We are thrilled to congratulate the 2024 recipients of the JSKY Memorial Scholarship! These three outstanding young leaders have excelled academically and dedicated themselves to serving their communities and making a lasting impact.

Whether through mentoring others, advocating for the environment and animal rights, or empowering immigrant entrepreneurs, each of them represents the values of resilience, compassion, and community service that our foundation cherishes.

We are honored to support their journeys and cannot wait to see what they accomplish as they continue to uplift those around them. Congratulations to this year’s scholars—you make us proud!

Sint Paing has overcome so much in the four short years since she and her family emigrated to the United States from Kyaukme, Myanmar.  She was determined to adapt to her new circumstances and made it happen with discipline and dedication.  She created a schedule to learn English and computer skills and spent hours doing extra practice every day.  Rather than resent the extra work, she saw each day as a celebration of study. 

Once she mastered her new skills, she dedicated her high school years to helping others like her learn English.  She became a mentorship manager for STEM.E, a volunteer tutor, and a Discord manager for a tutoring program. She also served as a mentor and homework helper for multiple programs.  Through it all, she maintained an impressive 4.0+ GPA, including consistent As in college courses at East LA College.  Sint plans to study Biological Sciences at UCI to eventually become a dentist.  She is inspired by her hometown’s lack of dental care and hopes to bring care to underserved communities.  We are confident she will achieve everything she dreams.

Su Pyone is passionate about being a voice for society’s voiceless, whether that is the immigrant community, animals, or the environment. Su grew up in Kyaume, Myanmar, where she practiced meditation daily. This faithful practice gave her a deep connection with the environment, inspiring her to take on leadership roles with The Green Cause Initiative and co-found the Society for Nature Protection. 

Su has an impressive record of nearly straight As in her high school career. She also devotes her time to tutoring new immigrants as the National Outreach Coordinator for CommuniTeen Tutors and as a mentor in the English Language Peer Mentoring Program. She plans to study Biological Sciences at UCI as the first step toward her work to help create a more sustainable society, reduce animal suffering, and advance animal rights. We are proud to recognize Su’s achievements and know this is just the beginning.

Ryan Zhu is one of those people who can do it all.  Whether it’s working at his family’s restaurant, juggling multiple AP classes while maintaining a 4.0+ GPA or staying actively involved in over 13 clubs and volunteer projects, Ryan dives deep into everything he does.  He displayed strong leadership skills, taking on the Activities Director role in the United Student Body all four years of high school and also serving in officer roles in the Avid Club, Green Earth Club, Armenian Cultural Club, School Site Council, Journalism, Youth Empowerment Club, Student College Access Team, Key Club International, and American Red Cross. 

Most impressively, he took that strong sense of initiative and created a service helping local small businesses create marketing materials.  Ryan learned graphic and web design skills, got himself certified as an Adobe Professional, and built up a client base one by one.  Ryan helped empower immigrant entrepreneurs by creating ads, business cards, and social media content to drive business to their shops.  Ryan plans to major in graphic design at UCSD and hopes to continue supporting local businesses, giving back to immigrant communities, and telling the stories of families like his.  We are overjoyed to help him achieve his goals and cannot wait to see all he will do to uplift immigrant communities. 

The JSKY Scholarship supports outstanding high school students from underserved backgrounds who demonstrate exceptional leadership, academic excellence, and community service. We are proud to announce the 2023 scholarship recipients who exemplify the values of compassion, justice, and social responsibility that are central to the JSKY Scholarship mission.

This year’s recipients have already made tremendous impacts on their schools and communities while overcoming significant obstacles. Whether launching clubs to increase college access, advocating for women’s rights, or working to make healthcare more inclusive, these students have a passion for creating positive change. They are the future leaders, activists, educators, lawyers, doctors, and innovators who will continue to uplift their communities for years to come.

We are honored to be able to support these remarkable students as they embark on the next chapter of their academic journeys. Please join us in celebrating their achievements by reading their inspiring biographies below. Their drive, resilience, and vision give us tremendous hope for the future.

Jason Gonzalez

San Gabriel High School
Yale University

Jason Gonzalez possesses the intellect, work ethic, and passion to accomplish great things.  He graduated with a weighted GPA of 4.47 while juggling numerous extracurricular activities, including serving as Captain of the Tennis Team, Vice President of the Math Engineering Science Achievement student group, and Co-Section Leader of the Marching Band.  He also volunteered at the Monterey Park Hospital.  The selection committee was particularly impressed with Jason’s care of a sibling diagnosed with dyslexia – giving additional tutoring at home and fighting the school district for additional resources.  From his volunteering experience and his advocacy on behalf of his sibling, he learned about the inequities in our health care system.  Jason plans to major in Chemistry at Yale University and hopes to become a neurologist, devoting his practice to serving the immigrant community.  We intend to cheer Jason on every step of the way!

Zoey Hsu

Temple City High School
Yale University

Zoey Hsu is a future leader with limitless potential.  Zoey graduated with a 4.0 unweighted GPA.  She served as Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper and a member of the Temple City Youth Committee.  Zoey is also an accomplished pianist who has won numerous awards.  More impressive, Zoey led efforts to increase pedestrian safety measures at her high school after a car hit a student.  She hosted a seminar, collected signatures for a petition, and presented victims’ testimonies to the City Council.  She persuaded the City Council to relocate the crosswalk, add yield signs, and increase a landing pad – undoubtedly stopping countless future accidents.  Zoey intends to major in Political Science and Public Policy at Yale University, attend law school, and eventually go into politics.  She wants to be a policymaker who “support[s] and fight[s] for those who face discrimination and unequal opportunities, such as minorities and immigrants.”  We cannot wait to see Zoey’s name on a ballot soon.

Angel Mendoza

Montebello High School
UCLA

Angel Mendoza has an indomitable drive to succeed.  He wrote, “Perseverance and resilience describe me.  I work hard.  I have done that my whole life.”  Growing up in a working-class family, he saw his father having to juggle three jobs to support him and his siblings.  Angel himself worked in house construction and bicycle repairs and sales to contribute to his household.  During high school, he took a bus for hours in order to attend a school located far from his home, but one that offered him better educational opportunities.  Despite these obstacles, Angel excelled academically and socially.  He was ranked 7^th out of his graduating class of 575 students.  He was President of the California Scholarship Federation, Co-founder and President of the Leadership Experience Opportunity Club, a member of the Varsity Cross Country Team, and a member of an award-winning Marching Band.  Angel plans to major in Business Economics at UCLA and hopes to lead language and entrepreneur programs for immigrants.  We are incredibly proud of his accomplishments and look forward to seeing him lead the business world.

Rosana Maris Arias

La Puente High School
Stanford University

Rosana Maris Arias will undoubtedly achieve great things in her life.  She graduated Valedictorian from La Puente High School.  In addition to excelling academically, Rosana was President of the Warrior Field Corps, the school marching band, and President of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A.), a student-run program that encourages students to reach higher education and to explore Latinx culture.  She also founded Students For A Successful Transition (S.F.A.S.T.), an organization that aims to get more high school students into college.  Rosana plans to study Political Science at Stanford University in order to “make real and powerful change through policy.”  She hopes to create educational reform, expand access to higher education, and increase funding for disadvantaged schools. We look forward to seeing her accomplish all of those goals and so much more.

Luke Kyaw

Alhambra High School
UCLA

Luke Kyaw has a deep commitment to advance the rights of immigrants and to challenge discrimination.  Luke immigrated to the United States from Myanmar when he was 14 years old.  Despite the language and cultural challenges he faced, Luke nonetheless graduated near the top of his class at Alhambra High School, with a weighted GPA of 4.18.  Outside of the classroom, Luke was involved in the VoteAt16, a campaign to increase student representation and promote civic engagement, and worked as a tutor.  He intends to double major in Public Affairs and Economics with a minor in Spanish at UCLA.  Luke wants to build a career in law or public service and to use his position to advance the rights of immigrants like his family.  We are so happy to help him make those dreams a reality.

Leslie Ramirez

South El Monte High School
U.C. Berkeley

Leslie Ramirez is an inspiration.  She has overcome tremendous barriers through hard work and tenacity.  For the first 14 years of her life, her family lived in a house with three other families.  Nonetheless, Leslie feels grateful for her parents – both Mexican immigrants – who tirelessly worked to feed and house Leslie and her siblings.  They taught her the importance of respect, kindness, and perseverance.  With those values, Leslie graduated at the top of her class with a GPA of 4.13.  She plans to pursue Global Studies at U.C. Berkeley to learn about the histories and cultures of underdeveloped countries and to eventually help promote the development of those countries.  Leslie does not plan to wait until after graduating from college to make a change.  She wants to put on workshops and web posts to address and tackle the issue of food insecurity in Berkeley. We have no doubt she will the world a better place.

Alejandro Moreno

John Marshall Fundamental High School
Indiana University Bloomington

Alejandro Moreno excels at everything he attempts.  During his time at John Marshall Fundamental, he played Varsity Football, Varsity Cross Country, and Varsity Track and Field.  He was elected President of the Junior Class and Vice President of the Associate Student Body.  Alexandro also founded ForFood, an organization that helps feed less fortunate families.  He accomplished all of these amazing feats while maintaining an impressive weighted GPA of 3.82.  Alejandro attributes his successes to his father who, as a farmworker and later as a gardener, “was able to overcome all the negativity in life and give [Alejandro] a better life, one with limitless opportunities.”  Alejandro was motivated to go to college because his father “always emphasized the importance of an education,” and he is determined to represent his father’s character and his Hispanic heritage with pride as he blazes a path through higher education.  We have no doubt that Alejandro will succeed.

Jaclyn Ng

Mark Keppel High School
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Jaclyn Ng is going to be a pioneer in science and technology.  As an immigrant, she had to overcome a language barrier.  As a woman, she had to challenge assumptions that she did belong in the fields of math and science.  Jaclyn knocked down one obstacle after another and proved wrong those who doubted her – being the only girl on the Math Bowl competition team, getting a perfect score in Math and Chemistry on the SATs, and graduating Salutatorian of her graduating class.  We were extremely impressed by her sheer determination “to show the world that you don’t need to be born rich or privileged to achieve your dreams.”  She said, “In my world, there are no glass ceilings. Language barrier?  No problem.  Judgment from others?  Bring it on.  No one else has done it before?  I’ll be the first!”  We cannot wait to see Jaclyn break down barriers, and likely win a few Nobel Prizes along the way.

Karen Olivares Lopez

Bell Gardens High School
University of California – Los Angeles

Karen Olivares Lopez is committed to improving her and her family’s “standard of living by having a great career.”  Previously, her family of nine members lived in a one-bedroom in Boyle Heights.  Growing up, Karen saw her immigrant parents struggle to pay for health care services they received for emergencies.  These experiences inspired her to take advantage of every opportunity and to work hard in school.  For instance, Karen aced several Advanced Placement classes, in part, by staying up past midnight to finish homework.  It is no surprise that Karen graduated fourth in her class, which was composed of over 600 students.  She plans to major in biology at UCLA and hopes to become a pediatrician.  Karen would like to give back to the community by helping community clinics provide low-income families access to health care.  We are extremely happy to help Karen achieve her dreams.

Zhen Xi (Kyle) Rong

Arcadia High School
Harvey Mudd College

Zhen Xi (Kyle) Rong moved from China to the United States in the eighth grade and powered through early language barriers through sheer determination, dedication, and some Criminal Minds.  He soon discovered the universal language of mathematics and dove into mathematical modeling.  Kyle’s passion led him to found the Game Theory Club, win Bronze in the USA Mathematical Talent Search, winning Second Place in the Science Olympiad Southern California State Chem Lab, and First Place in the Bay Math League.  Kyle also made time to give back to the community by tutoring recent immigrants, while maintaining nearly all straight A+ grades.  Kyle will be attending Harvey Mudd College in the fall.  He hopes to use mathematical modeling to study conflicts and develop proper human behavioral modeling and fair division techniques to resolve the conflicts of resources allocation across the world.  We have no doubt he will have a huge and positive impact on the world.