Honoring the Mill's Best and Brightest

Watkins Mill High School's academic elite pinned down some $75,000 in scholarships this year to go with with dozens of commendations and certificates.

Maryland Sen. Nancy J. King and Del. Kirill Reznik each gave eleven scholarships to Montgomery College. Watkins Mill's Booster club gave out 10 scholarships; the NAACP two; the Montgomery Village Foundation two; and four different awards were awarded by the Mike Tyler Scholarship Fund, named after the Watkins Mill student who died in 2006 after he was paralyzed during a wrestling match.

Fiften students were named Maryland Distinguished Scholars, giving them $3,000 toward tuition at a state school. Twenty-one students received the State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award).

Principal Scott Murphy also recognized four seniors for embodying character and values.

Fatima Abdurrahman – Foreign Language Award, State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award)

Zoe Afful – Watkins Mill Foreign Language Award

Moriamo Akibu -- Maryland Distinguished Scholar (Arts), State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award)

Melody Anderson -- Maryland Distinguished Scholar, Maryland Distinguished Scholar (Arts), State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award), Watkins Mill Math Award

Soraya Anderson – Sen. Nancy J. King Legislative Scholarship

Colleen Antonio – State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award)

Joshua Antonio – Watkins Mill Physical Education Award

Sarah Ardell – Maryland Distinguished Scholar (Arts)

Oscar Argueta – Watkins Mill Art Award

Amanda Arnold – State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award), Neelsville Middle School Scholarship

Mishelle Asinobi – NAACP Scholarship, Sen. Nancy J. King Legislative Scholarship

Alexander Barsukov – Montgomery Village Middle School Scholarship, Watkins Mill Science Award

Neha Basnet – Dede Burrell Scholarship, Maryland Distringuished Scholar

Diane Best – Del. Kirill Reznik Legislative Scholarship, Watkins Mill Academy of Finance Award

– Congressman Christopher Van Hollen's Public Service Award, Bethany Presbyterian Church Scholarship, Carson Scholar, State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award), Maryland Distinguished Scholar, principal's award

Stephen Briner – Watkins Mill Foreign Language Award

Mariana Camacho – Watkins Mill English Award

Robert Cressman – Del. Kirill Reznik Legislative Scholarship

Ismael Daho – Watkins Mill ESOL Award

Andrea Falcon – Watkins Mill Child Development Award

Fazila Faridi – Del. Kirill Reznik Legislative Scholarship

Oscar Flores – Sen. Nancy J. King Legislative Scholarship

Elisabet Feuntes – Sen. Nancy J. King Legislative Scholarship

Mariatu Forniah – Alpha Kappa Alpha OLA Carter Berry Scholarship

Braulio Garcia – Watkins Mill Art Award

Xavier Garcia – Del. Kirill Reznik Legislative Scholarship, Stedwick Elementary School Scholarship

Maya Gardner – Watkins Mill Computer Programming Award

Gabriella Gomez – State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award), Montgomery Scholars Program        

Bianca Grande – Watkins Mill Foreign Language Award

Maria Grima Cuartero – Watkins Mill Foreign Language Award

Kariah Guilds – Maryland Distinguished Scholar, State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award), Watkins Mill Science Award

William Hamilton-Schools – Kappa Alpha Psi Book Award

Arvind Harinder – Michael Tyler Academic Award, Montgomery Village Foundation Scholarship, Booster Club Scholarship, Maryland Distinguished Scholar, State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award)

Mariena Hicks – Kaiser Citizen Scholar

Huong Hong – Michael Tyler School Spirit and Service Award

Megan Hovenier – State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award), Booster Club Scholarship

– Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship, Montgomery County Alliance of Black School Educators Distinguished Community Scholar

Alexandria Johnson – Booster Club Scholarship

– Montgomery Village Foundation Scholarship, Montgomery Village Rotary Club Scholarship, The President's Volunteer Service Award, Prudential Spirit of Community Service Award (Distinguished Finalist)

Sarah Khanal – Maryland Distinguished Scholar, State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award)

Patrick King – Booster Club Scholarship

Donna Rose Kinol – Del. Kirill Reznik Legislative Scholarship

Utmitha Konda – Maryland Distinguished Scholar, State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award)

Omar Koita – Sen. Nancy J. King Legislative Scholarship

Shaakira Lindsey – Sen. Nancy J. King Legislative Scholarship

Jenny Lui – Watkins Mill Child Development Award

Joshua Machado – Del. Kirill Reznik Legislative Scholarship

Rose Mahoney – Booster Club Scholarship

Dennis Makmak – Sen. Nancy J. King Legislative Scholarship

Chelsea Mai – Watkins Mill Art Award

Suraj Mali – State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award), Will Group

Stephanie Martinez – State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award), Sen. Nancy J. King Legislative Scholarship, Watkins Mill Academy of Engineering Award, Michael Tyler Athletic Award, Watkins Mill Art Award, Booster Club scholarship

Jose Mejia – Watkins Mill ESOL Award

Jacqueline Melkomian – Watkins Mill English Award

Afua Mirekuaa – Del. Kirill Reznik Legislative Scholarship

Jahir Montalvo – State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award)

Kenyatta Moore – Watkins Mill Physical Education Award

Lillian Morales – South Lake Elementary School Scholarship

Vanessa Moyonero – Whetstone Elementary School Scholarship

Andrew Munroe – Watkins Mill Science Award, Watkins Mill Social Studies Award

Amber Myren – Rachel Carson Book Award

Kathy Nguyen – Marian Greenblatt Award, Watkins Mill Computer Programming, Watkins Mill Math Award

– State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award), Sen. Nancy J. King Legislative Scholarship

Daon Nichols-Sutton – Watkins Mill Hospitality Management Award

Angela Nino – Watkins Mill Art Award, Watkins Mill Social Studies Award

Alvaro Pareja-Lecaros – Booster Club Scholarship

Christine Pellack – Marian Greenblatt Award, Booster Club Scholarship, Maryland Distinguished Scholar

Millie Pryphun – Watkins Mill Academy of Engineering Award, Harvard Book Award

– Alpha Kappa Alpha OLA Carter Berry Scholarship,  Maryland Distinguished Scholar, State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award), Montgomery County Alliance of Black School Educators Distinguished African-American Scholar, National Achievement Scholarship, Ron Brown Scholar, principal's award, Booster Club Scholarship, Watkins Mill Foreign Language Award

Vonero Richards – Del. Kirill Reznik Legislative Scholarship

Karen Rius – Maryland Distinguished Scholar

Damiete Roberts – Sandy Spring Bank scholarship

Myriam Rofrano – Booster Club Scholarship

– State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award), National Merit Finalist

Matthew Sadler – Watkins Mill Social Studies Award

Santon Shagavah – Del. Kirill Reznik Legislative Scholarship, Watkins Mill Social Studies Award

Farasat Siddiqui – Del. Kirill Reznik Legislative Scholarship

– Hispanic Employees Association of Montgomery County Public Schools Distinguished Hispanic Scholar, Maryland Distinguished Scholar, State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award)

– Montgomery Village Foundation Scholarship, Michael Tyler Achievement Award, PTSA General Scholarship, Watkins Mill English Award, Watkins Mill Math Award

Caroline Stokes – Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award, Carson Scholar, Jones Family/Plasma Fellows/Greenblatt Scholarship, Watkins Mill English Award

Harsha Tangirala – Neelsville Middle School Scholarship

Pearl Tenny – Kaiser Citizen Scholar, PTSA General Scholarship

Elias Tesso – Sen. Nancy J. King Legislative Scholarship

Youanidou Thiaw – Watkins Mill Elementary School Scholarship

Ricardo Thompson – Farrar Consulting, Hospitality Management Award

Michael Valdez – Watkins Mill Art Award

Mary Frances Vardeman – Watkins Mill Math Award

Amy Vasquez – George Washington University Medal

Adam Vogel – Sen. Nancy J. King Legislative Scholarship

Sokleap Vuth – Rensselaer Medal

Detreece Williams – Watkins Mill Physical Education Award

Detrelle Williams – Watkins Mill Physical Education Award

Jade Williams – Montgomery Village Middle School Scholarship, Maryland Distinguished Scholar, State of Maryland Merit Scholastic Award (Governor's award)