The Milken Scholars initiative announced Tuesday that five New York City high school students will take part in its 2022 scholarship program. Of those students, two of them — Farwa Batool and Joyce Lin — attend high school in Queens.
These Milken Scholars were chosen based upon academic performance, community service, leadership and their ability to persevere in the face of personal challenges after very rigorous nomination, application and interview processes.
Batool went to Townsend Harris High School and will be studying economics and international relations at Stanford University in the fall. Lin went to Francis Lewis High School and will study business and sociology at Barnard College this fall.
Having spent the early years of her life living in the Taliban-controlled region of Mariabad in Pakistan, Batool was motivated by the lack of opportunities in that area, particularly for girls. Since moving to the United States in 2012, Batool has worked to increase educational opportunities for her community. She initiated Townsend Harris High School’s peer tutoring program, which offers support in mathematics, science, foreign language and SAT/ACT preparation.
She was also president of the Uplift Club, which prepares Spanish and Urdu-speaking middle school students for Regents exams. As a student council class senator and member of the Student Equity and Access Team, she advocated for dress code changes and breaks during online instruction.
In addition to being recognized as a Milken Scholar, Batool is also a QuestBridge National College Match Scholar and QuestBridge College Prep Scholar. She’s part of the Science Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta National Honor Society, ARISTA and ARCHON National Service Honor Society. On the National Latin Exam, she earned summa cum laude. Additionally, she received the American Association of Teachers of Spanish Award for Excellence in Spanish Literature and was recognized for her achievements by New York City Council members Peter Koo and Grace Meng.
As president of the Glamour Gals Club at Francis Lewis High School, Lin planned makeover-and-manicure community service events at senior centers. She was a three-time recipient of the Intergenerational Service Award and a Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) Scholar.
In partnership with the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, Lin founded her school’s FIDM Fashion Club, where she led sewing and sketching workshops. She also raised funds to ensure all members had free access to supplies so they had the opportunity to pursue fashion without financial barriers.
In addition to being a Milken Scholar, Lin is also an AP Scholar, Greenhouse Scholar and Minds Matter Scholar. Additionally, she is a member of the National Honor Society, received the Marshall Wace Award and is a finalist for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship. She co-founded Francis Lewis High School’s Student Culture Diversity and Inclusion Committee and was vice president of student government. She also created a webinar series to help first-generation and minority students through the college application process.
As an intern for the asset management firm BlackRock, Lin researched sustainable investments before brainstorming Gen Z engagement strategies during her marketing fellowship at NBC Universal. She also sold fig cookies to raise seed capital to launch WearYourJoyce.com, an e-commerce jewelry business with more than 500 orders and $6,000 in profit. In addition to creating this sales website, she is in charge of trends research, product design, pricing and social media marketing.
The other New York City Milken Scholars include Maria Cuevas and Osahon Odias of New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math High School (NEST+m) and Jingyu Zhang of Stuyvesant High School. The five scholars will join more than 150 other recipients from across the country later this month at a four-day summit in Los Angeles.
Founded by Mike and Lori Milken in 1989, the Milken Scholars program promotes and assists young people navigating the transitions from high school to college and college to graduate school or the world of work. Each recipient receives a $10,000 scholarship and access to a lifelong support system that includes ongoing career-related counseling, assistance in securing internships, opportunities for community service and a fund to assist their pursuit of post-undergraduate career goals.
