ECU Honors College welcomes 21 new Brinkley-Lane Scholars

ECU Honors College welcomes 21 new Brinkley-Lane Scholars

GREENVILLE, N.C. (5/19/2026) - East Carolina University will welcome 21 students to campus this fall as the largest cohort of Brinkley-Lane Scholars in the program's history.

Housed in the Honors College, the Brinkley-Lane Scholars program 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. Included in the scholarship is the ability to explore the world and pursue additional 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.

The recipients are Millar Berry, Gabriela Castillo, Sydney Carden, Isabella Dameron, Peyton Denton, Starla Fuller, Anelise Herdman, Ankit Kantheti, Anna Kurschat, Clara Lage, Amala Mani, Kathryn Miller-Vail, Malory Oakley, Dillon Patel, Hasini Pratapa, Whitney Roberts, Penny Smith, Rachel Themistokleous, Leslie Uwakwe, Lamont Vines Jr. and Addison Woods.

• Berry is a senior at Rocky Mount Academy and plans to major in marketing. She is the daughter of Bruce and Ashley Berry of Rocky Mount.
• Castillo, who is a senior at J.H. Rose High School, intends to major in biology. She is the daughter of Paola and Javier Castillo Jr. of Greenville.
• Carden, a senior at D.H. Conley High School, plans to major in clinical laboratory science. She is the daughter of Chuck and Vickie Carden of Greenville.
• Dameron is a senior at J.H. Rose High School. She plans to major in marketing and her parents are Timothy and Allison Dameron of Greenville.
• Denton is a senior at Ralph L. Fike High School. He intends to major in biology and is the son of Amie and Will Whitehead of Wilson.
• Fuller, a senior at Northside High School, plans to major in public health and biology. She is the daughter of Ging and Aric Fuller of Washington, North Carolina.
• Herdman is a senior at Linganore High School. An intended nutrition science and dietetics major, she is the daughter of Daniella and Philip Herdman of New Market, Maryland.
• Kantheti is a senior at Enloe Magnet High School. He is the son of Amit Kantheti and Sreelekha Srinivasulu of Cary and is majoring in biology.
• Kurschat, who attended Lessing-Gymnasium Norderstedt and Williamsburg Christian Academy, plans to pursue a major in exercise physiology. She is the daughter of Tessa and Tobias Kurschat of Henstedt-Ulzburg, Germany.
• Lage is a senior at Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica de Minas Gerais (CEFET-MG) and plans to major in software engineering. She is the daughter of Eliene Ferreira de Carvalho and Juarez Alvarenga Lage of Contagem, Brazil.
• Mani is a senior at Enloe Magnet High School. She intends to major in biology and is the daughter of Mani Thomas and Darly Mathew of Fuquay-Varina.
• Miller-Vail is a senior at Stephen Decatur High School. She intends to major in theatre arts and is the daughter of Saundra Miller, Kathleen Vail and Rebecca Vail of Berlin, Maryland.
• Oakley, a senior at Topsail High School, intends to major in psychology and neuroscience. She is the daughter of Jodi and Jeffrey Oakley of Hampstead.
• Patel is a senior at J.H. Rose High School. He plans to major in public health or business and is the son of Drs. Sujan and Shirley Patel of Greenville.
• Pratapa is a senior at Apex Friendship High School. She intends to major in engineering and is the daughter of Maruti Pratapa and Lakshmi Pavani Tangirala of Apex.
• Roberts, a senior at Longleaf School of the Arts, intends to major in public health. She is the daughter of Johanna Musau and Gary Roberts of Benson.
• Smith, a senior at Asheboro High School, intends to major in nursing. She is the daughter of Megan and Scott Smith of Asheboro.
• Themistokleous is a senior at Sherwood High School. She plans to major in security studies and is the daughter of Tanya Leyderman and Themis Themistokleous of Brookeville, Maryland.
• Uwakwe is a senior at Heritage High School and plans to pursue a nursing major. She is the daughter of Dr. Kelechi Uwakwe and Ezinne Uwakwe of Wake Forest.
• Vines, a senior at Southwest Edgecombe High School, intends to major in exercise physiology. He is the son of Kimberly Vines and Lamont Vines Sr. of Pinetops.
• Woods is a senior at Dalton L. McMichael High School. She intends to major in speech and hearing sciences and is the daughter of Kimberly and Chad Woods of Stokesdale.

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

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

Contact: Kristen Martin, public communications specialist, [email protected]

Note to media: Photos of Brinkley-Lane Scholars available upon request.

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