Morgan Walia-Peters
Scientist and Innovator
Residence: Hoboken, NJ
Citizenship: USA, Australia
A Bit About Me
Morgan Walia-Peters, a Hoboken High School junior, excels both academically and in her commitment to fostering positive change in neuroscience. A Governor's STEM Scholar and 2nd Prize winner at the USA Physics Olympiad, Morgan has written research on the future of genome editing, discussing both risks and potential national and international regulations. Her research on the cognitive enhancements associated with non-dominant handwriting, with potential implications for Alzheimer's Disease patients, is pending publication. This summer, Morgan received a full scholarship to attend the Steven's Institute of Technology Pre-College program, where she studied pre-med biomedical engineering.
Beyond her academic achievements, Morgan is also actively involved in her community. She served as a council member for the Hoboken Mayor's Youth Advisory Commission and was elected Hoboken High School's Treasurer in her junior year. She also co-founded the school's Health and Wellness Committee, which organizes citywide events such as blood drives, suicide prevention fundraisers, and domestic violence awareness seminars. She has advocated for modernizing her high school by rallying her schoolmates to publicly weigh in on a town-wide referendum.
In addition to her academic and extracurricular pursuits, Morgan is also a competitive volleyball player. Her club team qualified for the USA Volleyball Nationals in 2019 and 2023 and was ranked in the top 1% nationally last year. She has also been co-captain of the Hoboken High School volleyball team, achieving the highest county-wide ranking for aces.
A certified Red Cross Lifeguard, Morgan enjoys surfing and tennis, as well as relaxes by teaching herself the guitar. With her demonstrated leadership, collaborative spirit, and unwavering passion for science and innovation, Morgan aspires to realize her dream of becoming a neurosurgeon, contributing to the advancement of medical science and patient care.