The 2025 Fo Guang Shan (FGS) Chicago Outstanding Youth Scholarship Award Ceremony was held on June 8 at the Chicago Buddhist Temple. Nearly 40 guests and FGS families gathered to witness nine exceptional young individuals receive this honor in a warm and solemn ceremony filled with Dharma joy.
In her opening remarks, Head Priest Venerable Yung Han praised the achievements of the awardees, particularly commending their spirit of gratitude toward their parents, the generosity of BLIA members, and the visionary emphasis on youth education by FGS founder Venerable Master Hsing Yun. The Venerable creatively referenced the current trend of Artificial Intelligence (Open AI), reinterpreting it as “Open mind to Awaken I (myself)”—opening one’s mind to awaken the self. She reminded the students to cherish the causes and conditions that brought them here today, to use the Dharma as a tool for wisdom, and to view the temple as their spiritual home. She encouraged the youth to treat the monastics as family and BLIA members as selfless, supportive parents, and to always “return home” to the temple. Furthermore, she expressed her hope that the youth would take the seeds of compassion and wisdom from Humanistic Buddhism and sow them across the world.
Yi-Chen Chen, Deputy Director of the Culture Center of TECO in Chicago, also attended to offer her congratulations, encouraging the youth to become well-rounded modern talents with both moral integrity and academic excellence. Ke-Ying Wang, President of the BLIA Chicago Chapter, remarked, “Buddhism needs youth, and youth need Buddhism,” noting that the scholarship is a concrete practice of Humanistic Buddhism in society.
The ceremony featured a cello performance by FGS youth to showcase their talents. Among the nine recipients:
- Karen Wang: Current President of the Chicago YAD, who graduated Magna cum Laude from Yale University and is now pursuing a Ph.D. in American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California (USC). She shared how she is inspired by Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s philosophy of “I am one of the multitude,” seeking to practice the Buddhist spirit of compassion, generosity, equality, and inclusion through her academic research.
- Jacob, Alysia, and Bea Haverkos: Triplets who grew up at the Chicago Buddhist Temple and currently attend the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). They performed a short play blending Buddhism and science to convey the wisdom of “Oneness and Coexistence” and “Equality of all Beings.” Alysia will also travel to Malaysia this July to be certified as a “White Elephant Executive” by the BLIA Young Adult Division.
- Additional Awardees: Logan Lin (Psychology and Business Administration), Cheryl Cheng (Graphic Design at Rhode Island School of Design), Mason Khong (Electrical and Computer Engineering), Brooke Chan (Master of Nursing at Rush University, active in community healthcare), and Yuni Morales (a diligent community college student).
Zong-Xian Xu, the event coordinator and representative of the scholarship committee, explained the selection criteria, noting that the recipients possess not only academic excellence but also leadership potential and a spirit of service. This embodies Fo Guang Shan’s mission to foster talent and promote culture. He warmly welcomed more youth to join the Fo Guang family and become successors in carrying forth compassion and wisdom.