A glimpse into the future of the Milken Scholars Class of 2021

Published 04/16/2025 in Program Updates

Written by Reyes, Natalie | 04/16/2025

College seniors across the country are currently preparing for life after graduation. It has been a long, yet formative journey for the 2021 Milken Scholars Cohort. Here are some of our seniors’ reflections on their time as students, now eagerly anticipating what lies ahead.

Investing in a Career in Research
Brayant De Leon, MS ‘21, is on a path towards his dream of earning a PhD. After graduation this upcoming June, he will start working as a pre-doctoral research assistant at the Becker Friedman Institute for Economics at the University of Chicago. As a computational and applied math major, he initially considered a full-time job offer from the Analysis Group - a consulting firm that provides economic and strategy consulting to law firms, corporations & government agencies. He interned with this firm last summer and even though he loved his experience, he turned it down to accept one of the two pre-doc roles a professor on campus tapped him for. Brayant said, “Even though the research role has a much lower pay, it was definitely the best option for me and my ambitions to pursue a PhD.”

When it comes to making post-grad decisions, Brayant encourages other young people to really think about their long-term goals as well. “You shouldn’t make decisions based on what will be the immediate impact to your financial situation because you’re young and you’ll be able to work your way up to better paying jobs. While you’re young, you should truly choose to do something that you’re passionate about.”

Graduating into Graduate School
It can be hard to say goodbye to friends who have made campus a second home. Abbie Maemoto, MS ‘21, shared, “As people scatter across the globe post-graduation, I want to make a conscious effort to maintain the relationships that have played a significant role in my time at Stanford. I know that life post-graduation will be an extreme change for many people (including myself!), but I want to always make time for the people who have invested in me and find time to check-in on those who I consider my second family.”

This summer, Abbie will be a Product Management Intern at Microsoft in Redmond, WA. In the fall, she will return for one more year at Stanford to complete her Master’s in Management Science & Engineering. Afterwards, she hopes to work as a Product Manager and dive into the EdTech non-profit sector.

When asked to share words of wisdom for younger students, Abbie said, “Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way, even if it’s not something directly related to your major/minor. Go to a new speaker event, try a new intramural sport, ask your professor for coffee! Find something that makes you ‘tick,’ and go deep into it. I would say you’ve struck ‘gold’ when you find the one thing that makes you excited to keep working. And until then, keep exploring!”

Continued Preparation for the Medical School and PhD Route
It is common for seniors to enjoy an easier load of classes and responsibilities during their last year of college, but that is not true for students who are aspiring to go to medical school. After months of intense studying, Camila Ceballos Paredes, MS ‘21, took the MCAT this past March. On top of her courseload, she continues to work as a research assistant conducting biomedical research. She is using every possible moment to craft the perfect dual MD/PhD applications by this June 2025. “I am very intimidated by the medical school application process, but thankfully, I have been having a lot of help, and I know many people are supporting me!” said Camila.

After submitting her applications, she will apply to full-time jobs that will continue providing her experience in the health and research sector. During this year Camila will have more time to learn how to play cajón, complete crochet projects, and read more books. She said, “I think it was a good decision to take a gap year, so I have the experience of living my adult life with a full-time job while also having time to focus on my personal life.” Camila aims to start a dual MD/PhD program in September 2026.

From Student Life to Engineer
Nathan Varghese’s, MS ‘21, time in college has been marked by late nights studying with friends, adventures exploring Houston’s food scene, and proud moments with Chess Club – a group he founded during his freshman year that has now grown to have over a hundred members. When asked what he would miss about college life, he said, “I'll really miss having my friends just a short walk away. So many of my favorite memories with them were super spontaneous and I don't think I'll be able to really have that kind of relationship with my friends again as we all proceed with our own lives and take on more responsibilities.”

After being at the University of Houston for four years, this LA native has adopted life as a Texan and plans to move to Dallas after graduation. In Dallas, Nathan will work as a Surface Prep Process Engineer at Texas Instruments (TI). He fondly remembers his time as a summer intern at TI and is looking forward to returning to build semiconductors with some of the same coworkers

If he could travel back in time and tell his younger self anything, Nathan would say, “My meticulous preparation for my future career really paid off. While none of the plans I've ever made really worked out how they were supposed to, having a solid plan of what I wanted my future to look like, coupled with a strong work ethic and support system really paid dividends.”

The Milken Scholars Program congratulates all our graduating seniors. Visit our online directory to read their bios and where their post-graduation plans will take them!