Dr. Lee Hoon Scholarship Program

Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, Inc. (KCS) is pleased to present scholarship opportunities to outstanding high school seniors of Korean heritage who have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership in their communities. 

The scholarship deadline is Friday, May 30th, 2025 at 11:59 PM (EST). Please use your desktop computer when applying. 

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Three scholarships of $5,000 each will be awarded to students entering four-year colleges or universities in the fall of 2025 to assist with tuition payments during their first year of higher education.

About Dr. Lee Hoon

Dr. Lee Hoon is a retired dentist from San Francisco, California, whose own education was only possible because of the support of various scholarship programs. Dr. Lee was born in Korea and received his DDS and Ph.D. from Seoul National University before immigrating to the United States in 1973. After quickly passing his boards in 1974, Dr. Lee opened up a practice in San Francisco. 

He has been an active member of the Korean-American communities in the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City and is committed to giving back to his community. Dr. Lee has also been active in his church’s pastoral ministry, through which he has worked with elderly Koreans and nursing home residents and provided health and dental care to communities in rural Mexico. Dr. Lee currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Who is eligible?

  1. Be of Korean heritage;
  2. Be a current high school senior;
  3. Enrolled in a four-year college or university starting in Fall 2025;
  4. Be a resident of New York State;
  5. Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher;
  6. Have demonstrated leadership skills or volunteerism in their community; and  
  7. Have a family income of or below 400% of the federal poverty level (Please see table below)

Poverty level annual income figures from: https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines

Scholarship Process

1.
Application

Application deadline is Friday, May 30th, 2025 at 11:59 PM (EST).

2.
Review

The Scholarship Committee will review your application.

3.
Announcements

Applicants will be notified via email.

How to apply?

Apply online. Applications must be submitted by Friday, May 30th, 2025, at 11:59 PM (EST). Please use a desktop computer when filling out the application.

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Submit all required documents in a single email to scholarships@kcsny.org with the subject line:

“[First and Last Name] 2025 Lee Hoon Scholarship Application”

Required Documents Checklist

  1. Resume
    File titled: [First and Last Name] Resume​
  2. Most recent transcript (official or unofficial is acceptable)
    File titled: [First and Last Name] Transcript​
  3. Most recent copy of parent/guardian’s federal income tax form
    File titled: [First and Last Name] Federal Income Tax Form​

Resources

Student Stories

stories 1
stories 2

Past Awardees

2024 Awardees

  • Matthew Huang, Georgetown University’s College of Arts & Sciences
  • Grace Lee, University of Michigan
  • Ian Lim, Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education

2022 Awardees

  • Nadia Erin Chung, Stanford University
  • Genesis Haim Kang, Northwestern University
  • Justin Sungsan Kim, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  • Jaekyung Lee, University of California, Berkeley

2023 Awardees

  • Eunice Dahyoung Yoo, Northeastern University
  • Jina Koh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  • Sarah Jiwoo Kim, University of Michigan
  • Yewon Ahn, Vanderbilt Universit

2021 Awardees

  • David Bang, University of California, Berkeley
  • Ludia Cho, Cornell University
  • Tina Oh, SUNY Binghamton

FAQ

1. What are the eligibility requirements for YASP?

Must be an AAPI-identifying high school or college student whose school and/or home address is within New York City (five boroughs). High school students must be a sophomore or above as of fall 2025, and college students must be a freshman or above as of fall 2025. Please note that AAPI stands for Asian American Pacific Islander.

2. What are the start and end dates of the program?

The official start date for college and high school interns is Monday, June 30th, 2025, and the official end date is Friday, August 15th, 2025.

3. What is the time commitment for participating in YASP?

High school and college interns must work at least 15 hours per week. You will be able to set your schedule with your host site supervisor.

4. When will interviews be conducted?

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Once you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email and an interview date. Please allow up to three (3) business days for us to respond.

5. Will the interviews be conducted in person or remotely?

Interviews with the YASP team will be conducted remotely via Zoom. However, additional interviews with the host site may be required depending on your placement and could occur either in person or remotely.

6. Is orientation and graduation mandatory? When is it?

Yes, orientation and graduation are mandatory for all interns. Orientation is on June 27th, 2025, and graduation is on August 15th, 2025. Times and locations are to be announced at a later date.

7. What other mandatory events would I need to attend once I become a YASP intern?

All interns must attend orientation, enrichment sessions, and graduation.

8. If I am a high school senior, do I apply as a high school or college intern?

Please apply using the high school intern application and indicate that you are a postgraduate when asked in the application.

9. Can non-AAPI students apply for this internship?

Unfortunately, we can only take AAPI-identifying high school and college students.

I0. Do you have to be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident to apply for this internship?

No, you do not need to be either. However, these requirements will apply if you want to receive the Presidential Volunteer Service Award (PVSA).

11. Will all high school and college applicants be accepted?

No, not all applicants will be accepted. The number of intern positions is limited and varies each year.

12. Will I qualify for the PVSA?

Eligibility for the PVSA depends on meeting the required volunteer hours and other specific criteria. Both college and high school interns are eligible to receive this award. For more information, please visit the official PVSA website at https://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov.

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