Cincinnati Country Day School Student Receives $1,000 Award

Story by: Garnett Andrews, Scholarship Chair
Ohio Association for Gifted Children

The Ohio Association for Gifted Children has recently selected Rihansh Yadav to receive their most prestigious student scholarship award: the 2025 Distinguished Student Award. Since 1952, the Ohio Association for Gifted Children has been working with families and educators to promote the best interest of gifted children. It is the only organization in Ohio dedicated to gifted education advocacy. The OAGC provides several student scholarship opportunities, but this award is unique in that applicants from across the State of Ohio must show evidence of using their exceptional talent in order to positively impact others in the community or communities that surround them.

Rihansh Yadav is a seventh-grade student at Cincinnati Country Day School whose passion is, quite simply, learning. His math teacher and advisor, Allison Klonne, shared: “I have witnessed firsthand his deep love of learning, insatiable curiosity, and natural leadership, qualities that make him truly stand out. Rihansh approaches every endeavor with enthusiasm and drive.”

Other teachers echo this, describing him as “intrinsically motivated and committed to using his talents to benefit others.” They note his “passion for understanding global issues,” adding that his ability to wrestle with topics such as social justice and cultural diversity inspires classmates to broaden their own perspectives.

Rihansh’s gifts extend well beyond academics. He is an avid chess player, a soccer athlete, a student council leader, and a musician. He sings in his school’s choir, which performs at local nursing homes, and he’s also the lead singer in a rock band that plays at school fundraisers and community festivals.

Leadership, though, is where he truly shines. Inspired by his father’s work with patients battling kidney disease, Rihansh has taken on the cause of raising awareness and support for the National Kidney Foundation. From bake-sale fundraisers and the annual Kidney Walk, to inviting the National Kidney Foundation staff to give an educational session at his school, he has already raised hundreds of dollars and sparked important conversations about health and organ donation.

In his own words: “I participated in the annual Kidney Walk to support organ donors, patients with kidney diseases, and their families. In fifth grade, I led a fundraiser at my school, and this year I organized another, raising $475. I also invited National Kidney Foundation personnel to give a presentation called ‘Your Kidneys and YOUth.’ In the future, I want to keep learning—especially in math and science—and to work on projects that help my school, community, and organizations like this one.”

I think we’d all agree with his teacher, Nicolas Rumboll, who said: “I am confident that he will continue to excel and contribute positively to the community, making a difference in the lives of others.”

On behalf of the Ohio Association for Gifted Children, it is our honor and privilege to present Rihansh Yadav with the 2025 Distinguished Student Award, along with a $1,000 scholarship to support his dreams and passions.