Connect with us

Washington, D.C

‘I really found my spark’: Four DC high school students chosen as Milken Scholars – WTOP News

Published

on

‘I really found my spark’: Four DC high school students chosen as Milken Scholars – WTOP News


Four students from the Washington, D.C. area have been selected as prestigious Milken Scholars. The program provides high school students in D.C., New York and Los Angeles with a full scholarship to their university of choice and supports them through their academic career.

Four students from the Washington, D.C. area have been selected as prestigious Milken Scholars. The program provides high school students in D.C., New York and Los Angeles with a full scholarship to their university of choice and supports them through their academic career.

To earn the award, students must demonstrate strong academic performance, financial need and commitment to community service and leadership.

One of the four students selected was 18-year-old Alina Calix-Martinez, who graduated from Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School in D.C. with a 4.23 GPA. She will attend Brown University in Rhode Island on a full scholarship, and plans to major in philosophy and possibly enter journalism after she graduates.

Advertisement

Academics, entrepreneurship, volunteering, her faith and family are the centerpiece of her life, Calix-Martinez said. She’s the daughter of a single mother and an immigrant.

“In school, I always tried my best and I really found my spark in what I wanted to do, what I enjoyed, when I joined my school newspaper my sophomore year,” she said. “My mom is a single mom, and she really always inspired me … to be the best version of myself.”

She quickly rose through the ranks at the school paper, the Wicket, and last school year, she was editor-in-chief, overseeing a staff of 30 student journalists.

Calix-Martinez is bilingual and said her passion for writing and language has pushed her to write complex stories on socioeconomic issues, diversity in higher education, gun-control and immigration.

“I really tried to shoot for the stars with my college admissions process and ultimately, I ended up matching into Brown University and that was a really big dream come true,” she said. “My mom has always instilled in me that I can do whatever I put my mind to, and she is my number one supporter, and my sister is always there for me with whatever I need help with.”

Advertisement

Calix-Martinez also started a dog-walking business and has served hundreds of hours volunteering as a tutor for children in elementary and junior high schools, along with serving as a bilingual admissions ambassador at Georgetown Visitation.

Her tutoring business is called “Vamos!” and focuses on serving underserved, Spanish-speaking students. Under her leadership as copresident, the program doubled the number of tutors from 45 to 90.

Already, she has a long list of awards and other community-based recognitions, including the College Board National Hispanic Recognition Award, the College Board First-Generation Recognition Award and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Greenman L. Leadership Award to attend a journalism program.

She also was recognized with the Co-Curricular Excellence Award for Leadership two years in a row. As a Catholic Charities student service leadership fellow, she completed service projects at various Catholic Charities locations.

Other D.C.-area Milken Scholars include:

Advertisement
  • Preston Drake, British International School of Washington, The University of Chicago
  • Victoria Presentado, St. John’s College High School, Emory University
  • Miqueas Ramirez De La Rosa, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, Duke University

As a Milken Scholar, Calix-Martinez and the other students will also receive a $10,000 scholarship at an upcoming educational summit in Los Angeles.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.



Source link

Advertisement

Washington, D.C

Benjamin Netanyahu to fly to DC for Graham Lindsay’s funeral, meeting with Donald Trump | The Jerusalem Post

Published

on

Benjamin Netanyahu to fly to DC for Graham Lindsay’s funeral, meeting with Donald Trump | The Jerusalem Post


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to fly to Washington, DC, on Saturday night, Israeli sources told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

Netanyahu’s visit would mark the first official trip to Washington since the war with Iran, with his last visit in February.

During a recent phone call made by Netanyahu to congratulate Trump on the  250th anniversary of US independence, the two leaders agreed to “meet soon.”

Netanyahu’s main commitment during this upcoming trip will be attending Graham’s funeral, who passed away on Sunday after “a brief and sudden illness.”

Advertisement

Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, mourned Graham in a statement on Sunday.

“Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable. He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world,” Netanyahu said in his statement.

“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend.”

“Our hearts are with Lindsey’s family and with the American people at this difficult time. May his values and initiatives continue to guide us toward victory and peace, and may his memory forever be a blessing.”

Miriam Sela-Eitam contributed to this article.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

Washington, D.C

DC residents who’ve owned their home for 70 years now told they can’t park there

Published

on

DC residents who’ve owned their home for 70 years now told they can’t park there


Some D.C. residents told 7News they are fed up with the no-parking signs that have been added in front of their homes.

For the first time in 70 years, the view outside Anita Marsh’s home has changed.

“It’s very emotional,” said Marsh. “To be in a place where there’s no access to my door, no one can legally park for me to enter and exit my home. It’s frustrating, but more importantly, it’s upsetting. It’s very upsetting. I find it heartless.”

ALSO READ | DC considers tighter rat control restrictions after poison, tracking and trash concerns

Advertisement

Video from Marsh showed what she woke up to on Monday morning. She said the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) installed no parking signs in front of her home.

“How do I walk? How do I get into my house? I’m not very ambulatory,” said Marsh. “I have mobility challenges. So what happens?”

Neighbors about a mile away, over on Kimi Gray Court, reached out with the same frustrations. That’s where 7News met Aaron Harris.

“DDOT put these signs up, these signs, and they are ticketing people who are trying to park in front of their home because they have multiple cars,” said Harris.

Both neighborhoods feel that access to their home will now cost them.

Advertisement

“I’m very nervous because also financial impact is on a retiree,” said Marsh.

7News also got a call from businesses on MLK Jr. Avenue in Anacostia who said DDOT hit them with changes, too. 7News met Ronald Moton in front of his Gogo museum.

“They bring a bus lane without talking to us and take away 29 parking spaces,” said Moton.

Moton said business owners and customers have been hit with $200 tickets.

“This is a community trying to build itself up and survive,” said Moton. “You cannot come and dump stuff like this on us without talking to us.”

Advertisement

“We can’t afford to pay $90 a week or $180 or $270 per week because we’re in violation in front of a property that wasn’t zoned this way,” said Harris. “At least we didn’t know it was owned that way until the signs went up and they started getting ticketed.”

“I’m very scared. I’m very scared. And very upset,” said Marsh. “I’m not going to be able to stay in my house. Then I’m going to be forced to go elsewhere. Because I’m not going to be able to enter and exit my house.”

7News reached out to DDOT and Councilman Charles Allen, who chairs D.C.’s Transportation and Environment Committee, and asked about the no-parking signs community members feel came out of nowhere. 7News has not heard back from either yet.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Washington, D.C

ARCO Design/Build Deepens Its Presence in Washington, D.C. Market

Published

on

ARCO Design/Build Deepens Its Presence in Washington, D.C. Market


New office in Tysons, Virginia, brings the firm’s design-build expertise and national resources closer to clients across the capital region

TYSONS, Va., July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ARCO Design/Build, one of the nation’s leading design-build construction firms, today announced the opening of a new office in Tysons, Virginia, placing the firm in the heart of the Washington, D.C. market and directly on the Capital Beltway. The office expands on the presence ARCO has built in the region over many years and brings the firm’s people, design-build expertise, and national resources closer to existing and prospective clients across the District and Northern Virginia.

A significant share of ARCO’s work in the region has originated in the D.C. area. The Tysons office is the natural next step in the firm’s growth, and a commitment built on established relationships with a track record of completed work. With many of those clients headquartered in the capital region and building across multiple geographies, the Tysons office allows ARCO to be closer to decision-makers, active pursuits, and the opportunities shaping the market today.

The office is further strengthened by local leadership, including Drew Enstice, Vice President, whose experience in the region supports ARCO’s continued growth across the Washington market.

“The Washington region has been central to our growth, and the Tysons office lets us meet it with our full strength,” said Aaron Weir, President, ARCO Design/Build. “We’re building on the relationships and successful work we’ve already established here, while bringing the resources of a national builder to a market with growing opportunity across advanced manufacturing, food and beverage, life sciences, aerospace, defense, and other complex sectors that demand precision.”

ARCO’s integrated design-build approach brings design, engineering, procurement, and construction together under a single accountable team from the outset. The firm delivers cost certainty, compressed schedules, and a single point of responsibility that matter most on complex, regulated, and mission-driven facilities.

Advertisement

About ARCO Design/Build

ARCO Design/Build is a national design-build construction firm delivering the strength, resources, and expertise of an award-winning national builder combined with the responsive, personalized service of a local partner. With more than 50 offices and over 1,800 associates across the country, ARCO provides comprehensive design, engineering, and construction services across various industries such as industrial, e-commerce, logistics, data centers, commercial, life sciences, defense and aerospace manufacturing, healthcare, food and beverage, retail, and light manufacturing facilities. ARCO is a 100% employee-owned company through its ESOP. To learn more, visit arcodb.com.

SOURCE ARCO Design/Build



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending