Gulen Institute Youth Platform 2015 Winners


Date posted: January 28, 2015

As the Gülen Institute Youth Platform Committee, we are pleased to announce the winners of the Essay Contest 2015.

We appreciate all the hard work you have done to write your essays from all around the world. Over 1000 essays from 65 countries and 35 states were submitted for the contest. There are 30 winners from 12 different countries. The winners will be contacted about the details regarding their flight, hotel and other arrangements.

Gülen Institute Youth Platform Committee especially thanks the judges from University of Houston, University of Houston-Downtown, Texas Southern University, Texas A&M University, San Jacinto College, North American University, Lamar University, Alvin Community College,Midwestern State University, Lone Star College, Prairie View A&M University, Rice University, Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas State University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at El Paso, University of Texas at San Antonio, University of Texas-Pan American, Wharton County Junior College,  and Houston Community College. We also thank Prof. Tom Gage, chair of this essay contest, for his time, effort, and leadership. Without his support, this event would not have been a success.

Thank you students again for your participation, dedication and efforts!

Gulen Institute Youth Platform Committee

GULEN INSTITUTE – YOUTH PLATFORM 2015 WINNERS

Rank Name Country Award
1 Min Byung Chae South Korea 2,000 USD + 3-day excursion
2 Kuangning Ge Singapore 1,500 USD + 3-day excursion
3 Sung Yeon Kim Canada 1,000 USD + 3-day excursion
4 Eric Frankel USA 300 USD+ 3-day excursion
5 Daniyal Chaudhry Canada 300 USD+ 3-day excursion
6 William Kang USA 300 USD+ 3-day excursion
7 Nicolas Ortega Bolivia 300 USD+ 3-day excursion
8 Teresa Isabel Naval Philippines 300 USD+ 3-day excursion
9 Linh He USA 300 USD+ 3-day excursion
10 Hyeji Suh USA 300 USD+ 3-day excursion
11 Mary Vickers USA 300 USD+ 3-day excursion
12 Emily Kim USA 300 USD+ 3-day excursion
13 Elif Memet Romania 300 USD+ 3-day excursion
14 Barrett Young USA 300 USD+ 3-day excursion
15 Arif Demirkan Turkey 300 USD+ 3-day excursion
16 Oumar Karaga Burkina Faso 100 USD
17 Lucas Lin USA 100 USD
18 Mary Beth Dale USA 100 USD
19 Shivani Pandey USA 100 USD
20 Meilinda Sun USA 100 USD
21 Muhammad Bilal Cheema Canada 100 USD
22 Joseph Gutheinz USA 100 USD
23 Ljubica Pop-Trajkova Macedonia 100 USD
24 Madina Kaliyeva Kazakhstan 100 USD
25 ELIZABETH LUVANDA Tanzania 100 USD
26 Christina Wall USA 100 USD
27 Emma Berthelsen USA 100 USD
28 Arman Dupanovic Bosnia and Herzegovina 100 USD
29 Jeehye Choi USA 100 USD
30 TINASHE PRINCE GWAKUKA USA 100 USD

2015 Essay Contest Theme

“Are Citizens of the World Succeeding in Lessening Global Poverty?”

Poverty entails limitations upon populations in education, finance, human potential, substance and shelter, gender class differences, all limitations that tax food sources, curtailing the potential of the cultures’ youth, loss of capital in maintenance and little for developing sustainable of wealth.

Ending global poverty constitutes a major goal of humanity. There have been many innovative proposals and projects implemented to achieve this goal, several ways of measuring the results of innovative efforts, and considerable publicity to disseminate the results of the effective innovations.

Source: Gulen Institute Youth Platform


Related News

The Peace Islands Institute of New Jersey Awards Recognize Excellence

The Peace Islands Institute of New Jersey held their annual awards dinner to recognize the accomplishments of 6 remarkable individuals in different walks of life.

Erdoğan’s hate speech moves to US

The graffiti echoes Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s hate speech against the Hizmet movement inspired by Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, with which the cultural center is affiliated.

Can Washington Ever Welcome a Nonviolent Muslim?

Michael Shank June 6, 2012 CBS News’ 60 Minutes recently produced a show about Turkish Muslim scholar Fethullah Gulen, spurred by concern about the so-called Hizmet movement’s (aka Gulen movement) alleged connection to a growing network of high performing and nationally ranked charter schools in the U.S. These schools rank in Newsweek’s top ten miracle schools in America and have […]

Congratulations to Fethullah Gulen and Izzettin Dogan

Taha Akyol The foundation of a social and cultural center comprising a mosque and cemevi in the same complex has been laid in Mamak district of Ankara. The mosque and cemevi will rise side by side in the complex on a land of approximately 35,000 ft2. The complex will consist of dede (socio-religious leader of […]

An International Conference on “Philanthropy and Peacebuilding”

An International Conference on Philanthropy and Peacebuilding, organized by the Journalists and Writers Foundation (GYV) and Kimse Yok Mu (KYM), will be held in Istanbul on April 10-12, 2014. The conference particularly aims to analyze the actual and potential role of philanthropy as an agent in conflict resolution processes, building inter-personal and inter-communal trust.

Gülen not only my hero, also a model for other religions

“He is not only my hero for what he has done for the Muslim societies but also [offers] a model for all other religions,” said Dirk Ficca, executive director of the Chicago-based Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Gülen urges patience over prep schools row

Editorial Opinion: Mistreating [Turkish] Teachers

Abant Platform discusses thriving relations between Turkey and Africa

Turkish entrepreneurs open second school in Cambodia

Why did Turkey seize Bank Asya?

AKP official: Let sacked public servants eat tree roots

Erdogan presses Kyrgyzstan for action against Gulen group

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News