Soka University of America has named this year’s top scholars — recipients of the Ikeda Scholarship, the John D. Montgomery Scholarship, the Soka Merit Award, and the Academic Excellence awards. President Ed Feasel, Dean of Students Hyon Moon, and Assistant Dean of Student Success Katherine Perry marked the occasion with the students on Sept. 23 in Founders Hall.
The Ikeda Scholarship, SUA’s most prestigious academic honor, covers full tuition, room, and board. It’s awarded annually to a second-, third-, and fourth-year student.
The John D. Montgomery Scholarship awards $20,000 annually to a student for academic excellence and service to the university. It honors Montgomery, a Board of Trustees member who helped guide SUA from its founding until his death in 2008. He also directed SUA’s Pacific Basin Research Center and Harvard’s Center for Science and International Affairs.
Ikeda Scholarship
Nicolas Konyk ’29
Chihiro Imajo ’28
Sampson Apenteng Osei ’27
John D. Montgomery Scholarship
Shota Maeda ’27
Soka Merit Awards
This year’s Soka Merit Award covers $5,000 in tuition and was presented to nine students in the Classes of 2027, 2028, and 2029.
Class of 2029 | Class of 2028 | Class of 2027 |
|---|
Eselasie Akpablie
Sienna Manns
Yudai Watabe | Vanessa Camusso De Souza
Puja Khatri Yakubu
Mohammed Abass | Emmeline Berkey
Misaki Nakakura
Gyuha Kim |
Academic Excellence Awards
Academic Excellence Awards were presented in three categories. Faculty members nominated students for the awards, which were granted to undergraduate students who excel in the following areas.
Excellence in Academics: Nominjin Gankhulug ’28
Excellence in Mentoring: Mikiko Fujino ’28
Excellence in Research: Sampson Apenteng Osei ’27
Looking Ahead: The Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury Scholarship
Beginning next year, one SUA student will receive the new Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury Scholarship, an annual award of $20,000. President Feasel announced the scholarship on June 13 at Teachers College, Columbia University, during an event commemorating the 30th anniversary of SUA founder Daisaku Ikeda’s landmark address on global citizenship.
A longtime friend of SUA, Ambassador Chowdhury served as commencement speaker for the university’s first graduating class in 2005, has taught 10 Learning Clusters, and received the inaugural Soka Global Citizen Award in 2021.
