Bush Institute Presents Scholarships to Eight North Koreans

For North Koreans who flee their homeland, life brings new challenges. To help North Koreans pursue higher education in the U.S. and build productive lives here, the George W. Bush Institute offers North Korea Freedom Scholarships. Eight North Koreans received a total of $25,000 in scholarships this year, the institute has announced. Some recipients prefer to not use their name, just initials. In North Korea, leaving the country without permission is a crime and violators and their immediate relatives may face imprisonment.Scholarship recipients are O.S.H., who is studying theology; J.J., a student at a community college in Florida; Minhee Grace Jo, a community college student in Maryland who hopes to become a dentist; L.K., attending a community college in Illinois and planning to study political science; Joseph Kim, a junior in political studies at a university in New York; H.P., a community college student in Utah planning to study medicine; Hyang Seo, a recent high school graduate in Kentucky who plans to study engineering; and Justin Seo, studying IT at a community college in New York.The scholarships, which are administered by the Communities Foundation of Texas, are part of a broader effort by the Bush Institute to put the stories of North Koreans on the radar of policy makers. The application process for 2018 scholarships will open in January.Youth speech contest winnersThe Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of Chinese Institute of Engineers USA hosts annual speech and math competitions for area youth. About 80 competed in this year's speech contest, which took place July 22 at Collin College in Plano.   Continue reading...