North's Pokhrel Wins Amazon Scholarship

North High School senior Romas Pokhrel was surprised by family and friends at Pi515 in Des Moines as he was named an Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship recipient. Community leaders, including Interim Superintendent Matt Smith and Mayor Connie Boesen, joined in recognizing his hard work and bright future. The scholarship provides both financial support and a paid internship with Amazon honoring his academic excellence, technical talent, and determination.
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Originally from Nepal, Pokhrel came to the U.S. as a refugee and has worked relentlessly to build a brighter future in Iowa. His achievement reflects both his resilience and the power of creating pathways for students from all backgrounds to succeed.

At Pi515, students like Romas access programs in tech mentorship, career acceleration, AI, entrepreneurship, and scholarship preparation paired with guidance from industry professionals at companies like Principal, John Deere, Microsoft, and Google.

In a full-circle moment, the award was presented by Champ-Pacifique Mukiza, a fellow North High graduate, Pi515 alum, and 2025 Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship recipient now a student at Grinnell College and incoming Amazon software engineering intern.

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(Jon Lemons/Des Moines Public Schools)