While national scholarship organizations for Latinos and African Americans have existed for more than 30 and 60 years respectively, there was not a comparable organization for APIAs until APIASF's formation.
The Need for Scholarships for APIA Students:
* Asian and Pacific Islander Americans are frequently, though misleadingly, deemed a well-educated and financially successful population.
* It is well-documented, however, that many Asian and Pacific Islander ethnic groups have educational levels that are below the national average, with several ranking among the lowest in the nation.
* In addition, 13 percent of Asian Americans and 17 percent of Pacific Islanders live in poverty compared to 12 percent of the general population, with several Asian American ethnic groups having poverty rates significantly higher than many other ethnic groups in the United States.
* Studies show that APIA students may be marginalized and overlooked in leadership development programs on college campuses; in addition, they may not readily relate to or embrace the label of "leader" relative to their White peers.
* Based on these and other statistics, APIASF endeavors to provide scholarships to APIA students in our community who:
* Live at or below the poverty level, or are otherwise of low socioeconomic status;
* Are underrepresented on college campuses due to limited access and opportunity; and
* Have placed strong emphasis on community service and leadership as well as on solid academic achievement.
Vision and Mission of APIASF:
Our vision is to see that all Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have access to higher education and resources that cultivate their academic, personal and professional success regardless of their ethnicity, national origin or financial means.
Our mission is to make a difference in the lives of APIA students by providing them with resources that increase their access to higher education which serves as the foundation for their future success and contributions to a stronger America. We carry out our mission by:
* Providing scholarships to APIA students;
* Forging partnerships among corporations, foundations, community organizations and individuals to provide adequate financial and other resources to carry out our mission;
* Providing guidance, mentorship and programs to facilitate students' academic success, leadership and professional growth;
* Establishing strategic alliances within APIA and educational communities; and
* Building a clearinghouse of higher education research on APIA high school and college students and continue to increase awareness of APIA education issues and challenges.
Through promoting educational achievement among APIASF scholars and among APIAs more broadly, APIASF seeks to enrich the lives of APIA students, their families and the APIA community, contributing to a more educated U.S. workforce and strengthening the nation as a whole.
Our Scholarships:
APIASF manages two scholarships: the APIASF freshman scholarship program and the Gates Millennium Scholars/Asian Pacific Islander Americans (GMS/APIA). Funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and administered by UNCF, the GMS/APIA program provides outstanding Pell Grant eligible APIA students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any discipline they choose and a graduate degree in specific fields. APIASF assumed the administration of this program in September 2006.
Minimum Eligibility Criteria
* Be of Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity as defined by the U.S. Census
* Be a citizen, national, or legal permanent resident of the United States. Citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau are also eligible to apply
* Be enrolling in a U.S. accredited college or university as a full-time, degree-seeking, first-year student in the upcoming academic year
* Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted) or have earned a GED
* Must apply for federal financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by February 1
* Submit one letter of recommendation
How to Apply
The APIASF Scholarship Program application must be completed online and submitted electronically once all of the required questions have been answered. You do not have to complete the online application in one sitting. Until you are ready to submit, you may access your application and edit your answers as many times as you like with your login from any computer with internet access. Internet Explorer 7 or 8 Recommended.
1. REGISTER FOR AN ACCOUNT. Your email address will be your user name and you can create your own password.
2. CHECK YOUR EMAIL. Once you create an account, you will receive an email from apiasf@apiasf.org. This email will contain your verification token number to allow you to verify your email and to provide you further access to the application.
Make sure to add apiasf@apiasf.org to your address book to ensure that emails from APIASF are delivered to your inbox.
3. REQUEST A RECOMMENDER. You are required to submit one letter of recommendation from an individual who knows you and is familiar with your community service and leadership activities. A teacher, advisor, work supervisor, community service leader, or any other adult familiar with you could serve as a recommender. Recommendations from relatives will not be accepted.
Go to the Request Recommendation section of your application and input your recommender's information. Once you complete this section, your recommender will receive an email from apiasf@apiasf.org requesting a letter of recommendation on your behalf. If your recommender does not receive the email, contact outreach@apiasf.org.
Make sure to inform your recommender at least 2 full weeks before the deadline that you have selected them to write a letter of recommendation on your behalf and are applying for a scholarship through the APIASF Scholarship Program. Also, tell your recommender to add apiasf@apiasf.org to their address book to ensure that emails from APIASF are delivered to their inbox.
Due to a technical problem, the recommendation letter must be submitted online by your recommender by January 20th, 2010, 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time. It is your responsibility that your letter of recommendation is submitted on time. The rest of the application is still due January 18, 2010, 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time.
Recommenders should describe the applicants community service, leadership skills, financial need, academic accomplishments and future plans. Recommenders should also include how the student and his/her community may benefit, if the student were to receive an APIASF scholarship. (500 word max)
APIASF welcomes and appreciates any additional comments about the applicant that will help the selection committee in the evaluation process. For example, some applicants, due to family economic conditions, must work and will not have much time for service/civic engagement. If this describes the applicant's situation, please elaborate on why he/she is a deserving student.
4. SUBMIT AND CERTIFY YOUR APPLICATION. The deadline to submit your application for the APIASF Scholarship is January 18, 2010, 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time. Please keep in mind that this is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday. Do not wait until the last minute to complete your application.
5. APPLY FOR ADDITIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS. Once you submit and certify your application, you will be directed to the Additional Scholarships section and provided a list of scholarships that you may be eligible for. It is highly recommended that you apply for additional scholarships. You will have until January 25, 2010, 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time to apply for additional scholarships. Click here to view the list of scholarships offered through the APIASF Scholarship Program.
6. COMPLETE THE FREE APPLICATION FOR STUDENT AID (FAFSA) ONLNE. Make sure to complete the FAFSA by February 1, 2010. Applicants that are selected to the next round will be asked to submit a Student Aid Report (SAR), which is generated by the FAFSA.
7. WAIT TO BE NOTIFIED. If you submit your complete application by the deadline, you will be notified in March on the status of your application.
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