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Scholar Stories

Abigail Leyva at Senso ji

The Design of Harmony

Published 03/20/2026 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Abigail Leyva | 03/20/2026

As a UX designer at an AI startup, my daily challenge is to bridge the gap between complex machine intelligence and the messy, intuitive reality of human life. In my work, I seek inventive ways to help people help themselves lead productive and satisfying lives. This past month, I traveled through Japan in search of design principles that might inform how we build the next generation of AI. What I found was not simply aesthetic inspiration, but a fundamentally different relationship between guidance, safety, minimalism, and technology—one that offers important lessons for AI design.

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An Environmental Look at Taiwan’s High Speed Rail

Published 03/20/2026 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Waly-Meissa Ndiaye | 03/20/2026

High-speed rail projects have often been viewed as environmentally beneficial and an innovative form of mass transit. In particular, they serve as an effective way of limiting carbon emissions, the importance of which is ever-pressing, given the impact climate change has had and will continue to have on our planet in the coming years. These infrastructure projects can play a major role in improving the long-term environmental health of local communities, one of the primary focuses of the Milken Institute.

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Osaka, Japan 2025 World Expo

Published 03/19/2026 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Valencia Lewis | 03/19/2026

Knowledge is one of the greatest gifts we can share and receive from others as it allows us to build on ideas to further innovations and progress within our world. Sometimes we get used to routines, habits and things that feel consistent and stable. Getting comfortable in the status quo can lead to stagnation when there is a lack of innovation. As time passes other aspects of the world are changing whether it be for the good or for the worse and it’s important we are aware and adapt to those changes. Adapting doesn’t always mean giving up what we know as truth and getting rid of it to adopt something new. Often times change is viewed as throwing out the old and welcoming in the new.

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Hannah Menghis MS 22 Diana Hong MS 99 Victoria Presentado MS 25 Evelyn Torres Clarke Dickens MS 22 Akesh Mallia MS 24 and Mattie Isaac MS 23

2025 Milken Scholars Holiday Dinners

Published 01/07/2026 in Program Updates
Written 01/07/2026

Continuing our cherished tradition of bringing loved ones together during the festive season, the Milken Scholars Program hosted annual Holiday Dinners for Alumni and current Scholars in Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C.

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Medellin

Lessons From Colombia

Published 12/11/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Chase Lin | 12/11/2025

When my plane landed in Bogotá, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had come to Colombia hoping to understand the local culture and societal infrastructure. What I discovered was how young people find purpose when opportunity is scarce, and what structures help them stay in school. What I discovered over the next two weeks, traveling from Bogotá to Medellín to Cartagena, went far beyond classrooms. My discoveries ranged from observations of the walls of the city, the rhythm of its streets, and in the choices people make when life demands creativity to survive.

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The Colombian Conflict: Women Survivors. A discussion on the normalization, revictimization, and postmemory of gender-based violence.

Published 12/10/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Julissa Mendoza | 12/10/2025

The armed conflict in Colombia was a nightmarish period that has lasted 60 years, leaving a dark stain and puzzle in the minds of thousands of civilians. With the UN Resolution 1325 and the Colombian government’s admission of the disproportionate violence women endure in conflicts, an enormous bottom-up feminist movement has fought to address the violence women still face in the country. However, there are still effects that are not widely discussed. The Colombian armed conflict played a significant role in the formation of patriarchal systems that, especially with a negligent state, have worked to normalize gender-based violence and revictimization cycles. This has generated a distinct intergenerational trauma.

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Vietnam and the Philippines: A History of Resourcefulness

Published 12/10/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Dana Hua | 12/10/2025

According to the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI) which considers a nation’s overall economic growth, life expectancy, health, education and quality of life, both Vietnam and the Philippines are considered to be developing nations. This comes as no surprise once we consider their turbulent paths towards national sovereignty with neither country achieving true independence until the mid to late 20th century. However, despite their difficult beginnings, both nations have successfully harnessed their pasts to bolster national economic growth and provide their citizens with productive and satisfying lives by opening up their past historical landmarks for tourism.

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Beyond Frivolity: Making the Most of a Brief Stay in Japan

Published 12/10/2025 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written by Lena Jones | 12/10/2025

To celebrate graduating in May 2025, I went to Japan. Three friends and I crammed all that we could into one week, separating the trip into three cities: Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. Since we had a limited time to internalize the people, personalities, food, scenery, and experiences of these locations, we tried to make our intentions clear. For every piece of frivolous fun, we bore a deeper analytical purpose in mind.

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Social Media for Feature Story Fall 2025

Fall 2025 Campus Visits

Published 11/25/2025 in Program Updates
Written 11/25/2025

This Fall 2025, the Milken Scholars Program continued its tradition of visiting current Scholars in-person at their different college campuses throughout the country.

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