Alum Tess Stanley to Study for PhD at Cambridge

Huntington High School Class of 2021 alum Tess Stanley will graduate in May from Lafayette College with 4.0 grade point average in neuroscience and dual degrees; BS in neuroscience and a BA in philosophy. She will begin studying for a Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Cambridge.

The Huntington alum has been named a Gates Foundation Scholar. The designation includes a full tuition scholarship and is considered “very competitive.” She is one of only 35 US based recipients of Gates Cambridge Scholarship in 2025.

Ms. Stanley was named a 2024 Goldwater Scholar. It’s one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics in the United States.

Ms. Stanley is also an author of one published scientific papers and another in preprint that is awaiting peer review; is a Bergh fellow and is the winner of numerous academic awards at Lafayette College. All while working two on-campus jobs and being the president of her college radio station. She also DJs/hosts a weekly radio show of new music. She even maintains a local job at Bon Bons in Huntington, where she has now worked for seven years. She works every holiday season and on school breaks.

Ms. Stanley’s brother, Dominick was a member of Huntington’s Class of 2019. He graduated from Stony Brook University in 2024 and was married this past January. The couple resides in St. Louis with Mr. Stanley’s wife pursuing a fully funded Master’s in Theology at St. Louis University.