Gervais, Katayama receive scholarships

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Gervais, Katayama receive scholarships

Gervais, Katayama receive scholarships

The Richard and Eleanor Imai Shin Buddhist scholarship annually awards grants of at least $2,000. The mission of this scholarship award is to grant financial support to deserving Shin Buddhist youths in their pursuit of higher education and concomitantly enhance their practice of and commitment to Shin Buddhist principles and teachings throughout their lifetime.

This year scholarships of $3,400 have been awarded to Cristina Gervais and Kelsey Katayama. The 2015 applicants were judged in part on essays submitted on the topic “What should be the Shin Buddhists view of terrorists?”

Gervais has been an active member of the Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin since she was 4 years old as a member of Hilo Hongwanji’s 4-H clubs, attending Dharma school for seven years, Jr. YBA member and officer, and student of the Gakuen (Japanese school) and graduated from that program receiving the State of Hawaii Japanese Language Association award twice.

She has chosen to attend the University of Hawaii at Hilo majoring in linguistics.

Katayama has been an active member of the Kona Hongwanji since he was 5 years old attending Dharma School and participating in the many Dharma School activities; Taiko Club since he was 8 years old and becoming a leader of the club in his high school years; and Jr. YBA member and officer.

He will be attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa majoring in accounting.