The Park Scholarships program at North Carolina State University has named two future CCEE students — Adam Michael Womble and Eleanor Celeste Meinhold — to its Class of 2026. A total of 42 students were selected for the 27th class of Park Scholars.
The Park Scholarships program brings exceptional students to NC State based on outstanding accomplishments and potential in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. The program develops and supports Park Scholars in these areas, preparing them for lifelong contributions to the campus, state, nation and world. The Park Scholarships program provides a four-year scholarship valued at approximately $116,000 for in-state students and approximately $208,000 for out-of-state students.
“Every day, Park Scholars make a positive difference for others,” said Eva Feucht, director of the Park Scholarships program. “At NC State, Park Scholars receive a world-class education while developing their potential in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. The talented Park Scholars of the Class of 2026 join a vibrant network of 162 students on campus and more than 1,000 Park alumni around the world.”
The 27th class of Park Scholars was selected from a pool of 2,260 applicants from three countries, 40 states, and 97 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Park Scholars have demonstrated outstanding achievements and potential in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. A Selection Committee comprising 428 dedicated and accomplished NC State alumni, faculty, and friends conducted application review, interviews, and outreach.
The Class of 2026 represents nine U.S. states and 20 North Carolina counties. Its members include published authors and poets, dedicated tutors and mentors, decorated athletes and coaches, award-winning researchers and engineers, and talented musicians and dancers. These scholars have organized important community events ranging from an equity convention to county-wide blood drives. They advocate for sustainability, equity, inclusion, and representation. They include entrepreneurs and winners of national engineering competitions and an international environmental competition. They have raised tens of thousands of dollars to fight cancer and benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Be Loud Sophie Foundation, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Among this group are multiple Eagle Scouts, a published COVID-19 researcher, and the manager of a research project at the International Space Station.
Adam Michael Womble, who hails from Hanahan, South Carolina, will graduate from Hanahan High School where he is student body president and secretary and community liaison for the National Honor Society. He is also the president of the Royal MB Church Junior Ushers, a member of the Low Country Youth Services Distinguished Gentlemen’s Club, and a member of the Hanahan CyberPatriot Club. Womble plans to major in civil engineering.
Eleanor Celeste Meinhold is from Wilmington, North Carolina. She will graduate from Isaac Bear Early College High School where she is the founder of the Environmental Action Club, secretary of the National Honor Society, and a past president and board member of Science Fair Academy. Meinhold volunteers as a mentorship coordinator and board member for the STEM Mentorship Academy 501(c)(3) and as a coxswain on her local rowing team. She plans to major in environmental engineering and chemistry.
As recipients of one of the most prestigious and comprehensive undergraduate scholarships in the nation, the incoming class of Park Scholars will have access to opportunities for innovative enrichment activities such as grants for undergraduate research and study abroad.
The Park Scholarships program is named for the late Roy H. Park ’31, an NC State alumnus who created the charitable Park Foundation which is dedicated to education, media and the environment. The Park Foundation has committed nearly $150 million to support the scholarship since launching it with an initial grant in 1996.
This story was originally published by the Park Scholarships program.