Meet 2026 Eileen Kraus Scholar Kaylynn Chen
The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame is proud to introduce Kaylynn Chen as this year’s Eileen Kraus Scholar, a recognition that honors one outstanding Connecticut woman beginning her first year of college or university. The scholarship was established in 2016 in partnership with Kaman Corporation and awards $5,000 each year in celebration of academic promise, leadership, and a commitment to making a difference.
A standout graduate of Sheehan High School, Kaylynn has balanced leadership and athletics with grace and tenacity, serving as Class Treasurer, Secretary of the National Honor Society, and captain of both the varsity swim and tennis teams. She brings that same drive to her academic life, where her passion for STEM has led her into competitive robotics, advanced engineering opportunities, and hands‑on technical training that reflect both curiosity and determination.
In her scholarship essay, Kaylynn highlighted Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Emily Dunning Barringer, one of the first women to serve as an ambulance surgeon and a pioneering advocate for women in medicine. She drew inspiration from Dr. Barringer’s persistence in breaking barriers and connected that legacy to her own aspirations in engineering and technology, underscoring how women’s stories from the past continue to shape her vision for the future.
Kaylynn’s engineering journey has already taken her into exciting spaces. Through the Frontiers Program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, she explored Architectural Engineering, and her Pre‑Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeship helped sharpen her technical skills and deepen her confidence in problem‑solving. This summer, she will continue building that experience as a 2026 Summer WISE intern at Medtronic, gaining firsthand exposure to medical technology and engineering.
Her accomplishments extend well beyond the classroom. Kaylynn mentors elementary school students, teaches swim lessons, and uses every opportunity to encourage and uplift those around her. That spirit of service reflects the values at the heart of the Eileen Kraus Scholarship, which celebrates not only achievement, but also the power of young women to open doors for others.
As a QuestBridge Scholar, Kaylynn will attend Columbia University as an incoming Mechanical Engineering student, building on her strong STEM foundation and leadership experience. Her goal is to advance aviation technology and design safer transportation systems that improve lives in communities around the world.
Kaylynn Chen embodies the courage, leadership, and vision that defined Eileen Kraus, whose legacy continues through this scholarship and its investment in the next generation of changemakers. Her thoughtful reflection on Dr. Emily Dunning Barringer’s trailblazing career, combined with her own record of leadership, mentorship, and ambition, makes her a fitting recipient of an award built on the power of women’s stories to inspire change.
Kaylynn’s engineering journey has already taken her into exciting spaces. Through the Frontiers Program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, she explored Architectural Engineering, and her Pre‑Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeship helped sharpen her technical skills and deepen her confidence in problem‑solving. This summer, she will continue building that experience as a 2026 Summer WISE intern at Medtronic, gaining firsthand exposure to medical technology and engineering.
Her accomplishments extend well beyond the classroom. Kaylynn mentors elementary school students, teaches swim lessons, and uses every opportunity to encourage and uplift those around her. That spirit of service reflects the values at the heart of the Eileen Kraus Scholarship, which celebrates not only achievement, but also the power of young women to open doors for others.
As a QuestBridge Scholar, Kaylynn will attend Columbia University as an incoming Mechanical Engineering student, building on her strong STEM foundation and leadership experience. Her goal is to advance aviation technology and design safer transportation systems that improve lives in communities around the world.
Kaylynn Chen embodies the courage, leadership, and vision that defined Eileen Kraus, whose legacy continues through this scholarship and its investment in the next generation of changemakers. Eileen Kraus spoke about the importance of opening doors for others through success, and Kaylynn’s record of leadership, mentorship, and ambition makes her a fitting recipient of an award built on that ideal.
Eileen Kraus
Is a 2002 Inductee into the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, was the first woman to head a major regional financial institution and was the founding Chairman of the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame Board of Trustees.
She believed in women leaders, and her legacy demonstrates her commitment to mentoring women and advancing the causes that most affect them. On behalf of the Kraus family, we are pleased to honor her legacy today with the Eileen Kraus Scholarship Fund, and help ensure that the next generation of women leaders are able to follow the trail she so capably blazed.
2026 Applications now Closed
Past Scholarship Winners
"If you're the first in something, if you're at the top of something, you do have a phenomenal opportunity to give back. You're able to help open doors, you're able to help other people gain success, and to me that has been a tremendously satisfying part of whatever success I've had. I've been able to share it."
-Eileen Kraus
Eileen Kraus Scholarship
The Eileen Kraus Scholarship was established in 2016 in partnership with Kaman Corporation. The scholarship awards $5,000 each year to one outstanding Connecticut woman beginning her first year of college or university.
Donate to the Scholarship Fund
Checks can be mailed to:
The Eileen Kraus Scholarship
c/o The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame
320 Fitch St, Schwartz Hall B-3
New Haven, CT 06515
Or make a gift over the phone: (203) 392-9009