Honoring Our Scholarship Recipients

October 02, 2020
Award ceremony via Zoom

The recipients of the Ikeda Scholarship and the John D. Montgomery scholarship gathered September 4 for a virtual award ceremony. President Ed Feasel, Dean of Students Hyon Moon, and Vice President of Academic Affairs Michael Weiner came together to congratulate awardees for their accomplishments during the 2019-20 academic year.

The Ikeda Scholarship, SUA’s most prestigious academic award, covers full tuition and room and board. The scholarship is presented annually to a second-year, third-year, and fourth-year student.

The John D. Montgomery Scholarship is a $20,000 award given annually to a student for achieving academic excellence and contributing to the university. The award honors the late Dr. Montgomery, a member of the Board of Trustees who helped guide SUA from its inception until his death in 2008. Dr. Montgomery also served as director of the Pacific Basin Research Center at SUA and director of the Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.

Ikeda Scholarship

  • Ngoc Anh Nguyen ’23
  • Tayná Baptista Ferreira ’22
  • Kaitlyn Haibel ’21

John D. Montgomery Scholarship

  • Shunji Fueki ’21

Soka Merit Awards

The Soka Merit Award covers $10,000 in tuition and is presented annually to five students in each class.

  • Class of 2023
    Jacqueline Kerth
    Akemi Terukina
    Chau An
    Hamza Ibrahim
  • Class of 2022
    Ninh Le
    Sophia Greco
    Moses Odei Addai
    Vibhu Walia
    Maxine Xu
  • Class of 2021
    Sara R. Adamson
    Tram Vu
    Casey Chaffin
    Khin Thazin
    Kenichi Kagatani

Academic Excellence Awards

Each year, Academic Excellence Awards are given in five categories. Faculty members nominate students for the awards, which are granted to undergraduate students who excel in these areas.

  • Excellence in Academics: Shunji Fueki ’21
  • Excellence in Research: Kennah Watts ’22, Leonardo Salvatore ’22, and Tayná Baptista Ferreira ’22
  • Excellence in Creative Arts: Hannah Jakob ’21
  • Excellence in Academic Mentoring: Kevin Chen ’22
  • Excellence in Community Service: Farida Refaat Elhedk ’22

Honorary Scholarships

Each year, the Office of Development also awards scholarships named in honor of members of the community. The Evelyn Hodes Wilson Memorial Scholarship honors a woman pioneer in chemistry, industry and education. Her niece, Nancy Hodes, is a SUA Professor Emerita of Chinese Language & Literature.

  • Evelyn Hodes Wilson Memorial Scholarship
    Thokozile Changufu ’21
    Christelle Inema ’21

The Kevin Hodes and Bob and Jane Hodes Memorial Scholarship was established by SUA Professor Emerita of Chinese Language & Literature Nancy Hodes to honor her son and her parents and their contributions to scientific research, the arts, world peace, and social justice.

  • Kevin Hodes and Bob & Jane Hodes Memorial Scholarship
    Sara R. Adamson ’21

The Brian Daisaku McCloskey Memorial Scholarship honors a young man who turned his life around to becoming a role model for others and whose motto was to “Dream the impossible! Do the impossible.”

  • Brian Daisaku McCloskey Memorial Scholarship
    Kofi Sarkodie ’22
    Michelle Brito Rodriguez ’22
    Sergio Morales ’22
    Anjan Rana Magar ’23
    Min Thapa ’21