Scholarship Recipients 2026-2027

At the May 2026 Scholarship Luncheon and Style Show, Baylor Round Table proudly announced 

Mu-Xuan "Paulina" Vao and Kim Paniagua 

as scholarship recipients for the 2026-2027 academic year.

Kim Paniagua is a junior from Houston, Texas, majoring in Middle Grades Math Education. She works at Baylor’s School of Education, substitutes at Midway ISD, and tutors locally, striving to support students both in structured school settings and beyond the classroom.

Outside of academics and work, Kim is deeply passionate about community and faith. She congregates at Glory Bell Church, serving in any necessary capacity, and is a Bridgebuilding Fellow committed to connection through civil discourse. In her free time, Kim enjoys playing board games and pickleball with friends. Above all, her love for Jesus is central to her life and is the foundation that guides her desire to teach and serve others.

An international student from Taiwan, Paulina Yao is a junior Science Research Fellow with minors in Chemistry and Data Science. She is also a Hillis Scholar and undergraduate researcher collaborating with a graduate student in research on pancreatic cancer biology, exploring the cell-to-cell communication and interaction pathways that promote cancer progression and metastasis.

She’s a member of Asian Ministry InterVarsity and Global Medical Missions Alliance, as well as a teaching assistant for the Baylor Laparoscopy Lab. As her parents continue to pursue mission work in Asia, they are excited to watch her complete her time at Baylor alongside her brothers.