Scholarship fund helps Asians, Pacific islanders

By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer

Asians and Pacific islanders from Hawai'i and elsewhere have started to beat the drum for donations to a new national scholarship foundation to help this diverse population of students attend college.

Most people don't recognize the need, especially among Asians, said Puongpun Sananikone, a member of the East-West Center Board of Governors and a supporter of the new foundation. Many Southeast Asian groups, for example, find college beyond their reach, he said.

Sananikone, who is Laotian, was among those attending a reception last week at Washington Place for the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund, a consortium of organizations representing constituent ethnic groups. The kick-off, attended by Gov. Linda Lingle and about 200 community leaders, was the first event in a national drive that organizers hope will culminate in awarding the first scholarships in about a year.

Honolulu was chosen as the first arena for publicizing the scholarships because of the high profile that Asians and Pacific islanders enjoy here: About 65 percent of the people here could benefit from the fund, said Robert Underwood, a former member of the U.S. Congress from Guam.

Underwood, who is of Chamorro ancestry, became involved in the foundation about two years ago when he discovered that the Millennium Scholars fund, established by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, had no program for Asians and Pacific islanders.

"They finally included us," said Underwood, citing the Gates Millennium Scholars Asian Pacific American Scholars Program, now part of the new scholarship consortium. "But it occurred to me then that there was no national Asian and Pacific islander scholarship organization — nothing like the Hispanic Scholarship Fund or, the most well-known example, the United Negro College Fund.

"Big corporate donors want to give to a reputable national organization," he said.

Other leaders of the scholarship drive include the Asian McDonald's Owner/Operators Association; before the consortium began organizing a year ago, the association independently had begun investigating ways to start a national scholarship fund, said Victor Lim, a member and Hawai'i McDonald's franchisee.

Lim said his association is committed to raising $1 million, adding that they've received pledges of support from McDonald's corporate executives.

He cited a survey of Southeast Asian immigrants: Among those 25 and older, 7.4 percent of Hmong, 9.1 percent of Cambodians, and 19.5 percent of Vietnamese have attained a bachelor's degree.

Details on how much money the fund can raise and when students can apply for scholarships should become clearer by May, when the national board members will be announced in Washington, D.C., Lim said.

"Things are in motion, even as we speak," he said. "But you know what? We're going to make it happen."

Besides Underwood, the Gates program and the McDonald's group, the consortium includes representatives from the Organization of Chinese Americans, the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center and the University of Hawai'i Native Hawaiian Community-Based Education Learning Centers. Representatives of McDonald's Corp. and The Coca-Cola Co. serve as advisers.

Lingle told the group that the fund will provide an opportunity for business to support a cause that will help many in Hawai'i.

"I don't think there's a state that would benefit more than our state," she said.

Leusoga Bill Emmsley, executive director of the Samoan Service Providers Association, said his group has its own scholarship fund but hoped that a larger organization could increase resources for students without sacrificing too much to administrative costs.

The need for more assistance is clear, said Amy Agbayani, director of the UH office of Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity.

"The myth is that Asians and Pacific islanders are overrepresented in college, but it's not true," Agbayani said. "They may be overrepresented in elite schools but not overall in state universities."

A national fund will draw groups together in a movement to give a boost to the neediest among them, she said.

"We can help each other," Agbayani said.

The organization's application for nonprofit status is awaiting Internal Revenue Service approval. More information is available online: www.apiasf.org.

Reach Vicki Viotti at 525-8053 or at vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com.