Two outstanding Georgia students — one who became a family caregiver by ninth grade and one who supported herself for her two final years of high school — join Emory’s Class of 2029 as George W. Jenkins Scholars.
The full-tuition award, given to academically talented students who have overcome significant hardships, also will provide Jason Garcia-Rios and Kimberly Madrid with on-campus room and board, a laptop and a one-time reimbursement of up to $2,500 for expenses related to a service trip as undergraduate students. The scholarship also includes an annual stipend and covers student health insurance, if needed.
“Jason and Kimberly embody extraordinary resilience and purpose,” says Barbara Krauthamer, Dean of Emory College of Arts and Sciences.
“The Jenkins Scholarship not only affirms their achievements but also positions them to excel at Emory College,” she adds. “Their stories remind us of the enduring strength of education, and we are proud to support their path toward leadership and service.”
Publix Super Markets Charities established the Jenkins Scholarship to honor the civic-minded founder of the grocery chain, who was a Georgia native. It is open only to U.S. citizens from states in the company’s footprint.
Emory identifies candidates for the award from its general applicant pool. This year, both Garcia-Ramos and Madrid first earned QuestBridge Scholar matches with Emory College.
QuestBridge invites high-achieving, high-need students to apply through its National College Match program and rank their interest among 42 top partner colleges and universities. Students whose interest matches with Emory receive early-decision admission with full financial support.
By becoming Jenkins Scholars, Garcia-Rios and Madrid expand those benefits.
Meet Jason Garcia-Rios
Garcia-Rio had heard of Emory while growing up in nearby Lawrenceville, but it wasn’t until he learned more about the emphasis on liberal arts and undergraduate research that he decided it was his top choice.
He is potentially interested in studying economics and investigating how different disciplines connect to the strategies and behaviors that people employ when deciding how to allocate their resources.
It’s a principle he is familiar with, having been thrust into a caregiver role just before ninth grade when his father was paralyzed in an accident.
While his mother worked to support the family, Garcia-Rios took charge of caring for his father and five younger siblings, while also making time for his own job and a slate of AP courses and activities.
Garcia-Rios joined his school’s wrestling team as a junior, drawn to how disciplined the athletes needed to be. By senior year, he was varsity captain and a top performer who was named the GHSA Region 7A champion and his county’s outstanding male senior athlete of the year.
He plans to apply that mindset to his coursework and by finding different sports to play and joining organizations to learn more about physics, debate and entrepreneurship.
“I was very determined to pull my weight and gain the experience I needed to excel,” he says. “The way I see it, college is also a place where I can test ideas and make mistakes and ultimately grow into someone who can give back.
“I want to leave Emory with the knowledge to make meaningful change in the world.”
Meet Kimberly Madrid
For an assignment during her first year of high school in rural Banks County, Georgia, Madrid researched and presented what she envisioned for the next eight years of her life. It was a picture different from her childhood.
After her mother left when Madrid was young, she and her father moved from New York to his native Honduras, where he raised her alone. His ongoing joint problems and surgeries spurred Madrid’s interest in medicine. That focus was her only certainty when he died from worsening health when she was 13.
Madrid moved to Georgia, where she didn’t know the language or culture and barely knew the uncles who took her in. She found solace in learning.
When she discovered Emory while working on her high school project, she was drawn to the opportunities for health sciences research. She decided that attending Emory would make her father proud.
By junior year, Madrid was living in her own apartment and supporting herself, waking up early for retail and cleaning jobs. She tackled increasingly complex coursework at school and spent her evenings at church.
During whatever spare time she had, Madrid painted and played sports. She also made a point to become an ambassador for other new arrivals in her orbit, not wanting anyone to feel as alone as she had felt.
Making connections at Emory is just as important to her. She is eager to build friendships with other students, especially those considering pre-med majors in neuroscience and the classics, and similarly excited to work with professors in class and on research opportunities.
“Over the years you would never imagine the things I’ve had to deal with,” Madrid says. “But I am grateful for what I’ve gone through, because it gave me the opportunity to grow. I am so excited for my education at Emory to help me continue to grow toward a successful future.”