Three Indian American high schoolers among 2025 Flinn Scholars

Jishnu Nayak, Smilangi Sidhugari, and Sudeep Vattikuti among winners of Arizona’s most prestigious merit-based award

By Arun Kumar

Three Indian American high school seniors— Jishnu Nayak, Smilangi Sidhugari, and Sudeep Vattikuti — are among 20 winners of the 2025 Flinn Scholarship, Arizona’s most prestigious merit-based award.

The scholarship provides a full ride to an Arizona public university, with the 40th class of Flinn Scholars set to get a comprehensive package valued at more than $135,000 over four years, including the cost of tuition, fees, housing, meals, and at least two study-abroad experiences, including a two-week group summer seminar following the freshman year.

READ: Five Indian Americans among City & State’s 2025 Queens Power 100 (March 27th, 2025) 

A senior at Arizona College Preparatory High School, Chandler, Jishnu Nayak is a passionate learner with diverse interests ranging from geography to anatomy. A physiology student, he is actively involved in Science Fair as well as Speech and Debate, where he enjoys collaborating with others and exploring new ideas.

For Nayak, being a Flinn Scholarship represents leadership, change, and collaboration. He believes in empowering others to take initiative and drive meaningful change in the world. To him, this recognition serves as a reminder to pursue his dreams, embrace uncertainty, and shape the future through collaboration.

Smilangi Sidhugari is a student of Biological Sciences at Basis Chandler High School, Chandler, while Sudeep Vattikuti is a biochemistry student at Basis Peoria High School, Peoria.

The 20 Flinn Scholars representing 20 high schools will be attending Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona starting this fall. The Flinn Scholarship is supported by the Phoenix-based Flinn Foundation in partnership with Arizona’s three public universities.

The Foundation, which announced its first class of Flinn Scholars in 1986, created the scholarship to retain Arizona’s highest-achieving students while bolstering the universities’ Honors Colleges as destinations for academic excellence.

The Flinn Scholars Class of 2025 will be introduced formally on May 3 at the program’s annual Recognition Luncheon, where they will be honoured before some 200 family members, university officials, community leaders, and graduating Flinn Scholars.