LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Asian Pacific Community Fund announces the fifteen $1,000 recipients of the 1^st Cycle of the 2012 Asian Pacific Community Fund – Verizon Scholarship Awards Program. The Asian Pacific Community Fund receives an impressive pool of applicants every cycle, making it a very competitive process. Selected by a scholarship review committee, the fifteen chosen students displayed high academic achievement, admirable leadership skills, and commendable community involvement. Congratulations to the following awardees!

Hyeri Jung recently graduated from Serrano High School. She was born and raised on a small island off the coast of South Korea called Jeju Island of Jejudo and came to the United States to study abroad. As a scuba diving team member, her father took her to Seogwipo Harbor and Philippines to scuba dive. She observed many living creatures and was naturally attracted and inspired by their uniqueness. Exploring the underwater world encouraged her to seek a deeper understanding of sea life. Eventually she became certified as an Open Water Diver, an Advanced Adventure Diver, and a Rescue Diver. In the fall, she will be studying marine science at the University of California, San Diego.

A recent graduate of Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Shu Hee will be attending Stanford University next year as a Human Biology major.  She became interested in the medical sciences after doing extensive cancer research with a professor at UC Irvine. This past summer, Shu Hee attended the Summer at Brown program and studied “Research Techniques in Biomedical Fields” with Dr. Lizotte of Brown University. As an active member of the Model United Nations, Shu Hee hopes to combine her passion for medical science with the practicality of taking legislative action to ensure the efficacy of medical advancements. Her ultimate aspiration is to become an M.D. Advisor or Ambassador for the World Health Organization in the U.N.

Yan (Asta) Li’s family heritage in rural China instilled in her a deep value for her education. Asta has been recognized as an outstanding leader of several branches of Interact Club and its international “Peace and Literacy” project. Asta volunteers with the Red Cross in China and working with the elderly in nursing homes. She delivered a guest lecture at a Red Cross conference on American volunteerism and opened ESL courses for Chinese students. Asta, a fifteen year old National Merit Finalist, is entering Cornell University this fall and majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Her childhood love of aeronautics inspired her dream of revolutionizing aircraft accessibility.

After graduating from Skyline High School, Andrea will be attending Harvard University this coming fall. She is interested in the fields of Biomedical Engineering, Education, and Economics. Her experience at competitive schools in China for five years opened her eyes to what it means to be a global citizen. The awareness of being part of a global community inspired her to start and lead the Washington Association for Chinese Education (WACE), a student-run nonprofit which now spans five school districts and a statewide initiative. Starting and running WACE in particular taught her how to turn a vision into sustained action and helped her discover her passion for education.

Geoffrey Liu recently graduated from Kentridge High School in Kent, Washington. Geoffrey has won many music-related awards, including first place at the Washington State Solo and Ensemble Contest in Piano. While music is Geoffrey’s main interest, he also has a passion for technology. Over the last four years, he has learned HTML and Java, managed his Youth Group’s websites, and joined his school’s Robotics team, helping with the website and programming the robot. Next year, Geoffrey will be attending the University of Washington in Seattle, double-majoring in music and computer science. He hopes to one day perform around the world and work at NASA, designing spacecrafts.

On a family visit to the Philippines, Joanne witnessed firsthand where a portion of her parents’ paycheck went each month. She was not only impacted by the poverty that her parents grew up in, but also the resilience of the Filipino culture through adaptation. During the trip, she came to terms with the fact her heart had two homes, one in the Philippines and one in America, and that being Asian American ran deeper than living Asian in America. Joanne will be attending Washington State University in the fall and majoring in Computer Science/Digital Technology and Culture. She hopes to defend her country someday as an analyst in a national cyber security department.

Jenny Nguyen has recently graduated from Highline High School. Since she was seven, she has been heavily involved within the Asian American community. In 2010, she became the choreographer of the dance troupe that performed at a number of events including the Lunar Arts Festival. She has volunteered 430 hours at Highline Medical Center as a Messenger and Desk Captain. She is currently a business intern at Microsoft through the Microsoft Apprenticeship Program. Through this program, she has helped the U.S. Public Sector Partner with a variety of projects. This fall, she will be attending the University of Washington – Seattle and she plans to major in Informatics with a minor in French.

This coming fall, Katarina will be a freshman at Johns Hopkins University, majoring in Biomedical Engineering. She devotes her time to volunteering for several organizations such as Children’s Hospital Child Swim Safety and Drowning Prevention Program, International Community of Health Services, and Madrona Pit Orchestra. She has fundraised for several charities including Red Cross, Rice Bowls, Heifer International, books/school supplies in Asia, and her local food bank. She has had a wealth of leadership and speaking experiences, maintaining close involvement with several Veteran communities and local organizations.

Patrick Nikong is a graduate from Southridge High School and will attend Caltech this fall where he plans to study chemical engineering.  Patrick hopes to work in the energy industry, trying to help both conserve resources and increase efficiency while reducing negative impacts on the environment. He has also worked as an intern at Portland State University researching greenhouse gases with Dr. Andrew Rice. Patrick currently works as a serviceperson on the main floor of the ESCO foundry, trying to gain industrial experience for his career. Patrick would like to thank his family for the love and care that they have given him and his teachers who have gone above and beyond to help him.

Since Sophie and her family moved to the United States about ten years ago, she has grown to embrace both the Vietnamese culture at home and the American culture with her friends. She is an active member and vice president of Key Club, the pre-trial attorney and co-captain of her school’s Mock Trial team, and the treasurer of the Badminton Club.  She likes to learn about and discuss important political events that occur within our society. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, running in the park, and watching animated movies. In the fall, she will be attending UC Berkeley as a Civil Engineering major and in the future, hopes to design a greener infrastructure for the country.

Tricia is a graduate of Capistrano Valley High School and will be starting her college education in the fall of 2012. She plans to major in Mathematics for Teachers of Secondary School at University of California, Riverside. Tricia has known for many years that she would like to teach mathematics to middle school or high school aged students. Already, Tricia has started her service to help struggling students by tutoring multiple students in math nearly every day over the past year. Her experience in tutoring and working with kids has only enhanced her determination to become a mathematics teacher. Tricia attributes her determination and hard-working mentality to the help and support that her parents have given her through all of her life.

Amanda is a recent graduate of the Orange County High School of the Arts (OCHSA). In the fall, Amanda will study biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She aspires to apply her training to foster the well-being of animals. While at Case, she hopes to travel abroad with Engineer Without Borders. Amanda would like to thank her parents for their continued support and guidance throughout the college and scholarship process. She would also like to thank the OCHSA community for all the laughs, memories and adventures that nurtured her development as both an artist and a well-rounded individual.

Nam Trinh is a chemical engineering major going into his first year of college at University of California, San Diego. He plans to transfer into the more competitive major bioengineering in the years to follow. Nam enjoys hanging out friends, drawing, playing chess, playing basketball, doing community service, and spending time with his family. His definition of success is to be the best of his ability and use that ability in a way beneficial to those around him. His goal in life is to attain that type of success which is why he chose the medical field. In college, Nam is excited to be involved in the community and school. He will also be searching for an internship.

MinhTrang Vy will be attending Harvey Mudd College in the Fall of 2012. Trang is looking forward to doing what she loves, building robots and engineering, while exploring the multiple facets of education. Her academic plan is to major in Computer Science or Engineering with a concentration in Theater or Music. Her future plans also include the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and Engineers without Borders. During high school, Trang was involved in FIRST Robotics, Varsity Volleyball, Interact, Key Club and the National Honors Society. In her free time, she also loves to play piano, violin, guitar, and sing. She is extremely thankful that she was chosen as a scholarship recipient.

Brian is a graduating senior from Alameda High School, and will be attending Princeton University in the fall and hopes to major in computer science. Since 2009, he has been involved in fundraising for the Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB) and has raised over $22,000 dollars for them. Every Sunday, Brian entertains over a hundred elderly residents at Waters Edge Lodge, a local retirement home. At school, he started Youth Reaching Out, where other students fundraise for and volunteer at the ACCFB. Brian hopes to continue to pursue his volunteer work in college, serving the community in whatever way he can.