Sun-Wright Star Scholarship Award: 2025 Honorees

The Sun-Wright Star Scholarship Award honors students who take the step of engaging with the world beyond their own — through education, exchange, and genuine curiosity about other cultures.

This year, we are honored to introduce our 2025 recipients — Lillian and Yolanda — who stepped into an unfamiliar culture and embraced it fully, each in their own way.

2025 Sun-Wright Star Scholar: LILlIAN WANG

Sun-Wright Cultural Exchange Program — Colombia

I have been studying Spanish for almost eight years now but since beginning my language studies, I have never really applied my knowledge. The Sun-Wright Cultural Exchange Program in Colombia was my first chance to not only advance my Spanish skills but apply them in real conversation. However, apart from improving my Spanish, I was also reminded of why I learned Spanish in the first place. I learned Spanish not so I could get better grades at school or for some graduation requirement, but so I could connect with more people. Sun-Wright gave me the chance to meet so many new friends and interesting people. I had so much fun interacting with the local children and connecting with fellow teenagers all of which was made possible and much more fun by my knowledge of Spanish. Although my pronunciation is still far from flawless, and I could only understand what locals were saying maybe 50% of the time, I was able to apply my skills where they really mattered. Language is such an important part of culture, and Sun-Wright's cultural exchange really showed me how I could use my personal skills in a way that expanded my community beyond even national borders.

2025 Sun-Wright Star Scholar: YOLANDA WANG

Sun-Wright Cultural Exchange Program — Colombia

I’ve grown up in an environment that constantly encourages me to give back to my community and people all across the world. I explored a lot of different environments through volunteering including the medical field as a volunteer at Cedar Sinai Hospital, the animal care field as a volunteer at the Gentle Barn animal sanctuary, and even the aerospace field as a volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol at the SoCal Air Show. Throughout high school I also volunteered at Armory Arts, an art school for kids, where I found I really enjoyed helping kids nurture their talent and communicate through their creativity.

I started taking Spanish in middle school and continued into high school. Starting sophomore year, my school involves us in a 2 year program called the Olas program where we improved our Spanish. We chatted every week online with a mom from Guatemala whom we affectionately refer to as our Olas mom. This experience opened my eyes to communities across the globe and how important it is for everyone to develop a global perspective. Through the Sun Wright program in collaboration with the Minga House Foundation, I was able to participate in virtually teaching Colombia students English.

During thanksgiving I visited Colombia with the program and experienced the delicious cuisine, welcoming communities, and colorful street art. When we visited a small school, I was touched by how eagerly the kids interacted with us even though we looked different, spoke a different language, and came from a different place. It seemed none of these barriers was enough to stop the kids’ curiosity and longing for connection. Volunteering through the years has given me much more than I ever expected to receive and I will always remember the connections I have formed whether at the art school 5 minutes from my school or the lower school all the way across the globe.

The world is bigger than any classroom —  come explore it with us, and become part of the growing community of Sun-Wright Stars.