Caring Causes - APIA Scholars

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, and it’s only fitting to recognize that the organization APIA Scholars is a notable and impactful nonprofit working tirelessly to support this community.

 

APIA Scholars is the nation’s leading non-profit organization devoted to providing financial resources and easing financial barriers to a more affordable path to college and career for AANHPI students, especially for those who are at-risk or in-need.

 

Due to the model-minority myth, it is assumed that all AANHPI students fall into a monolith of wealthy and successful individuals. In fact, when you disaggregate the data, AANHPI students face tremendous disparities in access to postsecondary education and degree attainment.

 

Income inequality is growing the fastest within AANHPI communities, and aggregate data that paint this community with one brush serve to hide the stark details: i.e., a 25% poverty rate (below $13,590) among those of Burmese descent versus a 7% rate for Filipino individuals.

 

Underserved AANHPI communities have a large education gap: the percentage attaining at least a bachelor’s degree ranges from 4% percent, for foreign-born Marshallese, to more than 75% for Indians. A staggering 89% of the students APIA Scholars surveyed in the past year identified the cost of college as their primary concern.

 

In the recent political environment, with endeavors to dismantle race-based scholarships and the ramifications of affirmative action, APIA Scholars wants to educate that it is a fallacy to assume that the whole AANHPI community is celebrating.

 

APIA Scholars urges the college-access community to unite with them to amplify the voices of their scholars, remain committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), offering opportunities to all students and making college education financially accessible to the historically underserved.

 

APIA Scholars is working to provide essential resources for AANHPI students by offering a range of scholarships (from one-time $2,500 to multi-year $20,000 awards) to support these students who are underserved, with a focus on those who are living at or below the poverty level and are the first in their family to attend college.

 

Since first established in 2003 APIA Scholars has:

• Awarded more than 8,100 scholarships valued at more than $150 million
• Achieved a 91% persistence rate: (defined as scholars staying enrolled full-time, successfully transferring from 2-year to 4-year institutions or have earned their degree).
• Among our scholarship recipients, 60% live at or below the poverty line; 73% are first generation college students.

 

In this interview, Noël S. Harmon, PhD, President and Executive Director of APIA Scholars, discusses her thoughts on current education trends and their impact on the AANHPI community.

 

She will highlight the urgent need to support AANHPI students to help reduce financial barriers and increase access to higher education for a more than 24-million-member community. Harmon will inform on the harmful impact of the model minority myth and how the organization works to provide AANHPI students with scholarships to increase their access to higher education, which serves as the foundation for their future success and contributions to a more vibrant America.

 

Interview is courtesy: Asian Pacific Islander American Scholars