ECU Honors College welcomes 20 new Brinkley-Lane Scholars

GREENVILLE, N.C. (5/21/2025) — Twenty students will step onto East Carolina University’s campus this fall as the newest cohort of Brinkley-Lane Scholars.

Housed in the Honors College, the Brinkley-Lane Scholars is the most prestigious undergraduate award program offered at ECU. The four-year merit scholarship recognizes outstanding academic performance, commitment to community engagement and strong leadership skills. Both in-state and out-of-state recipients receive a fully funded education, covering the cost of tuition, fees, room and board, and high impact experiences including the ability to explore the world with a $5,000 study abroad stipend. Scholars benefit from access to an array of leadership opportunities, research with award-winning faculty and a robust alumni network.

The recipients are Joel Addy-Wedlock, Eriifeoluwa Adebanji, Hayden Collier, Korina Cortezano, Drew Crumpler, AbdulHamid Dauda, Hannah Escobar, Hayden Harper, Hiba Hassib, John Kumar, Eleanor Maupin, Makakoa McGee, Lakshanyaa Rajendran Balaji, Percy Shorter, Sam Smith, Hannah Snead, DeShawn Standard Jr., Brooklyn Stratton, Sahana Suresh and Ava Williams.

• Addy-Wedlock is a senior at Innovation Early College High School on ECU’s campus and plans to major in public health. He is the son of Pamela Addy of Greenville.
• Adebanji, who attended The Ridge School, intends to major in computer science. He is the son of Atinuke Olusola Adebanji of Kumasi, Ghana.
• Collier, a senior at South Central High School, plans to major in religious studies and accounting. He is the son of Brandie Long and David Collier of Winterville.
• Cortezano is a senior at John A. Holmes High School. She plans to major in nursing and her parents are Rommel and Rachel Cortezano of Edenton.
• Crumpler is a senior at Bentonville High School. He intends to major in nursing and is the son of Chris and Heather Crumpler of Bentonville, Arkansas.
• Dauda, a senior at D.H. Conley High School, plans to major in chemistry. He is the son of Abimbola Waheed Dauda and Aminat Temitayo Dauda of Greenville.
• Escobar is a senior at Franklin Academy. An intended nursing major, she is the daughter of Richell Teo-Escobar and Homer Escobar of Rolesville.
• Harper is a senior at Robert B. Glen High School. She is the daughter of R. Overton and Amy Harper of Kernersville and is majoring in biology.
• Hassib, a senior at Wake Early College of Health and Sciences, plans to pursue a major in neuroscience and chemistry. She is the daughter of Jalila Chorouq and Mustapha Hassib of Holly Springs.
• Kumar is a senior at J.H. Rose High School and plans to major in neuroscience. He is the son of Santhosh and Dorathy Kumar of Winterville.
• Maupin is a senior at John Taylor Williams Secondary Montessori School. She intends to major in community and regional planning and is the daughter of Chad Maupin and Jessica Gregory of Charlotte.
• McGee is a senior at Panther Creek High School. He intends to major in music education and is the son of Joshua and Jamy McGee of Cary.
• Rajendran Balaji, a senior at Research Triangle High School, intends to major in public health. She is the daughter of Balaji Rajendran and Lavanya Alagesan of Durham.
• Shorter is a senior at John Paul II Catholic High School. He plans to major in chemistry and is the son of Percy and Stephanie Shorter of Greenville.
• Smith is a senior at Wakefield High School. He intends to major in construction management and is the son of Chris and Cathy Smith of Youngsville.
• Snead, a senior at East Wake Academy, intends to major in biology and neuroscience. She is the daughter of Jenny Boulden and Rob Snead of Zebulon.
• Standard, a senior at Ardrey Kell High School, intends to major in nursing. He is the son of DeShawn Standard Sr. and Marielly Troncoso of Charlotte.
• Stratton is a senior at Currituck County High School. She plans to major in business and marketing and is the daughter of William and Jacquelyn Stratton of Moyock.
• Suresh is a senior at Enloe Magnet High School and plans to pursue a biology major. She is the daughter of Suresh Chandrasekaran and Saraswathy Veeraraghavan of Raleigh.
• Williams, a senior at Rocky Mount High School, intends to major in nursing. She is the daughter of Chip and Julie Williams of Rocky Mount.

The competitive selection process involved around 150 ECU faculty and staff and multiple rounds of review. Fifty-five finalists were selected from nearly 900 applications and were invited to visit ECU’s campus in February for Selection Sunday to interview for the 20 spots. This event showcased everything ECU and the program have to offer and allowed the prospective scholars to connect with current students, alumni, faculty members and friends of the program.

To learn more about the program, visit the Brinkley-Lane Scholars website.