McDonald’s USA addresses financial hurdles facing underserved Asian Pacific Islander American Students with APIA Scholarship —
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55 APIA students are set to receive a total of $ 500,000 in scholarships to advance their academic journey
CHICAGO – A student inventor, retired homeless nurse, and aspiring teacher can focus more on his dreams and less on how he pays tuition this school year. On Monday, November 8th, McDonald’s USA in partnership with APIA Scholars – one of the country’s leading nonprofit organizations for American college scholarships for Asia Pacific Islanders – announced the McDonald’s / APIA Scholars 2021. Established in 2019, the scholarship program continues its longstanding commitment to providing resources to students and is dedicated to removing the financial barriers that keep students from pursuing higher education.
According to Pew Research, Americans in the Asia-Pacific region are the most economically divided ethnic group in the US, with the top 10% earning nearly 11 times more than the bottom 10%. Pew Research also found that income inequality is growing fastest within the APIA community.
“There are tremendous socio-economic hurdles within the American Asia-Pacific islander community that are often overlooked because of the myth of an exemplary minority. APIAs are not a monolith and income inequalities in our community are very real, ”said Noël Harmon, President and Executive Director of APIA Scholars. “We are proud to work with McDonald’s to address these issues and help disadvantaged students reach their full potential.”
In line with the program’s mission to help students struggling to finance their studies, 67% of this year’s scholarship recipients come from families with significant financial needs. Half a million dollars in scholarships are given to 55 APIA students, including 15 four-year scholarships for $ 20,000 each and 40 one-year scholarships for $ 5,000 each. The scholarship holders were selected on the basis of their academic performance, their leadership qualities and their social commitment.
Many of this year’s McDonald’s / APIA grant recipients have overcome personal difficulties that inspired them to empower their communities through education. Some of their stories include:
- Daisy, 19, is a Filipino-American college student from Las Vegas who was previously homeless and survived domestic violence. Inspired by the help she received in her need, she aspires to a career in nursing to care for others.
- Shanay, 18, is an Indian-American student inventor from Madison, Mississippi who created an affordable 3D-printed prosthesis after witnessing his double-amputated aunt’s daily struggles. He plans to develop a prototype for global production.
- Harjot, 18, is an Indian-American aspiring teacher from Kent, Washington who aims to diversify the US history curriculum. In addition to the inclusion of different voices and perspectives, he hopes to increase the representation of minorities among educators.
“These are difficult times, but we continue to be committed to helping students achieve their dreams regardless of their financial constraints,” said Elizabeth Campbell, senior director of cultural engagement, McDonald’s USA. “Maintaining our partnership with APIA Scholars enables us to identify those in need and change their lives.”
This year’s class of McDonald’s / APIA fellows represents 17 American subgroups of Asia Pacific islanders in 28 states and is ethnically and geographically diverse. In addition, 94% of recipients will be first generation immigrants and 56% will be the first in their families to attend college. The ethnic breakdown of the recipients is as follows:
38% are Southeast Asians (Vietnamese, Hmong, Cambodians, Filipinos, Karen, Burmese, Chamorro / Guamans, Fijians, Tahitians and Tongans)
29% are East Asians (Chinese, Japanese and Koreans)
20% are South Asians (Bangladeshi, Indians and Pakistani)
9% are Native Hawaiians / Pacific Islanders
4% are West Asian (Afghan).
“As small business owners, we have a duty to serve our local communities and understand the importance of investing in communities of color,” said Willie Cho, McDonald’s owner / operator and head of the Seattle-based National Diversity Marketing Committee. “Through initiatives like the McDonald’s / APIA Scholarship and APA Next, we feed and nurture communities and stay inspired to make a difference.”
The scholarship is a signature program from APA Next, a recently launched educational platform by McDonald’s that was created to support and nurture American students in the Asia-Pacific region in their educational path – both in and out of the classroom and beyond. Other APA Next initiatives include:
- Partnered with Shine wellness app to provide students with mental health resources
- The APA Next series of content featuring American thought leaders from Asia Pacific islanders
- Virtual educational workshops led by academic professionals.
Learn more about the upcoming APIA 2022-2023 scholarship application and APA Next by visiting APANext.com.
The following are the McDonald’s / APIA scholarship recipients for 2021:
Addison Zou of Collierville, TN, attending Williams College;
Ahmad Zaki Amin from Des Moines, WA attends Highline Community College;
Akiko Jindo from Bronx, NY attends Williams College;
Alexandria Shavers of Oakland, CA, studying at the University of California-Berkeley;
Alicia L. Kanapilly of Tinley Park, IL attends the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;
Annie Xiong from Sacramento, CA attending California State University-Sacramento;
Arrianna Anastasia Ebert from Carrboro, NC attending Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte;
Brandon Kaniala William Kohatsu-Robeson of Waimanalo, HI, of Creighton University;
Christina Pham from San Jose, CA attending DeAnza College;
Daisy P. from Las Vegas, NV attends the University of Nevada-Las Vegas;
December Paw of Des Moines, IA, at Drake University;
Delia Zhou of Oakland, CA, at the University of California-Berkeley;
Diamond Thlang of Saint Paul, MN, of Stanford University;
Eric Wang of Saint Paul, MN, attending Yale University;
Ester Paw of Hartford, CT attends the College of the Holy Cross;
Hanako Rose Lynn Gurley of Anderson, IN, attending Indiana University-Bloomington;
Harjot Singh from Kent, WA attends the University of Washington-Seattle;
Jason Lin from Brooklyn, NY attends Stony Brook University;
Jayson Lin of Montezuma, GA at Harvard University;
Jennifer Le from Washington, DC attends Yale University;
Jessica Le Ta from Buckeye, AZ attends Arizona State University;
Jian Ming Chen from Oakland, CA, attends the Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
John Gabriel Espinas Flora of Las Vegas, NV attending the University of Nevada-Las Vegas;
Joymin Sarker from Corona, NY attends CUNY Queens College;
Kazi Maisha Begum of Danbury, CT, at the University of Connecticut;
Keryn Ear of College Park, GA attends Kennesaw State University;
Kevin Lin from Milford, DE, attending the University of Delaware;
Khandaker Aqib from Buford, GA, attending Stanford University;
Krystal Nguyen of New Port Richey, FL attends St. Petersburg College;
Kushal Kevin Prasad from Elk Grove, CA, attended the University of California-Santa Cruz;
Lexis Sablan of Barrigada, GU at Columbia University in New York;
Lisa T. Thai from Fort Smith, AR attends the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith;
Maheono Teinaohiva Guilloux-Chevalier of Las Vegas, NV at the University of Nevada-Reno;
Meng Moua of Milwaukee, WI, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison;
Mohammad Muntakim from Detroit, MI, who is studying at Wayne State University;
Muhammad Ali Raja from Las Vegas, NV attends the College of Southern Nevada;
Nazmin Begum of Dorchester, MA from the University of Massachusetts-Boston;
Nina Gao from Philadelphia, PA attending the University of Pennsylvania;
Nuo Xu of East Longmeadow, MA at the University of Massachusetts Amherst;
Pa Houa Xiong from Saint Paul, MN, attends Metropolitan State University;
Pravdeep Banwait from Houston, TX attends the University of Texas at Austin;
Quy Nguyen from Miami, FL attends Florida State University;
Raqeebullah Hasan from Edison, NJ, attending the Stevens Institute of Technology;
Rayyan Siddique of Ozone Park, NY visits the New York Institute of Technology;
Sarah Hwang from Los Angeles, CA, attends the University of Southern California;
Selena Nguyen from Burien, WA attends the University of Washington-Seattle;
Shanay Desai of Madison, MS from Vanderbilt University;
Thuy Kien from Des Moines, IA attends the University of Iowa;
Thuy An Hoang of Blaine, MN attends Century College;
Tien Dang Le of Lawrenceville, GA attends Middlebury College;
Tiffany Zhang from Wamego, KS attends Rutgers University-New Brunswick;
Tou Lao Moua from Saint Paul, MN, attends the Minneapolis College of Art and Design;
Yati Phuepwint from Austin, TX visits Colorado State University-Fort Collins;
Yebin Lee of Auburn, AL, attends Auburn University;
Yuan Yang Liu from Philadelphia, PA is attending Temple University.
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