Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund Announces 2014 – 2015 Scholarship Recipients from Hawaii

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of college scholarships for Asian Americans and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students, announced its latest class of scholarship recipients from Hawaii. The 24 students will receive scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $15,000 to help support their dreams of higher education. Scholarship recipients will also receive access to APIASF’s programs and services including individual advising, leadership training and professional development. These Scholars join an outstanding group of students from across the country and the Pacific Islands who comprise the 2014 – 2015 class of APIASF scholarship recipients.

“As the cost of a college education continues to escalate, access to higher education becomes increasingly challenging for many Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students,” said Dr. Doris Ching, Emeritus Vice President for Student Affairs of the University of Hawai’i System. “As an Advisory Council member for APIASF, I am honored to work with an organization that is dedicated to increasing educational equity for all students. Congratulations to each of these students for their outstanding academic, leadership, and service achievements!  We look forward to their further success as future role models in their chosen professions and leaders in the community.”

The scholarship recipients will be attending a number of colleges and universities this fall and plan to study a variety of fields including: business administration, engineering, Hawaiian studies, marketing, nursing and medicine. Fifty percent of the students are the first generation in their families to attend college and more than 70 percent come from families with incomes of less than $30,000 per year.

According to a 2011 report produced through a partnership with APIASF and the National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE), the AAPI community experiences some of the lowest rates of educational attainment with some sub-populations having nearly 50 percent or more of adults who have never attended college. Since its inception, APIASF has worked to address this issue by providing college scholarships to some of the country’s most underserved students.

APIASF also works directly with the nation’s Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander – Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), many of which are located in Hawaii, to help support increased access to higher education. In 2013, APIASF partnered with University of Hawaii at Hilo to launch a dedicated scholarship for students attending that AANAPISI campus.

“As an organization, I am proud of our efforts to make a difference for the students of Hawaii and the broader AAPI community,” said Neil Horikoshi, APIASF President & Executive Director. “In these challenging economic times, it takes the time and investment of the community to foster the success of our students. I would like to recognize the many community members and educators in Hawaii who have worked tirelessly to help support local students by encouraging them to pursue higher education and helping them identify resources like our scholarship programs to assist them on their journey.”

Since 2003, APIASF has distributed more than $80 million in college scholarships to students across the country and in the U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States. APIASF’s vision is to see that all AAPI students have access to higher education and the resources they need to achieve academic, personal and professional success.

Based in Washington, D.C., the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) is the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of college scholarships for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students. APIASF works to create opportunities for students to access, complete, and succeed after post-secondary education; thereby developing future leaders who will excel in their career, serve as role models in their communities, and will ultimately contribute to a vibrant America. Since 2003, APIASF has distributed more than $80 million in scholarships to AAPI students across the country and in the Pacific Islands. APIASF manages three scholarship programs: APIASF’s general scholarship, the APIASF Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions scholarship program, and the Gates Millennium Scholars/Asian Pacific Islander Americans funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

2014 – 2015 APIASF Scholarship Recipients from Hawaii:
 

Felicia Andrew
Hometown: Ninole, HI
High School: Mindszenty High School (Koror, Palau)
College: University of Hawaii at Hilo

Chelsie Domingo
Hometown: Koloa, HI
High School: Kauai High School
College: Kauai Community College

Camilia Epa
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
High School: President Theodore Roosevelt High School
College:  Kansas State University

Noah Fong
Hometown: Pearl City, HI
High School: Hawaii Baptist Academy
College: University of Hawaii at Manoa

Robbi Gaballo
Hometown: Ewa Beach, HI
High School: Waianae High School
College: Leeward Community College

Alissa Geonzon
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
High School: President Theodore Roosevelt High School
College: Creighton University

Kyaw Hein
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
High School: Kaimuki High School
College: University of Hawaii at Manoa

Wai Kit Ho
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
High School: President William McKinley High School
College: Northeastern University

Leialoha Kealaiki
Hometown: Kurtistown, HI
High School: Kamehameha Schools Hawaii Campus
College: University of Hawaii at Hilo

Jacob Kom
Hometown: Hilo, HI
High School: Xavier High School (Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia)
College: University of Hawaii at Hilo

Rowdy Lindsey
Hometown: Waimanalo, HI
High School: Kamehameha Schools Kapalama Campus
College: University of Hawaii Maui College

Lynn Luu
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
High School: Iolani School
College: University of Hawaii at Manoa

Meleane Moala
Hometown: Hanamaulu, HI
High School: Kapaa High School
College: Eastern Washington University

Dana Morita
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
High School: Kalani High School
College: Willamette University

Alissa Maree Nakamura
Hometown: Wailuku, HI
High School: Henry Perrine Baldwin High School
College: California State University, East Bay

Victor Ong
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
High School: Myron B. Thompson Academy
College: University of Hawaii at Manoa

ArZ Ortiz
Hometown: Waipahu, HI
High School: Waipahu High School
College: Leeward Community College

Reinalie Pineda
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
High School: Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School
College: University of Hawaii at Manoa

Ronald Ramones
Hometown: Waianae, HI
High School: Nanakuli High & Intermediate School
College: Washington State University

Zachary Recolan
Hometown: Ewa Beach, HI
High School: James Campbell High School
College: Marist College

Kevin Shin
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
High School: Moanalua High School
College: University of Hawaii at Manoa

Carina Thomas
Hometown: Mililani, HI
High School: Mililani High School
College: Wheaton College

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