Alara Berkmen, a USC Viterbi senior studying biomedical engineering, recently won the prestigious 2025 Astronaut Scholarship award for her research in pediatric cancers. She received $15,000 toward her USC tuition and will have access to extensive mentorship, professional development and networking.
“In my application, I wrote about how my current work and dreams tie into each other,” said Berkmen, who is pursuing a progressive degree program (PDP) in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. “Seeing that both the USC and ASF (Astronaut Scholarship Foundation) boards believed in me made an impact on how I view myself and my confidence going forward.”
This year, ASF awarded 74 scholarships nationwide, worth up to $15,000 each.
The scholarship, which supports leaders in technology and innovation, is one of the largest merit-based monetary awards for undergraduate STEM juniors and seniors. It was initially launched in 1986 by surviving members of the Mercury 7, the original cohort of American astronauts.