain of Marlboro’s first place team in the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs High School Consumer Bowl (2024), and National Merit Commended Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction (2024). He was also a member of Marlboro High School’s varsity cross country and track teams for all four years of high school and created “Project Fight Senior Fraud” - an initiative where he organized workshops at senior citizen communities, educating members about strategies to avoid scams and providing tools for members to conduct due diligence on their financial advisors. Gelman is the valedictorian of his class. He plans to major in Canfield Business Honors Program (CBHP) with interests in Finance, Accounting, and Entrepreneurship. He is the son of Meryl and Seth Gelman.

Caden George from Fort Worth, Texas, is the recipient of the Stamps Forty Acres Scholarship, in honor of Alan W. Hamm. While attending the Trinity Valley School, George was elected to key student government positions, including student body president. He served on two summer Global Brigade trips to Honduras, where he set up medical clinics, built eco-stoves for local farmers to improve air quality, and supported reforestation efforts. He was also in an after-school architecture, construction, and engineering mentorship program, and he led the computational design of a penguin exhibit at the Fort Worth Zoo and an art deco museum in the Fort Worth Stockyards. His awards and recognitions include a $10,000 scholarship from the ACE Mentorship Program for outstanding involvement, leadership, and commitment to the Architecture, Construction, and Engineering fields, AP Scholar with Distinction, and Cum Laude Society. He loves to play the cello and was the first chair cellist in his school's orchestra. Among his many interests, George enjoyed serving a captain of his varsity tennis team, writing about his travel in his local community magazine, and co-founded Valley Lawn Service. He plans to major in Mechanical Engineering with an interest in the Industrial Engineering & Management track with a minor in Business. He is the son of Anjum and Dr. Josh George.

Mitul Gouni from Allen, Texas, is the recipient of the Diana and S. Todd Maclin Forty Acres Scholarship. While attending Allen High School, Gouni was the executive director of Lightbulb Tutoring, president of Allen HS Junior World Affairs Council, and the committee lead of the Allen Gun Safety Committee. His awards and recognitions include the Congressional Award Gold Medal, the PVSA Gold Medal, and a Cameron Scholarship Finalist. Gouni was valedictorian of his graduating class. He plans to major in Canfield Business Honors with an interest in exploring Humanities. Gouni is the son of Swapna Konda and Praveen Gouni.

Abby Haydon from Frisco, Texas, is the recipient of the Stamps Forty Acres Scholarship, supported by Susan M. Cooley. While attending Centennial High School, Haydon was on student council, where she fostered school spirit through community-wide events, school dances, and initiatives that celebrated athletic, academic, and fine art success. She served as Junior Frisco League president and a co-founding officer of Best Buddies. Her awards and recognitions include AP Scholar with Distinction, “Titan Heart” Volleyball Award and the Collin College Health Professions Student of Excellence Award. Haydon also completed the Ascension Seton Austin Half Marathon and the BMW Dallas Half Marathon. She spent two summers volunteering at Texas Health and Children’s Health, where she was inspired to pursue a career in nursing. She plans to major in Nursing as part of the Nursing Honors Program. She is the daughter of Kim and Blake Haydon.

Shivani Jayaraj from Frisco, Texas, is the recipient of the Chris Cartwright Forty Acres Scholarship. While attending Independence High School, Jayaraj founded the Lead The Ways Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving educational equity by providing essential infrastructure, like school buses, restrooms, and learning resources, to underserved rural schools around the world. She was the lead organizer of a citywide march in Frisco mobilizing 250 people to advocate for school safety and raise funds for victims of the Uvalde school shooting. She managed logistics with city officials and brought in congressional candidates to amplify the cause. She was also the founder of Youth for Youth, an initiative promoting civic engagement among young voters. Her awards and recognitions include a $1,000 Voter Impact Collective (VIC) award for advancing youth voter engagement in Collin and Dallas Counties, Texas, she qualified twice for the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) and was honored with U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Gold and Silver Awards. Jayaraj plans to major in Canfield Business Honors Program while also pursuing a Scientific Computation and Data Sciences Certificate, and the Public Policy Bridging Disciplines Program (BDP). She is the daughter of Maheswari Jayaraj and Jayaraj Velayutham.

Annabelle Judson from Austin, Texas, is the recipient of the Carol and Gary Kelly Forty Acres Scholarship. While attending St. Michael’s Preparatory School, Judson was the creator, director, and producer of Aiding Austin, an inspiring short series that shines a spotlight on Austin-area nonprofits. As one of the youngest producers at the Austin Film Society, she completed 13 certification classes, mastering professional filmmaking techniques. Additionally, she served as co-founder and co-president of the Mandarin Cultural Club at St. Michael’s, passionately promoting Chinese language and traditions within the community. Her awards and recognitions include being an award-winning filmmaker, recognized at film festivals nationwide for her creative storytelling. Her accolades include Best Student Screenwriter at the Austin Revolution Film Festival and a finalist placement at the Student Los Angeles Film Awards. Beyond filmmaking, her commitment to service has earned the Presidential Bronze and Presidential Gold Awards from AmeriCorps, honoring over 100 hours of community service for two consecutive years. Additionally, she received the Senior Recognition Award from the National Charity League for completing the most volunteer hours in her chapter. Judson proudly serves as the Social Officer for St. Michael’s dance team. Dance is a cornerstone of her life, and she's eager to pursue this passion throughout college. She plans to major in Radio-Television-Film and would love to double-major in advertising and minor in Mandarin Chinese. She is the daughter of Julie and Don Judson.

Karys Karlow from Plano, Texas, is the recipient of the Stamps Forty Acres Scholarship, supported by Reba and Ralph Ferrell; as well as the Chevron Enrichment Award. While attending Trinity Christian Academy, Karlow founded Buckner Rising Stars—a volleyball camp for underprivileged girls, worked in the civil engineering department at University of Texas at Arlington as a paid research intern, and served as the varsity volleyball two-year captain and MVP. Her awards and recognitions include being a National Merit Scholar, WFAA Scholar Athlete of the Week, and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, Scholastic Art & Writing Award - Regional Gold Key Award Winner. She also won two of the female weightlifting categories at her school. Karlow plans to major in Honors Civil Engineering and Plan II Honors with a possible minor in physics and/or entrepreneurship. She is the daughter of Kelli and Marvin Karlow.

Hayden Kramer from Bellaire, Texas, is the recipient of the Stamps Forty Acres Scholarship, supported by the Bret and Michelle Bellard Family. While attending the St. John’s School, Kramer spent last summer as a Wright Scholar (summer internship) with the Air Force Research Laboratory on the Wright Patterson Air Force Base researching aircraft systems fault failures. He is an Eagle Scout and his Eagle project was building a chimney swift tower for migrating birds in a local park in his community. He is also a competitive indoor skydiver and recently won first place in two-way dynamic intermediate at the U.S. National indoor skydiving championships last November. His awards and recognitions include AP Scholar with Distinction, The President’s Volunteer Service Award, and a National Merit Commended Scholar. Kramer also is a certified outdoor skydiver, loves to design and build R/C aircrafts, is a certified scuba diver, and has been to all seven continents. He plans to major in Aerospace Engineering. He is the son of Jennifer and Adam Kramer.

London Lee from McKinney, Texas, is the recipient of the Elizabeth Shatto Massey Forty Acres Scholarship. While attending McKinney Boud High School, Lee was a member of the PALS (Peer Assistance and Leadership Services) organization for two years where she provided mentorship and support to children with special needs at partner elementary and middle schools. Lee specialized in working with autistic individuals and others who were largely nonverbal. She was the junior coach of the Lucky Stars cheer team, where she trained and supported special needs athletes in cheerleading routines, promoting confidence, and teamwork. Lee has been working as a behavioral coach for two years delivering personalized behavioral coaching to individuals with special needs. Her awards and recognitions include receiving the National Hispanic Recognition for Outstanding Academic Achievement, the Academic Excellence Award for maintaining a minimum of 3.5 weighted grade point average, and an AP Scholar with Distinction. She has also been a competitive cheerleader for the last four years. She plans to major in Special Education with interests in Educational Policy and Social Work. She is the daughter of Nicole Lee and Chad Fragle.

Gabriel Melo from Georgetown, Texas, is the recipient of the Ray and Denise Nixon Forty Acres Scholarship. While attending Rouse High School, Melo was president of Rouse DECA and preseident and founder of Rouse Young Investors Society, and a Bank of America Student Leader. His awards and recognitions include DECA 7th Place Internationally and three-time international finalist in the Sports and Entertainment Marketing Team Event, Top 100 Finalist for the Global Stock Pitch Competition, and a National Merit Finalist. He is fluent in Portuguese and has taught Portuguese fluency to over 100 amazing kids. As President of his DECA chapter, he ran a $50k fundraiser in partnership with the Double Good Kids Foundation to provide opportunities for neurodivergent children and their families. He plans to major in Canfield Business Honors with a potential double major in Business Analytics as well as a minor in Marketing. He is the son of Alessandra and Gilson Melo.

Jawaad Merali from Pflugerville, Texas, is the recipient of the Stamps Forty Acres Scholarship, supported by Audrey and Thomas Pesek. While attending Hendrickson High School, Merali was treasurer of the National Honor Society and engineering captain of Science Olympiad. His awards and recognitions include IBM Thomas J. Watson Memorial Award, National Merit Commended Scholar, and AP Scholar with Distinction. Merali was valedictorian of his class. He plans to major in Computer Science with interest in also pursuing a Certificate in Cybersecurity and a Certificate in Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence. He is the son of Salika Merali and Taha Merali.

Justin Pollack from Irvine, California, is the recipient of the Stamps Forty Acres Scholarship, supported by Lana Jones O'Hara and Will O'Hara. While attending University High School, Pollack was a lab and research assistant at the UC Irvine Subsurface Processes Lab, served as a paid organizer for California Democrats over two election cycles where he managed volunteers and organized outreach events in re-election campaigns, and was a member of University High School's Hope Squad chapter as partof an international peer-to-peer suicide prevention organization. His awards and recognitions include a Science Fair project titled "Forming Flash Floods: Applying the Horton Infiltration Model Through an Arroyo’s Stream Course," which won 4th Place at the California State Science & Engineering Fair, 2nd Place at the Orange County Science & Engineering Fair, 1st Place at the Irvine Unified School District science fair, and two recognition awards from the Orange County Water District and Irvine Ranch Water District. He was the 2024 Easton Ethics Award Recipient, for outstanding contributions and active engagement as a teaching assistant and co-author of publications at the UC Irvine Interdisciplinary Center for Ethics & Morality. In his free time, he loves hiking, skiing, off-roading and being outdoors. Pollack plans to major in Geosystems Engineering and Hydrogeology and is interested in the Public Policy Bridging Disciplines Program (BDP) and the Sustainable Energy or Hydrology minors. He is interested in developing his understanding of engineering and technology to build solutions and effectively manage water and energy resources. He is the son of Susanne Stark and Jaime Pollack.

Trey Rolston from Midland, Texas, is the recipient of the Stamps Forty Acres Scholarship, supported by Vicki and Jim Rado. While attending Legacy High School, Rolston was the Texas Boys State district chairman, president of the choir program, and he cofounded and edited the Rebel Reporter newspaper. His awards and recognitions include being named a National Merit Scholar, a Troupe 5968 National Honor Thespian, and he received Division 1 for both solo and ensemble at the Texas State Solo and Ensemble contest, as well as being his class valedictorian. Rolston also likes to emcee and he was his school's go-to emcee for pep rallies and football games. He plans to major in Music Performance while possibly pursuing certificates in Ethics and Leadership in Law, Politics, and Government, or minor in Law, Justice, and Society. He is the son of Erika Rolston and Jay Rolston.

Annika Sawant from Carrollton, Texas is the recipient of the Stamps Forty Acres Scholarship, supported by Jon Brelig. While attending Hebron High School, she was president of IntelliChoice, president of the school orchestra, and the STEM club president. Her awards and recognitions include being a two-time National Young Arts Winner in Popular Voice, Salutatorian, and DECA + HOSA state winner, and international competitor. She likes New York Times games, baking, and Gossip Girl. She plans to major in Business Honors and hopes to add a major in Computer Science, Math, or Neuroscience, and possibly minor in Entrepreneurship & Finance! She is the daughter of Rashmi Pawar and Abhay Sawant.

Nolan Yee from Katy, Texas, is the recipient of the Eugene McDermott Forty Acres Scholarship. While attending James E. Taylor High School, Yee was vice president of EchoWellness, a fundraising organization that raised over $30,000 across two years for a local special needs school and American veteran support, founder of Katy Soaring Scholars, a nonprofit dedicated to making education accessible to underprivileged students, and student body vice president. His awards and recognitions include 4x American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) qualifier, a Gold Medal in the International Psychology Olympiad, and National Champion of the TSA TEAMS engineering competition. He is also a a published singer-songwriter, he has a passion for the ethical integration of AI and the arts, and he has conducted independent research on emotional biases against AI music. He is the son of Yuling Qian and Chee Kong Yee.