Frisco student named America’s Top Young Scientist for potential COVID-19 treatment discovery

Anika Chebrolu, a graduate of the 2019-2020 YEA! Frisco program, was recently named America’s Top Young Scientist after discovering a potential means to treat COVID-19.

Anika is currently a student at Frisco’s Independence High School and began work on her project last school year when she was an eighth-grader at Nelson Middle School. She originally planned the project to involve the seasonal flu but due to the pandemic, changed her focus to COVID-19. As the grand prize winner of the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, Anika received a $25,000 cash prize, national recognition, and a special destination trip. She also received the “Improving Lives Award”.

While in the YEA! Frisco program, Anika was the founder and executive director of AcademyAid, a nonprofit organization which provides sports equipment to underprivileged schools in high-poverty-areas to motivate students to pursue a well-rounded education

YEA! Frisco Program Manager Peter Burns loves to see the success of the students that have gone through the program.

“It is exciting to watch our students brainstorm their ideas at the start of the program year," he said. "However, it is even more exciting to see what they have accomplished as a result of their participation in our program.”