Brinkley-Lane Scholar: Ankit Kantheti
Ankit Kantheti remembers the moment he opened his letter from East Carolina University and saw that he had been accepted as a Brinkley-Lane Scholar.
“I just remember feeling so incredibly happy. It was something I had genuinely worked so hard for, and it honestly didn’t feel real at first,” he said.
This fall the intended biology major, whose long-term goal is to become a physician, will be one of 21 Brinkley-Lane Scholars, the most prestigious undergraduate award program offered at ECU.
Housed in the Honors College, 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.
Kantheti visited ECU’s campus several times since his sophomore year at Enloe Magnet High School in Raleigh.
“Each time I returned to campus it felt more like a place where I could actually see myself thriving,” he said.
On Selection Sunday, the final step in the Brinkley-Lane Scholars application process, Kantheti talked with leaders in medicine, research and public health as well as other finalists, which reinforced his decision to attend ECU. He’s honored to have been chosen, he said.
“But more than the recognition, it means being part of a community of people who are all equally committed to serving others and pushing each other to grow. Talking to current scholars and alumni during Selection Sunday, I kept hearing the same thing, that the program changes you in ways that go beyond the classroom. For me it also comes with a responsibility to represent the program well and give back to the ECU and eastern North Carolina community in a meaningful way.”
Kantheti already gives back locally, serving as a volunteer firefighter with the Fairview Rural Fire Department in Wake County.
He founded the Enloe Hackathon Club at his high school to introduce children to coding. The group has raised funds to host free hackathons for more than 100 kids ages 12-15.
“Being able to teach kids who have never coded before how to actually build something was one of the most rewarding things I did in high school,” he said.
He also has worked at Lenovo as an AI and Cloud infrastructure intern, where he designed powerful algorithms to run in resource-limited environments. As a result, he built GenoField, a platform that runs on a typical desktop computer. It identifies pathogens, detects antimicrobial resistant gene mutations and provides clinical triage recommendations for healthcare providers. He plans to continue working on it at ECU, he said.
Included in the Brinkley-Lane scholarship is the ability to explore the world and pursue educational opportunities with a $5,000 study abroad stipend and a $3,000 enrichment scholarship. Scholars benefit from access to an array of leadership opportunities, research with award-winning faculty and a robust alumni network.
Kantheti plans to study abroad in South America, where he wants to learn about providing healthcare in rural and resource-limited settings.
At ECU, he wants to get involved in club tennis and martial arts. He plans to join the Campus EMS program and would like to work with Eastern Pines EMS after earning additional firefighter and emergency medical technician certifications this summer.
Kantheti, 17, is the son of Amit Kantheti and Sreelekha Srinivasulu of Cary.
“It means being part of a community of people who are all equally committed to serving others and pushing each other to grow.”
High school: Enloe Magnet High School
Intended major: Biology
Current City: Cary