The Next Engineers: Engineering Academy Greenville proudly announces the graduation of its 2025 cohort, marking a significant milestone in the program’s mission to inspire the next generation of engineers.
This year, 33 students from 16 high schools across the Upstate completed the rigorous three-year program, which combines hands-on design challenges, career coaching, and college-readiness workshops. Each graduate is eligible for a $20,000 scholarship upon enrollment in a qualified engineering or engineering-related degree program.
This is the second graduating class of Next Engineers: Engineering Academy students in Greenville, South Carolina. Since its inception in 2021, this college- and career-readiness program has been a collaborative effort between Clemson University’s PEER & WISE program and GE Vernova, creating opportunities for young people to become engineers. To date, the Next Engineers program in Greenville has reached nearly 5,400 students and awarded over $900,000 in scholarships to qualifying graduates.
Students in the program engaged in hours of hands-on educational activities, including building water filtration systems, testing prototype helmets, and presenting their designs to peers and professional engineers. These experiences have equipped them with essential skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and communication.
Serita Acker, executive director of PEER & WISE, expressed her pride in the program’s success:
“Now in our fourth year, Next Engineers continues to transform lives by investing in the future of STEM and empowering the next generation of diverse innovators. I am especially grateful for the Clemson University faculty, staff, students, and graduate students for their continued engagement, as well as for the partnership and support from Upstate high schools who help make this initiative possible.”
The Next Engineers: Engineering Academy is a transformative learning experience designed for students aged 15 to 18. Through a rigorous curriculum, immersive design challenges, and career coaching, participants learn to think and act like engineers.
The graduates and their high schools are:
David Bellino — Greenville Technical Charter High School
John Buckingham — Greenville Technical Charter High School
Joy Dodd — Travelers Rest High School
Michael Driscoll — Greenville Technical Charter High School
Ryan Ellis — Westside High School
DeAngelo Fuller — Westside High School
Tristan Greenleaf — Pickens High School
Christian Harling — Southside High School
Brock Hinson — J.L. Mann High School
Abdurrahman Housari — Greenville Technical Charter High School
Omar Housari — Greenville Technical Charter High School
Advaith Joshi — J.L. Mann High School
Thomas Kezman — Greer Middle College
Noah King — D.W. Daniel High School
Riya Kot — Southside High School
Adam Le — Riverside High School
Rami Makhtoub — Greenville Technical Charter High School
Noah Miller — Easley High School
Hayley Morton — Greenville Technical Charter High School
Levi Naylor — Easley High School
Tron Paul — Crescent High School
Hayden Ramsey — Travelers Rest High School
Harm Ravenhorst — Greenville High School
Hallie Ray — D.W. Daniel High School
Addison Reid — Blue Ridge High School
James Robinson — Mauldin High School
Alejandra Rodriguez — Easley High School
Josh Sparks — Legacy Early College High School
Jeffrey Sweeney — Pendleton High School
Sai Praneetha Thatavarthi — J.L Mann High School
Dimitri Tsirkas — Easley High School
Jade Williams — Legacy Early College High School
Kylie Willis — Pendleton High School
Original post shared from Clemson here. Read the GE Vernova press release here.
