Sochon Foundation Endowed Scholarship in Korea Studies

The purpose of this scholarship, funded by the Sochon Foundation, is to help full-time graduate students in the Korea Studies Program in the Jackson School of International Studies and the College of Arts and Sciences fund the cost of attending the University of Washington. Selection shall be based on academic merit. As funds are limited, the amount of the scholarship shall be based on financial need as determined by the Office of Student Financial Aid.

Madame Sochon Park Young-Hi, founder of the Sochon Foundation, was born in Seoul in 1935 and majored in mathematics at Seoul National University. She has long been devoted to teaching. She is currently involved in discovering, preserving, transmitting, and developing regional culture as head of the Yongsan Culture Center. Madame Sochon writes of her motivation in offering the Sochon Scholarship in Korea Studies:

“In the desolate 1950s right after the Korean War it was a time when people in Korea desperately struggled to survive amidst poverty and ruin. Even in this maelstrom my mother Madame Yi Su-bok’s enthusiasm for education never flagged, and I was able to begin university life. Although my university life began only with hope and enthusiasm, my most unforgettable event was receiving a Fulbright Scholarship. Although it was only enough money to buy a few books, I felt truly fortunate. In my young mind I resolved, ‘Regardless of how rich, they sent scholarship money even to a distant and unknown country, so I, too, when I grow up and if I am able must also create a foundation to help students and those with difficulties.”

The Soch’on Fellowship uses the same application as the FLAS Fellowship.  The application will open in late October and close January 31.