Celebrating Black Excellence: The 2025 Dr. Martin D. Jenkins Scholars
By Karen B. Arnstein, Ed.D. and Kristina Henry Collins, Ph.D.
Black History Month is a time to celebrate Black excellence not as a rare moment, but as a living, continuous legacy. It is brilliance expressed through curiosity, creativity, leadership, service, and joy. On behalf of the NAGC Special Populations Network (SPN), we are honored to recognize the 2025 Dr. Martin D. Jenkins Scholars: exceptional Black students whose achievements embody academic excellence, leadership, and gifted potential.
Dr. Martin D. Jenkins’ life and scholarship affirmed a truth that still matters deeply in gifted education: Black giftedness exists everywhere, and it deserves to be recognized, nurtured, and protected. The Jenkins Scholars remind us that talent is not one thing. It shows up in scientific inquiry and invention, in commitment to community, in artistry and voice, in persistence through challenge, and in the steady confidence of young people who know they have something meaningful to contribute.
This year’s Jenkins Scholars:
- Alexandra Washington (Baltimore, MD),
- Anaiah Baptiste (Holladay, UT),
- Devin Bagaya (Pittsburgh, PA),
- Kadian Gayle (Philadelphia, PA),
- Lauryn Davis (Wake Forest, NC),
- Nicholas Jones (Atlanta, GA), and
- Nyla Stokes (Bowie, MD)
Together, this year’s Jenkins Scholars represent a powerful range of gifts and aspirations. Together, they offer a clear message: when young people are affirmed and challenged, they do not simply “achieve.” They create, lead, and elevate others.
Alexandra Washington (Baltimore, MD): Curiosity with courage and heart
Alexandra Washington’s story reflects the kind of curiosity educators strive to nurture. She is described as a learner who approaches questions with confidence and enthusiasm, quickly grasping new concepts and eagerly exploring topics that spark her interest. Her learning is often hands-on and experiential, allowing her to turn abstract ideas into meaningful understanding through direct engagement and discovery. Alexandra is also known for her strong sense of connection to others. Thoughtful and emotionally aware, she is grounded in her relationships with family and shaped by the people she carries in memory. These connections serve as both motivation and purpose, influencing how she approaches learning and the contributions she hopes to make. Alexandra brings together intellectual strength, creativity, humility, and resilience, offering a balanced and authentic portrait of giftedness that honors both cognitive ability and human depth.
Anaiah Baptiste (Holladay, UT): Advanced STEM thinking with real-world impact
Anaiah Baptiste exemplifies how an early interest in STEM can lead to thoughtful, purpose-driven problem-solving. Through her participation in the Technology Student Association (TSA), she explored pharmacogenomics, an advanced field that examines how genetics influence responses to medication and one that many students do not encounter until much later in their education. Anaiah approached this complex topic with focus and determination, engaging in research, asking meaningful questions, and refining her ideas with care. Her work reflects an important goal of gifted STEM education: applying knowledge to serve others. By designing a patient-centered prototype to support understanding and protect individual rights, she connected scientific concepts to everyday health decisions. Anaiah’s achievements highlight both academic strength and a commitment to making learning accessible and human-centered.
Devin Bagaya (Pittsburgh, PA): Excellence shaped by service, sacrifice, and global vision
Devin Bagaya’s story reflects giftedness guided by purpose and responsibility. His family’s journey from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Pittsburgh is marked by perseverance and sacrifice, including parents who rebuilt their lives so their children could have greater opportunity. Devin honors that legacy through his commitment to learning and service, setting a clear goal of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon and viewing medicine as a global responsibility rather than simply a profession. His accomplishments include strong academics, sustained leadership, and meaningful service to others. Through mentoring younger students, participating in school and community organizations, volunteering, and learning across cultures and languages, Devin demonstrates a belief in lifting others as he advances. His excellence is grounded in values, empathy, and a long-term vision for expanding opportunity.
Kadian Gayle (Philadelphia, PA): Multidimensional talent and resilient leadership
Kadian Gayle’s profile highlights the breadth and depth that giftedness can take. Alongside a strong academic record that includes rigorous coursework, she has developed skills across multiple domains, including computer programming, graphic design, music performance and songwriting, and athletic leadership as a team captain. Kadian is also reflective about the challenges Black girls can face in school environments, including being underestimated or unfairly questioned. Rather than letting these experiences limit her, she draws on them to strengthen her resilience, advocacy, and sense of purpose. Her story reflects a core commitment of the Special Populations Network: supporting gifted learners whose talents are wide-ranging and whose leadership is shaped by lived experience and determination.
Lauryn Davis (Wake Forest, NC): Perseverance, reflection, and civic purpose
Lauryn Davis demonstrates giftedness through reflection, perseverance, and a growing commitment to civic life. Her writing reveals a learner who thoughtfully processes experience, including health challenges that require patience and resilience, while maintaining perspective and optimism. Lauryn also shows a strong interest in justice and public systems, shaped by attention to current events and an emerging understanding of how inequities can affect outcomes. Her aspiration to become an attorney is rooted in a desire to advocate for fairness and contribute meaningfully to her community. Through her involvement in Teen Court and restorative justice learning, she is already developing habits essential to legal thinking, including careful preparation, clear communication, and reflection on outcomes.
Nicholas Jones (Atlanta, GA): Mathematical passion, self-directed learning, and future-facing curiosity
Nicholas Jones approaches mathematics with enthusiasm, persistence, and independence. He views math not only as a school subject but as a field for exploration and discovery. His learning has been supported by opportunities that match his interest in rigor, including competitions, accelerated coursework, summer programs, and mentorship that recognizes potential early. When faced with unfamiliar challenges, Nicholas seeks out resources, teaches himself new concepts, and continues working until he understands them. His interests extend to future-focused fields such as artificial intelligence, computing, and quantum science, and he envisions a career contributing to technological innovation and security
Nyla Stokes (Bowie, MD): Compassionate leadership and a healer’s vision
Nyla Stokes reflects giftedness expressed through empathy, discipline, and service. She speaks thoughtfully about her goal of becoming a pediatrician and her desire to work with children, viewing care not only as a profession but as a way to strengthen communities. Her service experiences, including organizing community drives and supporting older adults with technology, demonstrate initiative and generosity. Nyla also brings creativity through dance, sharing how movement and performance can bring joy to children facing illness and how joy itself can be part of healing. Educators describe her as a strong communicator with advanced language skills, noting her ability to read deeply, write with clarity, and speak with warmth.
What the Jenkins Scholars teach us
The 2025 Jenkins Scholars remind us that giftedness is not only what a student knows—it is how they think, how they persist, how they imagine, how they serve, and how they connect learning to purpose. Their stories also remind us of our responsibility as adults. Talent does not develop in a vacuum. It develops through access to rigorous learning, culturally affirming environments, mentors who challenge and protect, and systems that recognize brilliance without bias.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we invite educators, families, and communities to do two things at once: celebrate these scholars loudly and consistently support Black gifted learners. Celebrate the brilliance you see. Build learning spaces where Black students can explore advanced ideas without carrying the extra weight of doubt or stereotype. Create pathways where identity is not a barrier, but a source of strength and insight. And when students show you who they are—curious, determined, creative, justice-oriented—believe them, invest in them, and open doors.
To the 2025 Jenkins Scholars: we see you. We are proud of you. And we cannot wait to see what you build next.
