UPDATED:  May 2, 2010 4:31 PM
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APIASF Hosts Education Summit

By: Katie Tran-Lam

WASHINGTON–U.S. Education Undersecretary Martha Kanter will keynote the first annual Higher Education Summit by the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), APIASF President and Executive Director Neil Horikoshi announced recently.

The event will take place on June 23, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in the nation’s capital. The summit is free and open to the public. For more information or to register, visit www.apiasf.org.

“We are excited to provide a forum for some of the key thought-leaders and policymakers, working together with community groups and students, to address the obstacles to access and success for underserved Asian and Pacific Islander American students,” said APIASF’s Horikoshi.

“By empowering our students and investing in our most valuable resource, we will strengthen the next generation of leaders and help build a stronger America,” he stressed. “We hope that the summit will serve as a catalyst that will transform the educational experience of all APIA students.”

The event will bring together a multi-cultural group of political leaders, higher education researchers and administrators, representatives from the private and government sectors, community organizations and students, to generate an active dialogue on APIA students in higher education.

Based in this capital, APIASF is the nation’s largest non-profit organization devoted to providing college scholarships for Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) students.

APIASF manages two scholarship programs: APIASF’s general scholarship and the Gates Millennium Scholars/Asian Pacific Islander Americans, funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Since 2003, APIASF has provided a critical bridge to higher education for APIA students across the country by awarding more than $2.4 million in scholarships to 1,075 students.

During the summit, new research will be presented on minority-serving institutions, community colleges, and leadership and workforce development. This research, conducted by the National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education, will help highlight many of the needs of the underserved populations within the APIA community.

The summit will also feature a networking lunch to help build connections across each of the various sectors. It will conclude with a reception, held in partnership with the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), to recognize the members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) for their commitment to access and education for all students.

“Working together, I believe that we increase awareness of unique needs of APIA students and develop the resources inside and outside of the classroom that will increase educational achievement,” said Horikoshi.

The mission of APIASF is to help all APIA students have access to higher education and the resources they need to achieve academic, personal and professional success. Its corporate supporters include AT&T Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, Farmers Insurance Group of Companies, ING, Macy’s Inc., McDonald’s, Sodexo Foundation, United Health Foundation, USA Funds, Wachovia Foundation, Walmart Foundation and Wells Fargo.

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