LAHS junior Andrew Bacrania earns prestigious Rensselaer medal

Los Alamos High School junior Andrew Bacrania has earned a place in a national STEM pipeline that can turn strong math and science work into a $160,000 college scholarship. The 2026 Rensselaer Polytechnic Medal is one of the best-known academic honors for high school juniors, and it points directly to the kind of preparation that often starts in Los Alamos classrooms.

The LAHS Mathematics and Science Departments nominated Bacrania for the medal, underscoring that the recognition came through the school’s own academic core rather than as a generic award. Principal Eric Ziegler presented the medal during a ceremony attended by Bacrania’s family and members of the science and math departments, giving the moment a distinctly local stamp from the people who have watched his work up close.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute says the medal has been awarded for more than a century to promising secondary students who distinguish themselves in mathematics and science. The honor is also tied to one of the institute’s premier merit scholarships. Medalists who apply, are accepted and enroll at Rensselaer receive the scholarship, which is worth $160,000 for outstanding math and science students.

That financial connection is what makes the medal more than a line on a transcript. For a junior already showing strength in STEM, the award can become a concrete path into college with substantial aid attached. In practical terms, it rewards the same academic habits that Los Alamos families have long associated with the district’s upper grades: rigorous coursework, strong department support and an environment where science and math achievement is expected to lead somewhere tangible.

Bacrania’s recognition also says something about the Los Alamos academic pipeline itself. Awards like this do not happen in isolation. They usually reflect years of advanced classes, close mentoring and a school culture that pushes students toward engineering, research and laboratory careers. In a community where many graduates eventually move into technical fields, the medal is a reminder that local high school achievement can translate into national recognition and, for some students, into major college opportunities.

For younger LAHS students, Bacrania’s award shows what can happen when strong classroom performance meets sustained encouragement from teachers and departments that know how to identify talent early. It is a milestone for one junior, but it also reflects a broader strength in the school’s STEM track, one that continues to produce students ready for elite national recognition.