In 1999, Dr. Daniel Koshland Jr., the son of our foundation’s founding chairman, established the Koshland Young Leader Awards (KYLA). The awards program recognizes young leaders who balance extraordinary challenges yet continue to show academic promise and community leadership. To date, the program has awarded nearly $1 million to more than 170 young leaders to give them a jump start as they enter college.
Candidates embrace a commitment to strengthening their families and communities despite facing formidable life challenges. Eleven outstanding San Francisco Unified School District juniors will receive $14,000 each to fund their tuition and/or education-related expenses.
For questions about the awards program, please email scholarships[at]sff.org.
Application Requirements
Competitive candidates must:
- be a junior in a San Francisco Unified School District High School.
- have demonstrated academic excellence (at least a 3.4 GPA) and be college/junior college – bound.
- have demonstrated significant leadership in their community, school, work, and/or home including active participation in school clubs, sports, volunteer work, paid work, religious community, college prep programming, family responsibilities, etc.
- have overcome significant hardship (e.g., unstable housing, non-native English speaker, economic insecurity, health or mental health issues, immigrant story, family situation, etc.)
- have a recommendation from a teacher, counselor, school administrator, or college prep program staff who can speak to their qualifications. The recommendation should not be from a relative.
Tax ID or SSN not required to apply, however if selected, the student will need to provide either Tax ID or SSN. If you do not have a Tax ID, this organization can help you obtain one.
Application Process and Timeline
February 10, 2025: Student applications are open for the 2025 Koshland Young Leader Awards.
April 10, 2025: Applications are due.
Late May 2025: San Francisco Foundation notifies all 2025 Koshland Young Leader Award winners.
June 2025: Event to celebrate the 2025 awardees.
How to Apply
To apply, please follow this link to our online platform, Submittable, to complete your application by 11:59 pm PT on April 10, 2025. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be considered.
You will need to submit:
- Application Video – We want to learn about you and your story! Please record one video of yourself answering all the questions below. For high-quality recorded videos, we recommend watching this video.
- If a video recording is not possible and you prefer to submit a written version, please email scholarships[at]sff.org.
- The video must be recorded in English.
- The video must not be longer than 8 minutes.
- Video can be recorded on your phone, mobile device, or laptop, and need not be polished or have high production value. If you are unable to record in a private, quiet space or are concerned about the sound quality of your recording, we suggest using closed captioning.
- Transcript – your most recent (unofficial or official)
- Reference Form
- Consent and Release of Liability Form
- List of Leadership Activities
For questions about the awards program or the application, please email scholarships[at]sff.org.
Past Koshland Young Leader Award Winners
2024 Koshland Young Leader Award Winners
| Alexia Ramirez | Abraham Lincoln High School |
| Aser Lloyd Sorongon | Galileo Academy of Science and Technology |
| Elijah Arrington | George Washington High School |
| Halima Cherif-Hminat | San Francisco International High School |
| Jiahui Fu | Thurgood Marshall Academic High School |
| Joleen Deng | Balboa High School |
| Jose Anibal Castillo Najarro | San Francisco International High School |
| Kelly Du | Abraham Lincoln High School |
| Nohemí Muxnay Méndez | San Francisco International High School |
| Rachel Tse | George Washington High School |
| Reem Algazali | San Francisco International High School |
| Toby Li | Balboa High School |
2023 Koshland Young Leader Award Winners
| Sofie Azmi | Abraham Lincoln High School |
| Melany Flores | San Francisco International High School |
| Lucia Gomez | San Francisco International High School |
| Fiona Ma | Lowell High School |
| Nixon Ooi | Life Learning Academy |
| Samrawit Tesfai | Balboa High School |
| Meagan To | George Washington High School |
| Tiarri Washington | Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts |
| JiaHui Wen | San Francisco International High School |
| Mandy Zhao | Balboa High School |
| Cammy Zou | Galileo Academy of Science and Technology |
2022 Koshland Young Leader Award Winners
| Yuli Zhang Hung | Mission High School |
| Thailyah Leeann Miller | Gateway High School |
| Nathaly Perez | Mission High School |
| Janessa Reyes | Mission High School |
| Vicky Huang | George Washington High School |
| William Cao | Lowell High School |
| Sally Hong | Lowell High School |
| Tuvana Soronzonbold | Mission High School |
| Roman Alvarado Munoz | San Francisco International High School |
| Yena Im | Lowell High School |
| Winnie Yu | Raoul Wallenberg High School |
2021 Koshland Young Leader Award Winners
| Agnes Liang | Mission High School |
| Jazmine Guzman de Anda | John O’Connell High School |
| Joanna Chen | Balboa High School |
| John Huynh | Balboa High School |
| Johnny Lin | George Washington High School |
| Kristel Mantilla Ulloa | Mission High School |
| Lilian Emelife | Phillip and Sala Burton High School |
| Marcus Young | Galileo High School |
| Kaylie (Meiqi) Li | Balboa High School |
| Songia Goodwin | Mission High School |
| Wilson Wu | Galileo High School |