Sussex Academy senior merits national recognition

Sussex Academy senior Katya Geyer spent a good chunk of last summer involved in a rigorous scientific research project aligned with her career goal to help people.

Geyer was named a Summer Science Program International Chambers Scholar, a national recognition honoring students who exemplify curiosity, hard work and extraordinary potential. As an awardee, Geyer participated in SSPI’s summer science program, where she worked on a bacterial genomics project testing antibacterial resistance at Albion College.

“I studied how bacteria mutate over time and how they resist antibiotics’ properties,” she said. “It was five intensive weeks. We researched Monday through Saturday, with Sunday an off day.”

The summer program comprised lectures and lab work, allowing the research-focused Geyer to use high-quality professional equipment valued at more than $1 million.

A state championship athlete and AP scholar, Geyer is heavily involved in school and community service efforts, including tutoring peers and volunteering more than 300 hours last school year for organizations including the school Green Team and Blood Cancer United, formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Geyer was also named a semifinalist for the 2026 class of the Coca-Cola Scholars Program. She was one of 1,230 high school seniors selected from a pool of more than 107,000 submitted applications from across the country based on their academic excellence, leadership, and service in school and community activities.

In January, an independent committee will recommend 250 regional finalists to take part in online interviews. Of those, 150 will be named in February as Coke Scholars-select, invited to attend Coca-Cola Scholars Weekend in Atlanta in April. Upon completion of the event, they will be named official Coca-Cola Scholars and receive a $20,000 college scholarship.

In the meantime, Geyer is busy applying to 27 colleges, with a special interest in Yale, where she has landed an interview. Her career interests are in regenerative science and technology, and she plans to become a doctor specializing in neuroscience or immunology.

Sussex Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Georgetown.