By Trista Ngo, AsAmNews Intern
On Friday, applications will open for scholarships from Asian Pacific Islander American Scholars (APIA Scholars). The organization hopes its newly revamped application process will make the scholarships more accessible to Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students.
“The re-imagined scholarship process is aimed to enhance accessibility, flexibility, and equity in how scholarships applications are completed and submitted, ensuring that process and administration are more focused to serve students facing the greatest challenges,” the organization said in a press release.
APIA Scholars is a Washington, DC-based non-profit dedicated to reducing the financial hardships of pursuing higher education for the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community. It provides funds from $2,500 for a single year, $20,000 for a multi-year period, and emergency funds of up to $2,500.
According to the organization’s website, it focuses on supporting AANHPI students who live at or below the poverty line; are first-generation college students; and “are representative of the AANHPI community’s diversity, (geographically and ethnically), especially those ethnicities that have been underrepresented on college campuses due to limited access and opportunity.”
The scholarship has helped students like Tammalivis Salanoa. Born in American Samoa, Salanoa and her family faced financial challenges. After experiencing rising living costs, they sought opportunities in California, chasing the American Dream.
Despite the financial obstacles, Salonoa set her sights on college.
“I was determined to rise above the statistics that said I’d never earn a degree,” Salanoa said in an interview with AsAmNews.
Data from the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) and AAPI Data found that Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders have stark differences in educational attainment compared to their Asian American counterparts.
After numerous failed attempts to receive local scholarships, she wasn’t too optimistic about the chance of being awarded a national scholarship.
Nonetheless, Salanoa was awarded the APIA Scholars scholarship in her freshman year of college. For Salanoa, the scholarship was formative.
“It changed everything. The scholarship gave me the freedom to fully focus on my education. It felt like I’d been handed a key to doors I never knew could open,” she said.
The goal of APIA Scholars’ new “streamlined” application process is to reach more students like Salanoa. Key changes include:
- Removed GPA as an eligibility requirement
- One essay instead of 2 essays plus an optional 3rd essay or letter of recommendation
- Streamlined evaluation process
- Pilot programs in flexible funding
According to the President and Executive Director of APIA Scholars, Dr. Noël S. Harmon, the scholarships do not focus solely on tuition. They will address other needs like transportation, technology, childcare and more.
“The world is changing, so tuition scholarship back in the day, if you want to say that, is considered more of a traditional scholarship. [For us], it’s making sure that the student’s tuition is paid for, but we know that students today live in a complex world. There are lots of different needs that students have,” Dr. Harmon said in an interview with AsAmNews.
Harmon said AAPI Scholars revamped the application with the needs of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities in mind. But they couldn’t gain a full understanding of those needs in D.C. alone.
“So we decided to go to the Pacific to learn about the culture to meet students at the schools that they were attending to better understand the challenges they were having if they were going to transfer,” Harmon said.
Salanoa believes the redesign was a step towards progress, inclusivity, and strengthening in the community for future scholars in need.
“It reflects the organization’s dedication to evolving with the needs of its scholars and staying relevant in an ever-changing landscape. The redesign aligns perfectly with its mission to empower and uplift the next generation of leaders.”
Beyond financial support, Harmon said that community and connectedness are also fundamental to student success.
“When a student transfers to the continents, they’ve never been off the island or they have never been away from their families. It’s just a huge culture shock. So there have to be supports in place that go beyond just like, ‘Oh, welcome to our campus. We hope you do well here.’ There has to be community building,” she said.
Salanoa built connections through APIA Scholars.
“Even more impactful was meeting the people behind the program. APIA Scholars wasn’t just some distant organization; it was a community of people, many of whom, like me, were the first in their families to pursue higher education,” she said.
APIA Scholars is developing other programs and events to help students. It will be hosting a student event in New York this December that will focus on financial literacy and its relationship to health and wellness. Harmon has also considered holding panels alongside professionals like actor Daniel Dae Kim and Michelin-starred chef Minh Phan to support students who want to pursue “non-traditional” career paths.
Scholarship applications open on November 15. The deadline to apply is January 15.
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