WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Council Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of its 2025 Scholarship Program, awarding $5,000 academic scholarships to 84 deserving students pursuing higher education (full list below). These scholarships recognize exceptional individuals with the potential to become future leaders and significant contributors to the commercial insurance brokerage industry.
Since 2017, The Council Foundation has invested in the next generation of insurance professionals, awarding a total of $4.8 million in academic scholarships to over 850 students. This year’s cohort of scholars represents a diverse group of talented individuals from universities across the country.
“The talent our industry wants to recruit is out there and we must create a compelling case for them to want to join us,” said Robert L. Cohen, Chairman & CEO of IMA Financial Group and Council Foundation Board Chair. “The Council Foundation is working to create that space and avenues for young professionals to gain exposure to the world of risk, and explore career opportunities within the insurance brokerage sector. There’s much work to be done,” said Cohen, “and we’re grateful to our Council Foundation donors for their intentional support and commitment to our mission.”
The mission of The Council Foundation is to bring fresh, diverse talent into the brokerage sector. The scholarship program is a partnership between the Foundation and leaders of internship programs at Council member firms. Member firms conduct their own review process and identify their most exceptional interns to be awarded the scholarship, with the goal of eventually bringing these students on full-time and/or retaining them in the commercial insurance brokerage sector.
Six of this year’s recipients have also been honored by named scholarships (*) administered by The Council Foundation – Chelsea Ramirez-Porras, Assurex Robert P. Ashlock scholar, Bailey Davis, Assurex Game Changer scholar, Jordyn Porter, IMA Financial Group scholar, Sanders O’Kelley, Franklin Wheeler scholar, Kidist Dash, Dave Oberkircher scholar, Emma Braswell, USI scholar, and Ashley Auderer, Tom Motamed scholar.
Meet the 2025-2026 Council Foundation scholars:
| Scholarship Recipient | University |
|---|---|
| Nadia Alonso | University of Central Arkansas |
| Abby Anokye-Agyei | University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Ashley Auderer* | University of Iowa |
| Meredith Bahl | University of Iowa |
| Ethan Baltimore | University of Denver |
| Travis Bauer | Michigan State University |
| Allison Beckwith | Butler University |
| Ashley Boscovich | Florida State University |
| Emma Braswell* | University of Georgia |
| Melayna Briskey | Texas A&M University |
| Mavik Brown | Utah Valley University |
| Pierce Brown | University of Georgia |
| Elsie Call | Southern Utah University |
| Barbara Cardoso | University of Colorado Denver |
| Isabella Carpinelli | Baylor University |
| Dillon Carter | Stetson University |
| Francesca Carter | Wake Forest University |
| Gladys Castro | Texas Woman’s University |
| Thomas Cevasco | Cornell University |
| Lyliana Chavez | California State University |
| Ashley Cunningham | University of Tennessee-Knoxville |
| Kidist Dash* | Temple University |
| Bailey Davis* | Western Kentucky University |
| Thomas Dean | University of Maine |
| Reid Deaton | Indiana State University |
| Carly Dickson | University of Kansas |
| David Ditata | University of New Hampshire |
| Luke Elian | Florida State University |
| Isabelle Fuller | University of Northern Iowa |
| Stephen Garcia | St. Mary’s University |
| Sameya Ghani | St. John’s University |
| Chloe Haynes | Southern University |
| Mariah Hershberger | University of South Carolina Upstate |
| Riley Heydenburg | Marquette University |
| Samaurya Hicks | Florida State University |
| Michael Iseminger | Missouri State University |
| Julia Jasingh | University of Florida |
| Haley Johnson | University of the Pacific |
| Zella Johnson | University of Nevada-Reno |
| Brian Jung | University of Illinois Chicago |
| Lucas Kampman | Baylor University |
| Christoph Karleskind | Northeastern University |
| Isabella Kedryna | University of Michigan |
| Brody Kerscher | University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Viputh Kounakor | University of Massachusetts-Boston |
| Salvador Leon Golib | Western Kentucky University |
| Joseph Li | Pennsylvania State University |
| Tina Lin | Appalachian State University |
| Ben Lirette | Texas A&M University |
| Olivia Lodge | University of Pittsburgh |
| Emily Long | University of Missouri-Kansas City |
| Audrey Main | University of Georgia |
| Mia Mitchell | University of Central Florida |
| Mariana Molinari | University of Michigan-Dearborn |
| Ryan Moon | University of Arkansas |
| Peyton Morton | Carroll University |
| Sanders O’Kelley* | Florida State University |
| Evan Parente | University of Georgia |
| Mia Pesavento | University of Evansville |
| Jordyn Porter* | University of North Texas |
| Chelsea Ramirez-Porras* | Temple University |
| Adan Reed | Florida State University |
| Keely Roberts | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo |
| Max Rolnick | Elms College |
| Bailey Russell | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University |
| Jamison Saxton | University of Mississippi |
| Chris Schwuchow | Illinois State University |
| Ava Shea | Stetson University |
| Gurjas Singh | Temple University |
| Timothy Smith | Indiana State University |
| Amya Swafford | University of Georgia |
| Banks Taylor | University of Mississippi |
| Maryn Thompson | University of South Carolina |
| Torrin Todd | University of Akron |
| Addison Tresca | Florida State University |
| Ariana Triantafyllou | Santa Clara University |
| Adam Utter | Florida State University |
| Theodore Vetere | University of Miami |
| Brian Voetberg | Butler University |
| Zoran Vujaklija | Kent State University |
| Chandler Walton | University of Mississippi |
| Dakaria Williams | University of Alabama |
| Jason Wilson | Kennesaw State University |
| Paige Wissel | Pennsylvania State University |
