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Two St. Olaf College students have been named 2026–27 Phillips Scholars, earning funding and support for innovative summer projects that address community needs in Minnesota. 

José Antonio Preciado ’28 and Hemen Belete ’29 were among just 10 students selected statewide for the competitive program, which is sponsored by the Minnesota Private College Fund. The Phillips Scholars Program supports students pursuing community-centered summer projects through leadership, innovation, and service. 

Each Phillips Scholar designs and implements a summer project focused on social impact, supported by $9,000 in funding and professional development opportunities. For Preciado and Belete, the scholarship offers a platform to give back to the communities that shaped them. 

“I want to be able to create something for my community,” Belete says. “My project is providing more stem-focused activities for students. Through a hands-on learning experience — making semiconductor wafers and even building a camera at a Virginia Tech summer program — I discovered that I love STEM, and I want to inspire that interest in others.”

Belete is a computer science major from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Her project, a hands-on STEM summer program for high school students, will give participants an opportunity to work with physical technology such as semiconductor wafers as well as digital tools like coding. Students will work directly with the technology, allowing them to explore science and software in an accessible format.

“Students often have to actively look for technology-based things, which requires them to already be interested in STEM,” Belete explains. “If the opportunity was presented to them and they had the chance to experience what I experienced, they would have a more accessible space to develop an interest in STEM.”

Preciado, a social work and theater major from Dallas, Texas, is planning a theater and storytelling-based program for youth to help them explore their voices. Inspired by his own experience with theater, he hopes this experience will provide children with the opportunity to gain confidence.

“Theater gave me a voice when I was young,” Preciado says. “I had a very bad speech impediment, and it was hard for me to talk because I learned Spanish and English at the same time. I finally got into theater, and that helped me articulate myself and have better diction — it helped me have a voice. I hope to provide that for many people.”

Preciado says his project aligns with his personal values and long-term goals.

“I hope to practice therapeutic theater in the future,” Preciado says. “This program is a step in that direction.”

For Belete, one of the most meaningful aspects of the program was its emphasis on community impact. 

“The intent of the Phillips Scholars is to create something for your community,” Belete explains. “I’m an international student, and being able to do that is a huge thing — we don’t have a lot of support for initiatives like that back home. The program provides the opportunity to think outside of where you are right now, considering how you can help someone else.”

Both Belete and Preciado encouraged other Oles to consider applying for the upcoming 2027–28 cohort.

“I think [The Phillips Scholars Program] allows Oles to impact their community in a different way than they normally could here,” Preciado says. “The Phillips Scholars program lets you practice your leadership and creativity — and facilitate good in your home community through those skills.”