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

A Muslim Cleric That America Should Support

Usually, when Americans hear the term “Muslim cleric,” they cringe. Yet there’s an Islamic religious leader who calls for peace and inter-faith dialogue, whose supporters are being rounded up by an increasingly authoritarian leader. Backing the right leader could be the key in the war against ISIS.

A Year After Hurricane Sandy: Climate Change & Disaster Management

The Peace Islands Institute (PII) held a discussion panel on October 28, titled “A Year After Hurricane Sandy: Climate Change and Disaster Management” in order to raise awareness on climate change and disaster management, to highlight disaster management planning, to explore effective ways to respond to natural disasters during and after emergency and to handle the emergency situations.

From political Islam to Islamic terrorism: Is there a way out?

The declaration of the “Islamic state” and the “caliph” under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), now called the IS, in the contagious parts of Iraq and Syria has brought the issue of Islamic militancy and terrorism to the center stage of Middle Eastern politics.

Turkish Cultural Center aims to bridge East and West

PAUL GRONDAHL Staff writer MENANDS — The Turks are rising in the Capital Region. In the past six months, Turks have bought a building on Broadway in Menands, renovated it and created the Turkish Cultural Center of Albany with the help of the organization’s first paid full-time employee. Once limited mostly to a few graduate […]

Turkish charity dedicates well in Africa to brutally killed Özgecan Aslan

The Turkish charity organization Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There?) constructed in a small town in one of Africa’s poorest countries, Chad, dedicated to the memory of Özgecan Aslan, who was brutally murdered in Mersin province on Feb. 11.

Şimşek: Despite slander, Gülen remains silent to avoid provoking gov’t supporters

Osman Şimşek, editor of herkul.org — the website that usually publishes Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen’s speeches — has said that the Islamic cleric doesn’t respond to slander and insulting remarks so as not to provoke those who support the government.

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

The ‘other’ interview

Sophia Pandya on Hizmet Movement

Pregnant with twins, Kocaeli woman detained during control at hospital

Serbia seeks agriculture investments from Turkey

Turkish Schools, Model for Education in Romania

An Exiled Cleric Denies Playing a Leading Role in Coup Attempt

Documents expose plot to hold Hizmet responsible for KPSS cheating

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News