National Youth Science Camp alumnus Ye jin Kang (TX 2007) is one of 32 Americans who were awarded a Rhodes Scholarship on November 20, 2010. Congratulations!
Rice University Press Release:
The prestigious Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest award for international study, provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Funded by a trust established for British philanthropist Cecil Rhodes, the scholarships are awarded on the basis of high academic achievement, integrity, unselfishness, respect for others, leadership potential and physical vigor to individuals who are likely to make “an effective and positive contribution throughout the world.”
Read the full story here.
Ms. Kang’s Letter to Contributors about the 2007 NYSC:
30 July 2007
Dear Contributor,
After having come home from the rolling hills of West Virginia, I wanted to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to you, for it was one of those soul-gripping, mind-sweeping, and life-altering experiences that rarely occur, especially at such a young and critical moment. Through your humble contributions, you helped bestow upon 108 delegates from around the country and the world a sparkling summer memory to cherish. Throughout the three and a half weeks of camp, I learned to question, to expand, and to become inquisitive about the expansive breadth of scientific concepts and the wildly riveting forces of nature.
From the wonderful lectures to the nightly cabin meetings, we were taken on a whir of a journey consisting of lectures, directed studies, and out-of-camp experiences, but the truly wondrous aspect was that thin and powerful bonds of friendship were able to form through it all. Finally, there were people who laughed at my jokes! Providing guidance were the ever enthusiastic staph members who became our mentors… Mentors about college life, about personal will and independence, and about humanity. They shared willingly and magnanimously about their academic and personal experiences, which inspired all of us to step out into the college arena with courage and grasp for our dreams.
To me, it was not the information that I gathered from the lectures and directed studies, but the lessons and words of wisdom passed down from the speakers that truly were the most magical gifts of all. The trip to Washington, D.C. especially broadened our horizons as we discovered how to impact the community by becoming science activists and policy writers. Because of this experience that could only be possible through contributors like you, I feel imbued with a sense to steadily carve my own path, with dedication and independence, much like Senator Byrd himself.
With more thanks than the stars that number the night sky,
Ye jin Kang
Houston, TX
