Eugene Yuan receives 2026 Benigno and Corazon Aquino Scholarship
From Beijing to Boston, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences junior Eugene Yuan’s service in areas such as animal welfare and nonprofit leadership has fueled his commitment to civic engagement and future career aspirations—and, in doing so, earned him one of Boston College’s most prestigious undergraduate honors.
On April 28, University President William P. Leahy, S.J., presented Yuan, a biochemistry major with a minor in computer science, with the 30th Benigno and Corazon Aquino Scholarship award, which honors a junior who demonstrates a strong academic record, engages actively with Asian American issues, and provides service to the Asian American community both on and off campus. Yuan was one of five finalists selected for the scholarship and will receive a $25,000 scholarship toward his senior year tuition and a $1,000 gift card to the BC Bookstore.
Yuan’s journey to the Aquino Scholarship began as a student at Beijing’s Keystone Academy when, as his school’s service council president, he raised nearly $30,000 for more than 15 charities active in causes such as migrant education and social welfare.
Yuan developed a deep connection to animal welfare as a campaign coordinator for the nonprofit Adopt Don’t Shop and later worked with the International Fund for Animal Welfare to design a three-month conservation program for a Boy Scouts troop in Beijing to work with animals of prey. Yuan has since held several assistantships in veterinary medicine, including bilingual Korean/English surgical settings which involved caring for small, large, and exotic animals.
As a cadet in the University’s army ROTC program, Yuan hopes to capitalize on his extensive experience with animal care to become a veterinary pathologist in the Army Veterinary Corps.
“This scholarship resonates so deeply with me because of the fight for democracy both Corazon and Benigno Aquino laid their lives down to serve,” said Yuan in an email last week. “It’s important to know that the Aquinos had status, power, and privilege that they used for the benefit of the people. And as an American citizen, I would like to do the same.”
Also attending the ceremony was 2025 Aquino Scholarship recipient Jadon Lee, who reminded the five finalists that they are not only stepping into the legacy shaped by Benigno and Corazon Aquino, but also inheriting and shaping it into something new and impactful for the Asian American community.
Keynote speaker Shaina Lu, a Taiwanese American artist and educator, emphasized the role of giving, and told the Aquino finalists that they bear an active responsibility within the scholarship’s legacy: “I hope that you look at your communities and think, ‘What gifts can I give them?’”
Other finalists for the Aquino Scholarship were:
Rachel Buhay, Castle Rock, Col.
Majors: Economics and Mathematics
Captain of the fencing team with 100 career wins as an Eagle; STAR Scholarship Recipient of the Philanthropic Educational Organization and All-ACC Academic; incoming 2026 investment banking summer analyst at UBS (Union Bank of Switzerland).
Alexander Favorito, San Ramon, Calif.
Major: Human-Centered Engineering
Research assistant at the Biomedical Imaging & Instrumentation Lab; provides student support as a course assistant in Engineering Computation and Programming; registered EMT and Medical Career Exploration Program member at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; formerly served as a course assistant for Engineering Foundations Studio II and as a department tutor.
Mary Jeong, Durham, N.H.
Majors: Marketing and Entrepreneurship
Founder and illustrator of custom pet portrait business Louie and Co Designs; illustrated her first children’s book last year; marketing intern for Boston College Dining Services; member of the Boston College Symphony Orchestra and Asian Caucus; former media chair for the Korean Student Association.
Andrew Ren, Winchester, Mass.
Majors: Computer Science and Mathematics
Minor: Philosophy
Effective Altruism AI Fellow; Stride Mentor; member of the Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society and Computer Science Society; a teaching assistant for Logic and Computation and vice president of the Board and Trading Card Game Club; selected as a Fellow at MIT Schwarzman College of Computing Break Through Tech AI program.