The Eleanor Roosevelt High School Class of 2025 is going out with a bang — bringing home top honors, blazing new trails, and setting the standard for academic and extracurricular excellence. 

With nearly $35.4 million in scholarships and financial aid, 2,589 college applications submitted, and 2,134 acceptances received, this class has aimed high and delivered!

Rising to the Top — National Recognition

• Melissa Emessiene has earned admission to the United States Naval Academy, Class of 2029.

• Leia Barton will attend Penn State’s Schreyer Honors College, one of the nation's most competitive honors programs.

• Xerco Tchouankeu was named an Amazon Future Engineer Scholar, one of just 400 students nationally. He’ll receive a scholarship and a paid summer internship with Amazon.

• Cheyenne Godfrey took First Place in the Prince George’s County Racial Justice Essay and Creative Arts Contest for her creative writing.

ERHS continue to set the bar for achievement:

• Three students named QuestBridge Scholars, earning full-ride scholarships to top-tier universities.

• One-third of the Class of 2025 holds a GPA above 4.0, reflecting exceptional academic performance.

• National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists rank among the top students in the nation, demonstrating outstanding achievement.

• Six ERHS VEX robotics squads advanced to the VEX State Championship at Dundalk High School! 

• 38 students earned the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy, demonstrating fluency in Spanish, French, Arabic, Mandarin, and American Sign Language. 

• 48 graduating seniors earned the Certificate of Meritorious Service by completing 100+ student service-learning hours — a true testament to the Raider spirit of service.

Student-athletes left their mark as well:

• Girls’ Softball: County Champions

• Girls’ and Boys’ Lacrosse: County Champions

• Jaleb Saunders: County Champion in Boys’ Outdoor Track

• Kaleese Jallow: Broke her own Girls' 50 Freestyle — topping a record that stood since 2002!

Science Fair Standouts

At the Annual Prince George’s Area Science Fair, students led the charge in scientific innovation:

• Andrew Beckmann: 1st Place in Environmental Engineering

• Alena Beckmann: 2nd Place in Biomedical Engineering

• Amelie Helfrich: 1st Place and Best Presentation in Computational Biology & Bioinformatics

Many students juggled work and school with incredible success:

• Najai Ford: Praised for her professionalism at Hobby Lobby and Sonic

• Deven Jenkins: Over 500 volunteer hours at Hyattsville Rehabilitation Center

• Aidan Hearn-Keene: IT support apprentice under Mr. Sinclair

• Serenity Cole: Completed successful internships at both CVS and Walgreens

Double the Celebration

And here’s a fun twist — this year’s class includes 10 sets of twins!