SCHOLARSHIPS FOR AA/NHPI STUDENTS ATTENDING COMMUNITY COLLEGES

NEW SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER STUDENTS WHO ATTEND COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Washington, D.C., Aug. 1, 2012--The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), the nation's largest non-profit organization devoted to providing college scholarships for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students, is now accepting applications for the APIASF Community College Scholarship Program. The organization's new scholarship opportunity--ranging from $2,250 to $5,000 each during the 2012-13 academic school year--is available to 155 full-time, degree-seeking AAPI students who are enrolled at either City College of San Francisco, Coastline Community College, De Anza College, or South Seattle Community College.

The APIASF Community College Scholarship Program applicants must be of AAPI ethnicity as defined by the U.S. Department of Census and must be a citizen, national, or legal permanent resident of the United States or a citizen of the U.S. Freely Associated States. Other eligibility requirements include applicants submitting a request for federal financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)--although applicants do not necessarily need to be recipients of federal financial aid to be eligible for the APIASF Community College Scholarship Program. The application deadline is Oct. 12, 2012.

"We've known for some time that the largest population of AAPI college enrollment, at 47.3 percent, is in the community college sector; therefore, our goal has always been to work toward creating significant opportunities at those types of institutions for students to access, complete, and succeed in postsecondary education," said APIASF President & Executive Director Neil Horikoshi. "For those reasons, we created the APIASF Community College Scholarship Program as a natural extension of our efforts to not only increase overall AAPI student success, but to develop scalable models for training future leaders who will excel in their career, serve as role models in their communities, and will ultimately contribute to a vibrant America."

Additionally, the APIASF Community College Scholarship Program supports the new Partnership for Equity in Education through Research (PEER) project, which APIASF along with the National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE) launched recently to help realize the full degree-earning potential of the AAPI student population. Considered one of the largest investments to date to increase AAPI student success, the PEER project is a three-year, nearly $2 million effort being supported by The Kresge Foundation, USA Funds, and the Walmart Foundation. The PEER project also works collaboratively with three of the APIASF Community College Scholarship Program institutions: De Anza College, City College of San Francisco, and South Seattle Community College.

The APIASF Community College Scholarship Program is being supported by The Coca-Cola Foundation, USA Funds, Walmart, and Wells Fargo.

The APIASF Community College Scholarship Program scholarship recipients will be announced in January 2013.

To apply or for additional details about the APIASF Community College Scholarship Program, visit APIASF's website at www.apiasf.org.  Also, follow APIASF on Facebook ww.facebook.com/apiasf.
More information about the PEER project can also be found on APIASF's website and by visiting CARE's website at www.nyu.edu/projects/care/pp.html
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Zul Surani
suraniz@gmail.com / 323-286-6439