OCA-UPS Gold Mountain Scholarship High School Recipients

2024 Scholars

Jayanna Baptiste

Jayanna Baptiste (she/her) is a driven and passionate scholar whose fascination with the intricate dance of life at the cellular level has shaped her academic journey. Awarded a scholarship to pursue her Bachelor's degree in Biology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Jayanna aims to delve into the complexities of life sciences while minoring in Psychology. Her ambition is fueled by a profound desire to contribute to global health initiatives, aspiring to work at the CDC as an epidemiologist.

Jayanna's academic pursuits are complemented by her love for Marvel movies and science fiction, demonstrating a well-rounded interest beyond the realm of academia. An avid art enthusiast, she finds solace and rejuvenation in the drawing, painting, and creating. She has actively contributed to her community through initiatives like CollegEase, a website offering college guidance to peers. Her goal is to expand this platform district-wide, enriching the educational experience for students beyond her immediate circle.

Looking ahead, Jayanna plans to pursue graduate degrees in epidemiology and public health to further her impact on global health challenges. With a vision to integrate scientific research with compassionate values, she aims to foster innovative collaborations and advocate for inclusive practices within academic and professional communities.With a dedication to scientific inquiry and a vision to make meaningful contributions to public health, Jayanna Baptiste is poised to make a significant impact in the field of biology and beyond.

Rchin Bari

Rchin Bari, an incoming freshman at Brown University, is passionate about studying Biophysics to become a Neurosurgeon. Raised in the U.S. by Bangladeshi parents, his diverse cultural background fuels his passion for innovation and service. At Essex County Newark Tech, he held leadership roles like Student Body President and Debate Team Captain. He also founded clubs like EcoTech and NextGen Innovations. His dedication to community service is evident with over 600 hours, including 367 at RWJBarnabas Clara Maass Medical Center and over 110 hours of tutoring in math and chemistry. He also interned at the New Jersey Institute of Technology under the Army Educational Outreach Program, developing a method to kill cancer cells with green LED light, sparking his interest in minimally invasive medical treatments with Nanobots.

A standout project in Rchin’s high school career was the StoryTeller Project Chapter 3, where he led the creation of a Fentanyl Awareness marketing plan. This project earned accolades for its innovative approach and culminated in a presentation where his Theory of Relativity Group won, presenting the campaign to the head of the DEA. In addition to his medical pursuits, he has been involved with the Bangladesh Environmental Network as a youth member and is currently focusing on initiating a Microplastic Collecting Ship over this summer. He has had a previous project, VroomVolt, which aims to convert highway vibrations into electricity, addressing noise pollution and promoting sustainable energy generation.

Rchin is interested in utilizing mathematics and computational operations to understand the processes of the brain, as evidenced by his amateur math paper on topics such as Riemann Zeta Functions, Dirichlet Eta Functions, and Laurent Series. He also plans to combine math with coding to develop a biocomputer, using nanobots to surgically remove dementia.

Kayla Imai

Kayla Imai is an incoming freshman at Linfield University in McMinnville Oregon. She was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii and is the oldest of her younger brother. Kayla grew up with no parental guidance and is the first in her family to attend college. She plans to major in nursing and become a registered nurse. This aspiration came from being someone that is able to make a difference in her life like how her guardians were people that helped her in time of need.

At school, Kayla was in committees or clubs like Leo Club, Traffic Safety, AVID, and KVIKS. Leo Club gave her the chance to become a member of her community, some of these events were joint with local communities that helped with sharing different cultures to younger generations. Meanwhile Traffic Safety was a committee in AVID, where we would share with peers and communities of health and traffic safety. Furthermore, KVIKS was a media club that did broadcasts, photograph, and state competitions.

Outside of school, Kayla was involved in Aikido and Kendo. These clubs both shared and taught her culture in a way. Especially since she met people in these clubs that shared more of her culture, which she didn’t learn from her own parents due to their abandonment. While also joining programs like Upward Bound and gaining different experiences and a better understanding. These different programs, committees, clubs, and people she met gave her the encouragement to share and help others in times of need.

In the future, she looks forward to opportunities in growing as a person and becoming an assistant in her future community and area of study.

Pattarin Khajornchaikul

Pattarin Khajornchaikul is a rising freshman majoring in international relations at the University of California, Davis. She grew up as a first-generation low-income student in a single-mother household, so her goal is to alleviate the burdens of those in similar situations. Pattarin hopes to become a legislator to improve social welfare and explore the intersections between social justice, politics, and communications.

During high school, Pattarin served as president of speech and debate, editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, and first chair oboe of wind ensemble. Pattarin competed twice at the California High School Speech Association Championships in Program Oral Interpretation, an event where she wove together prose, poetry, and plays to create an argument. Using this platform, she spoke up about topics such as Asian American cultural erasure and intergenerational trauma. Pattarin also testified in front of the California State Senate and created toolkits as Distributive Organizing Director for March for Our Lives California, a youth-led gun violence prevention nonprofit. She interned for Morrison Foerster LLP as a part of Teaching Democracy’s Expanding Horizons Program as well as for the Christy Smith for Congress campaign.

Her main focus is on sharing scholarship resources with and mentoring younger students. She established a mentorship program where high school students taught middle schoolers public speaking skills and shared their own speech and debate experiences. This helped bridge the divide between middle and high school grades in her 4th-12th grade school. Pattarin also participated in the school’s first Race and Equity cohort, created and taught by professors at USC. She was one of 30 students nationwide selected as a Greenhouse Scholar and received a scholarship from the Alliance of Asian Pacific Administrators. Additionally, Pattarin was chosen as a finalist for the Questbridge, Thrive, and Alexander Hamilton Scholars programs.

Pattarin loves traveling, reading books, and listening to pop, indie, and classical music. In her free time, she enjoys playing New York Times games, watching cat videos, and visiting cafes with friends.

Vanessa Kim

Vanessa Kim is an incoming freshman at the University of Michigan. She was born in Los Angeles, California, but raised in Anchorage, Alaska because of her father’s love for the beautiful nature. This upcoming fall, she will be majoring in biology to discover which healthcare career path is right for.

Being raised in a typical Asian household, Vanessa was set up to go into the healthcare field. Her fascination in sports and the human body has increased her interest in Physical therapy, but dentistry is also a strong contender. Through the Health and Sciences Program at the University of Michigan, she will explore different career options. However, Vanessa’s goal is to make a change in the healthcare system because of the lack of equity that can clearly be seen throughout the world.

In high school, Vanessa participated in volleyball and a variety of school clubs such as Key Club, chess club, TRIO Upward Bound, and Women of West. However, her junior year, she began doing dual enrollment to receive college credits. She gained over 50 credits at the University of Alaska Anchorage, while participating in the Tom Case Leadership Academy where she marketed an event that had over 100 people. In her free time she plays video games, volleyball, and is involved in her church community!

Uttej Kollu

Uttej Kollu is an incoming freshman at the University of Southern California. As a first-generation Asian American, Uttej plans to major in Biochemistry with the hopes of entering the pharmaceutical field and increasing the accessibility of medicine. These values have been instilled in him due to his experiences working in various healthcare settings such as volunteering in hospitals or working at a local pharmacy. 

In high school, Uttej was part of both his high school’s robotics team, the UberBots, and another private robotics team, the CyberDragons, which became very successful, qualifying three times to the State level while winning various awards and accolades acknowledging his robot’s performance along the way. He also serves as a team lead and often works on increasing FIRST robotics awareness throughout his community, whether it be through volunteering for younger teams or promoting robotics events through the Connecticut state.

Beyond his robotics interest, Uttej is also an Eagle Scout under the Boy Scouts of America organization, where he helped build a bridge and kiosk for a town trail to increase safety and navigation in the area. He has also served as his troop’s Senior Patrol Leader, helping manage fundraisers and planning meetings and summer trips. 

When Uttej is not spending his time in robotics or Boy Scouts, he is most likely spending his time in the UCONN Center of Molecular Biology and Biophysics where he is conducting research on the resistance of bacterial spores or rowing in the 1st Varsity boat in the Avon High School Boys Crew Team.

Mercuri Lam

Mercuri Lam (she/they) is a poet/editor/activist whose work has appeared in South Florida Poetry Journal, Gone Lawn, GASHER, Olney, Eunoia Review, CT River Review, Beaver Mag, and elsewhere. She is the author of BLOODPATHS (Kith Books, 2023), published in April, and nominated for the Best of Net.

Since 2023, Mercuri has served as the CT Youth Poet Laureate, appointed by Urban Word and the Connecticut Office of the Arts. She’s received recognition by the Pulitzer Center, Foyle Young Poets, Smith College, Hollins University, and others. They have been a mentee under the Adroit Journal Program, the Ellipsis workshops, and the Kenyon Young Writers Workshops, and performed at Yale University, Barnard College, Houston Children’s Museum, and more. 

Mercuri serves as the Editor-in-Chief of AURAL Magazine, as well as an editor at Sunhouse Literary, Surging Tide, Beaver Mag, and others. She has editorial experience at various different literary organizations, including internships at Sundress Publications, COUNTERCLOCK, and Hellebore Press. Recently, they were awarded with an East Coast Asian American Student Union (ECAASU) Artist Residency. On her school campus, she serves as a co-editor for the school newspaper, the president of SEAL (Southeast Asians @ Loomis), a steering committee member for PASA (Pan-Asian Student Alliance), debate team captain, and the president of Spectrum (Gender-Sexuality Alliance).

Outside of writing, Mercuri takes part in organization efforts with the Gilder Lehrman Institute, Xin Sheng Project, CT Palestine Solidarity Coalition, and other activism organizations. She has been a student keynote speaker at the Pollyanna Diversity Conference and Workshop host at the 2024 Yale ECAASU conference and Asian American Footsteps conference as well as a participant for the NAIS SDLC conference and others. An immigrant from China and the daughter of Chinese and Vietnamese bloodlines, they are a first-generation student incoming at Yale University this fall.

Cody Pham

Cody Pham is an incoming freshman at the University of California, Los Angeles, who plans to major in Civil Engineering and later transfer to Architectural Studies. She grew up in Da Nang, Vietnam with her mother, while her father worked in the United States. At the age of 5, Cody and her mother immigrated to the US for better work and education opportunities. She will be the first person in her family to attend college!

In school, Cody took on various leadership roles to help improve her community as well as explore her interests. She was president of her school’s Interact Club, Science Olympiad, and founder of Key Club. Through Interact Club and Key Club, she helped create a community that genuinely enjoys giving back. Through projects such as Towers and Bridges in Science Olympiad, she became sure about what to pursue, Architecture. She enjoyed brainstorming designs which encouraged her to utilize both creativity and problem-solving skills. 

Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her friends, collecting blind boxes, watching criminal shows, and anything food-related. She dreams of traveling all around Asia one day.

Cody looks forward to creating more meaningful initiatives and joining community service clubs in college, such as Circle K International. Despite feeling nervous, she is extremely excited to embark on the next stage of her journey.

Gracie Saechao

Gracie Saechao is an incoming freshman as Shasta College pursuing a degree in business administration with a concentration in human resources. She is a first-generation Iu Mien-American student. Born and raised in Redding, CA, Gracie grew up in a family of five. With the role of being the eldest sibling out of three children, she contributed to taking care of her siblings while her parents worked to provide for them. Throughout high school, she was an active member in CSF and vice president of Key Club, participating in volunteer service such as tutoring fellow students. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, painting, and cooking.

Sharon Sanju

Sharon Sanju is an incoming freshman at the University of Florida, where she plans to study Political Science. Born in Kerala, India, Sharon immigrated to Florida at the age of five. As the eldest child of immigrant parents unfamiliar with the American education system, she took on significant responsibilities, including guiding her younger sister through academic challenges. As first-generation college student, Sharon faced and overcame numerous obstacles related to immigration, fueling her passion for law. She aspires to attend law school and become an attorney dedicated to helping immigrants navigate the complex processes her own family experienced.

In high school, Sharon served as President of the Asian American Association, demonstrating her commitment to community involvement. Her leadership extended to her role with the U.S. House of Representatives, where she worked for Congressman Darren Soto, and her current position with an Orange County Commissioner.

Sharon is deeply engaged in her community, amassing over 500 hours of community service. She participates in Teen Court, attends weekly sessions, and serves in an organization named Peer Advisory Council, assisting peers with post-education planning.

Her dedication to youth leadership is evident in her involvement with programs like Bank of America Student Leaders and Project Up at Universal Orlando. She also contributed to the Central Florida Youth Network, a student-led initiative focused on empowering youth through news events and community engagement.

In her free time, Sharon enjoys volunteering, playing instruments, staying informed about current events, and advocating for immigrant rights. She looks forward to leveraging her education and experiences to make a meaningful impact in her community and beyond.

Nive Tokotaha

Nive Rosilynn Jennina Tokotaha is 18 years old and she is of Samoan and Tongan descent. Recently she graduated high school as her class Valedictorian at Mana Academy Charter School. She is the youngest of three children from immigrant parents who migrated to America for a better life. She is an incoming freshman to Brigham Young University, Provo. She plans to also serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints after doing a year of school where she will obtain her Bachelors Degree in sociology. Ever since she was a little girl, she has always wanted to help her community. Growing up, she has been surrounded by friends and family members who were not citizens of America and they always had to look over their shoulder wherever they went. She wants to become an immigration lawyer to help her community and help build trust within her community for the people that need it. She plans to join as many clubs as she can to stay engaged with the people at BYU. She loves to be of service to others, hangs with her loved ones, and does Polynesian dance. She has been dancing for most of her life, ever since she was five-years-old. Dancing is one of her many ways of expressing love towards others. BYU has a dance program named Living Legends and she hopes to audition and be able to travel the world and show others the love she has for them. The summer of her Junior year, she attended a BYU Multicultural Program called SOAR (Summer of Academic Refinement.) where she was able to meet so many amazing people. It was through SOAR where she really did decide that she wanted BYU to be where she attends for higher education. 

Sky Vang

Sky Vang is an incoming Freshman at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Sky grew up with a low income family where his parents and siblings would care for him as the next generation of the Hmong people, who had just gone through a traumatic secret war in Southeast Asia. Sky would grow up noticing his family's attempts of making it out into the world where his parents would go farm, attend to the Farmers Market, and work tirelessly to keep the roof afloat. Knowing to never take any privilege for granted, that he must not waste away the efforts of his family, grew his mindset and determination of making it into the world.

Sky knew that being a first generation college student, comes accepting life and taking his first steps into a successful career in the art industry. He would make his first strides in High School, where his illustration skills would land him a role in a student passion project that would go on to sell over eighty copies in the local area, landing him interviews with local news and having his book published between his school district's multiple schools. Continuing to develop his Portfolio, he would then be selected as one of the only twelve students to attend the Minneapolis College of Arts and Design as an early post credit program (PSEO) and be one of only two to finish. He does not stop at art, he also has taken the International Baccalaureate program for advanced classes increasing his knowledge in other fields. 

Attending the Minneapolis College of Arts and Design early, Sky wanted to implement the working creativity of a team into his future, where his goal is to build a team of highly skilled artists to create movies and works of art to bring change and life into the world. Currently, he will be attending the University of Minnesota to study the major of business. Growing up, he had always known the stigma against a starving artist and wanted to rise above that. With a business degree and proper financing, he will create jobs for artists who needed a second chance. 

Outside of art, Sky has provided a great sense of leadership and efficient working where he had gained over fifty hours of IB volunteering hours and had also taken part of environmentally progressive clubs such as Leos in Action and Green Team and has helped local families and most importantly, his family by working at the family farm and farmers market for a majority of his childhood. Sky is a very efficient worker and creative thinker who takes crucial steps in establishing his own identity in a world of beauty and opportunity.

2022 Scholars

Candace Cang

Candace Cang (she/her) is an incoming freshman at Stanford University from Atlanta, Georgia. As a child of Cambodian refugees and as the youngest of three, she looks up to her parents and

sisters every day for their resilience, care, and diligence. She plans to study a field that intertwines art and business, but she is also excited to explore different areas and interests in the coming years.

In high school, she was the founder of her school’s Asian American Student Association, an active member of the Gwinnett Student Leadership Team, and co-president of her school’s DECA chapter. Outside of school, she worked with the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, the East Coast Asian American Student Union, and AYPAL Power to learn more about Asian American Pacific Islander communities and deepen her pride in her Teochew-Cambodian heritage. She feels the most fulfilled working with her communities through community building and meeting new people.

Some of her favorite hobbies include doodling on ProCreate, playing the ukulele, and sticker-making through her small shop. She loves designing shirts and social media posts for the organizations she is a part of. In her free time, she enjoys grocery and boba trips, walking around new places, taking naps, and will always say yes to any opportunity to spend time with people she loves.

Jiexin Chen

Jiexin Chen is an incoming psychology major at the University of San Francisco. She is from the city of Zhongshan, China and immigrated here when she was 5. With parents that spoke little english, Jiexin practiced speaking Chinese at home and only spoke English at school now being fluent in both languages.

As she grew up, she started to explore different interests and community service events around her area which helped her find her passion for the medical field. She was intrigued with psychology after attending a General Psychology course at Laney College. Using the knowledge she gained from the course, she and along with a few other friends developed a mental health app called Urspace. Through this online platform, teens were able to connect with their peers if they needed someone to talk to. She was also accepted to Brain Camp and Healthlink at the University of California, San Francisco, where she enjoyed reading electrocardiogram tests, practicing suturing techniques, and attending lectures on the dynamics of the brain.

Going into college she hopes to better develop her understanding in the world of psychology as well as what it is like working in healthcare. She aspires to be a Physicians Assisant after her bachelors helping those that are in need of care.

Nazmul Dewan

My name is Nazmul Dewan and I am the first-generation child of an immigrant family. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. I plan on attending Hunter College located in the Big Apple. I am considering majoring in Economics. The interest for Economics has stemmed ever since I was in elementary school. I learned to do origami by watching YouTube videos. My classmates were quite intrigued with the origami and wanted to purchase it. I learned a variety of other origami crafts such as cranes, ninja stars, and helicopters which I began to sell. I realized how supply and demand chains are a major factor when it comes to determining prices. As a result, I want to major in Economics as it will increase my limited knowledge on factors affecting the supply and demand chain.

Over the summer I have a goal of attaining an internship, job, and experience because it is crucial as it helps develop life skills. I have been successful in acquiring a few opportunities as it helps develop communication, public speaking, and problem solving skills. This helps strengthen my abilities to perform well and gain professionalism which is necessary in a work environment. At school, I am a Student Ambassador because I love to help parents and students with any questions they have, provide tours around the school building, and explain statistical information about the school.

Outside of school, I am a Library Intern, providing community service to the public. I am highly motivated in seeking opportunities to enhance my abilities by improving my skills.

Christine Doan

Christine Doan is a first-year attending UC Berkeley from San Diego, California. She plans to double major, attending the Haas School of Business, and integrating psychology alongside it. As the eldest daughter of a Vietnamese immigrant family, she will be the first within her family to attend a four-year university.

Christine is an active member on her school campus ranging from being the captain of the Girls Varsity Basketball Team, the president of the National Historical Honor Society, the media officer of the Robotics Club and Gender & Sexualities Alliance, alongside being the finance officer of the Preuss Esports Organization. With her various interests and wide skill set, she hopes to be able to provide mental health resources to financially disadvantaged families alongside integrating more resources to bridge the culture/language barrier between immigrant parents and their children.

Karen Huang

Karen Huang is a first-generation, Asian American high school student who plans to attend college this fall. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and speaks English and Cantonese. Her parents immigrated from China. From a very young age, Karen served as her family’s translator, where she would help her immigrant family translate for internet services, car dealership documents, and medical papers for grandparents and parents. When her parents contracted COVID-19, she helped her mother complete and translate unemployment forms. In college, she plans to major in the field of humanities and minor in Education, in hopes of becoming a public educator or children’s psychologist. She is passionate about curbing the socioeconomic barriers faced by low-income children and envisions providing academic and emotional support to underprivileged children.

Karen participated in the Constitutional Rights Foundation’s Expanding Horizons internship, where she participated in weekly virtual seminars, was exposed to career paths, networking, college admissions, financial literacy, and mock interviews. She also developed a Civic Action Project on LA homeless issues, conducted a survey, contacted elected officials, and created an Instagram page to spread awareness.

Outside of school, Karen is an active member of her local community. As the Sunshine leader of her local Chinatown Teen Council, she facilitates teen council meetings by leading ice breaker activities, giving motivational advice, and offering self-care tips to teens. As a cabinet member, she has contributed to meeting ideas, proposed mental health panels, and painting classes. She has also shared strategies with her librarian and cabinet members to address Anti-Asian hate crimes. In addition to her Teen Council participation, she has volunteered at the Chinatown Service Center, Reach for the Stars, and ENGin.

In her free time, Karen loves to take her dog on walks, listen to music, and do yoga.

Mandy Jiang

Mandy Jiang is a current freshman at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, studying Computer Science and Business Administration. She was born in Manhattan but raised in China.

In high school, Jiang was heavily involved in Key Club, which she founded and was also the president. She was a senior member of National Beta, an international English tutor, and a community volunteer at her local food bank and soup kitchen. Since sophomore year of high school, Mandy has interned at various companies in the fields of business, travel, education, and nonprofit. She was also the founder and executive director of The Upstate Outreach, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness, goods, and funds for hunger in the upstate region of her state.

Jiang is a curious and open-minded person, who is passionate about volunteering, leadership, business, and bridging the gender gap in STEM (Tech). She holds a strong background in analytics, translation, and management. 

Mandy loves sushi, coffee, boba, and tea (any). She is also a fan of Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants. Jiang loves to travel, watch C-dramas, and play volleyball and badminton during her free time.

Marjella Lajuan

Marjella Lajuan was born and raised in West Valley City, Utah. Proud daughter of parents who migrated to Utah thirty years ago from the Marshall Islands. She is the youngest of three, raised with two older brothers. Marjella graduated from Mana Academy Charter School, a culture-based school that highlights and empowers its students’ cultural backgrounds and implements those values within the learning curriculum. Mana Academy’s vision is to educate upcoming scholars to be able to represent their cultural roots and help elevate their communities. Marjella will be attending the University of Utah this upcoming fall semester, majoring in business with an emphasis in marketing. She will be the first in her family to attend a four-year university. She intends to involve herself in student and university wide programs designed for students that are BIPOC and first-generation college students. Furthermore, she also hopes to gain the opportunity and join sports clubs on campus. At the University of Utah, Marjella will be part of the First-Ascent Scholars program which will provide guidance and mentorship in her area of study.

A few programs that Marjella has been a part of include Youth Voices and PATHS, both at the University of Utah. It has been through these programs that she was able gain her interest in attending college and the importance of doing so. Some extracurricular activities she has been a part of include high school basketball, volleyball, and football, as well as being active within the community and her church group.

Marjella has been involved within the New Hope Marshallese fellowship youth group for all four years of highschool. Serving as a leader role her first year, she was a secretary and eventually was promoted to president by her third year. She has worked on many projects with the youth group; such as fundraisers, community services, and attended in-state and out-of-state conferences. The most notable event was Camp Yokwe, a camp meant for Marshallese youth to assist them with finding their voice and learn about their identity. Marjella has learned to be patient with the youth group and has developed a set of leadership skills throughout her involvement.

Some of her interests are staying active and playing sports, reading books, and meeting new people/networking.

Joyce Lin

Joyce Lin is an incoming first year at Barnard College where she plans to study sociology and entrepreneurship, with the intent of becoming a social-impact entrepreneur. Recognizing the challenges that first-generation, low-income students face from both an academic and resources perspective, Joyce launched multiple initiatives to help bridge the gap. She started her high school’s Fashion and Art Club to teach students art and provide access to free art supplies, and JoyceConsults, to teach students how to write resumes, cover letters and conduct interviews, to obtain competitive internships. Joyce is an active leader, serving as Vice-President of Student Government and the Events Coordinator for the Student Culture Team to promote diversity and inclusion within the student body. She has been recognized as a LEDA Scholar, a semi-finalist for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholars Program, and a Minds Matter NYC scholar. She has interned twice at Blackrock, as well as completed fellowships at NBC Universal and Deloitte. In her free time, you can find Joyce designing and making jewelry for her e-commerce business: WearYourJoyce, volunteering, experimenting with gastronomy, and vlogging.

Raef Makrai

Raef Makrai is an incoming freshman at UC Berkeley planning to major in Economics. He left Yemen in 2012 for a better education. Neither of his parents completed high school so he feels that it is his duty to finish his education to pave a path for his siblings and family. With strong academic skills, Raef has excelled in both his courses at Capuchino High School and in the Middle College program at Skyline College. His dedication to his academic excellence is shown by his acquisition of the Dean’s List of Honor and the Phi Theta Kappa Honor titles at Skyline College. Along with academics, Raef loves to help the community. He has tutored at the Skyline STEM center and volunteered with the Blackman Music Group and Skyline's Grocery Distribution. Raef has strong ties to his Yemeni community and actively joins groups to write about and discuss issues facing his community. In his free time, he looks for more ways to become integrated within the community through other interactive activities and community service. He hopes to continue his journey of helping others in college and starting his own non-profit.

Ai Vy Nguyen

Ai Vy is an incoming Fiat Lux scholar at the  University of California, Berkeley as an intended major in Chemistry. She is a first-generation student and the first to attend a 4-year college in her immediate family. Ai Vy was born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She is fluent in both Vietnamese and English. 

In high school, she was a part of the founding team and board member of her school’s Dental Club. She participated in giving presentations on oral health, diseases, as well as ways to prevent poor dental hygiene. Ai Vy is passionate about improving health illiteracy among refugees and immigrants. She hopes to use her fluency in Vietnamese to give back to her community. 

Besides her interest in healthcare, Ai Vy also has a passion for research. The summer after her high school graduation, Ai Vy had an opportunity to intern with The Tilley Group, an inorganic and organometallic research group at UC Berkeley as an American Chemical Society Project SEED student. During her internship, Ai Vy was astonished and amazed by her mentor’s research on the synthesis of bimetallic complexes. She was especially excited by how scientists can make new complexes from existing molecules, and apply their creativity to understand natural biological processes further. She hopes to further her scientific research interest during her undergraduate career. 

In her free time, Ai Vy enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She likes to go to the beach during sunset time or to bike around the park. Ai Vy is a big foodie who always loves trying out new cuisines. A fun fact about Ai Vy is that she runs a boba and dessert blog on Instagram. 

Rimsha Reem

Rimsha is a freshman at Rutgers University planning to major in Politics with a minor in Environmental Science. She was born in Virginia into an Indian family, and seeing their struggle navigating the American legal system as new and hardworking immigrants inspires her to pursue a policymaking career focused on supporting underrepresented populations. To pursue this passion, Rimsha currently interns in her town hall.

As a proud first generation Asian individual, she hopes to use her education for the purpose of supporting and uplifting her family and community. In her high school journey, Rimsha was selected to become a national Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) Scholar which made her sharpen her devotion to become a leader in her community. She plans to achieve this by attending Rutgers University for undergrad and afterward, she plans to attend law school in order to pursue a career in the field of law and politics. 

Rimsha aims to become a dedicated congresswoman who will serve as an active public servant, advocating for diverse and underserved communities similar to her own. Ultimately, her goal is to break structural barriers that dismantle marginalized communities to improve the quality of life for all.

Poe Reh

Poe Reh is an incoming freshman at the University of North Texas, from Watauga, Texas. He grew up in a small refugee camp between the border of Myanmar and Thailand. Poe was given the opportunity to migrate with his family to the United States at the age of six and since then he has placed a high value on pursuing an education. 

Poe plans to pursue a degree in Business. His commitment to his community in and outside of high school and giving back is evident through his volunteer work. One nonprofit in particular, Habitat for Humanity, has inspired Poe’s college and career aspirations through its mission to help underrepresented communities. Poe's participation in Upward Bound has impacted him through their mission of allowing equal and fair opportunities to high-achieving and low-income students. Outside of academics, he enjoys playing soccer, time outdoors, and caring for his younger siblings.

Un Ieng Sit

Un Ieng Sit is an incoming freshman at UC Berkeley planning to major in computer science. She was born in China and immigrated to the United States at the age of 10. As a first-generation student, Un Ieng always aimed to attend college. Therefore, she participated in the JCYC Talent Search program for college preparation and career exploration support. In school, she challenged herself to take AP classes and community college classes to prepare herself for college academics. She also took advantage of different clubs and youth programs to develop skills, gain experiences, and make new friends.

Outside of school, Un Ieng is an active member of her local community. She has been involved in different volunteer programs such as Youth for Community Engagement, Youth for Single Room Occupancy, and Newcomer Club because she wants to give back to her community and make more positive changes. Throughout her high school years, Un Ieng has served Single Room Occupancy (SRO) families in Chinatown, immigrant students in school, low-income elderly, etc. As a youth leader, she planned and facilitated bilingual tablet classes to teach senior citizens how to use technology, organized an educational health program with a series of health workshops for SRO families, and provided online curriculums as a math tutor for SRO children during the pandemic. In the future, Un Ieng hopes to continue serving her community and helping people in need.

Collinn Tran

Collinn Tran (he/him) is an incoming first year student and Jefferson Scholar at the University of Virginia where he intends to double major in economics and commerce in hopes of attending a top law school one day. He was born in Seattle but currently resides in Charleston, West Virginia where he attended George Washington High School.

During his time in high school, Collinn sought to contribute to his school community by immersing himself in various clubs, honors societies, and extracurricular activities. Most notably: Model United Nations (Vice President), Economics Club (Vice President & Co-Founder), and Mock Trial Club (Vice President & Co-Founder).

Outside of high school, Collinn spent his time working with CreateWV, an economic development nonprofit, in an initiative called “Goal Miners,” to assist with workshop efforts to educate youth West Virginians on creating business layouts and plans, business development, and the preparations of pitching a business before him and the team he led participated in a pitch event themselves.

Goal Miners eventually led Collinn to creating his own initiative and business incubator startup separate from Goal Miners but still in collaboration with CreateWV: OmniCreate. Collinn plans to continue OmniCreate in college and use it to improve the economic conditions of his state and attract more population.

Yifi Wu

Yifi Wu is an incoming freshman to UC Irvine, intent on studying Aerospace Engineering. Coming from a household that has taught him to challenge expectations, he seeks to push himself to make the most out of every situation. Being the younger sibling and the first generation to attend college, he hopes that he may overcome the pressure that follows these titles.

Yifi's infatuation with things beyond the clouds first began with a small gift shop telescope. Then it was lego rocket models. When those items could no longer provide any creative sparks, Yifi looked to their actual counterparts. He's been learning how to operate a 20-inch telescope at his local observatory and has gotten himself involved with amateur rocketry. He not only enjoys researching space and flight but hopes to spread his interest to others through education. Among other activities, Yifi has spent countless weekends as an intern at that observatory as a guide and demonstration specialist to visitors. 

When not blowing up his rockets or staring at stars, Yifi is snapping his guitar strings and getting lost on mountain trails. Yifi finds nature and music an essential part in maintaining his health, as much as long bike rides and eating his fill at hot pot restaurants.

Yifi plans to one day repay his family and community back for all their support and reassurance through difficult times.

2020 Scholars

Gina Cao

Gina Cao is a rising freshman at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She will be majoring in Chemistry in hopes of becoming a pediatric neurologist. Born and raised in a low-socioeconomic neighborhood in San Jose, California by a hard-working, immigrant single mother, she has made it her main goal to help other underprivileged students climb the ladders of education through public and community service.

Since the age of 13, Gina has been an advocate for extensive access to education for K-12 students through the MATHeasy Tutoring Program, which helps low-income K-8 students stay on track with both Mathematics and English throughout the year. She also volunteers her time at a local Buddhist temple in her city by serving meals to those in need and assisting in classes on the weekend. According to Gina, being able to reach and impact hundreds of students and their families has furthered her passion to continue her mission of public and community service throughout college. 

While serving her community and being a part-time employee, Gina has also interned with Santa Clara County’s Social Services Agency. Her time there consisted of strengthening families’ relationships with their community and helping those very families develop a social stronghold by assisting in obtaining benefits, maintaining and processing records, and interpreting and improving policies and regulations. She has also interned with Opa! Management Group, where she aided in reforming documents and systems to be more inclusive and implementing methods of further community outreach.

In her free time, Gina enjoys browsing through Reddit, starting but never finishing sketches and paintings, and frequenting nearby milk tea shops with her friends. She plans to use this scholarship to fund her college tuition.

Britnie Chanheuang

Britnie Chanheuang is attending Austin College double majoring in Biology and Business Finance to pursue her dream of being a Physical Therapist. Her interest in PT really sparked when she began to become injured from doing gymnastics. She saw how her physical therapist helped her grow mentally and physically and wanted to do the same for other athletes and people who struggle with their mobility. After she quit gymnastics due to injury and started coaching, she really missed being in the clinic and decided that was what she wanted to do because she loved helping people. Throughout high school she took many sports medicine and science related classes and was intrigued with kinesiology. At first, she was very hesitant on pursuing her dream because of how rigorous and competitive the field is, but thanks to her loving teachers she grew the confidence to work hard to do so.

Jeffrey Chen

Jeffrey Chen is a freshman at Yale University from Brooklyn, New York. He is the proud son of two immigrants from rural Fujian, China. Although currently undecided, he is leaning towards a double major in Political Science and Statistics and Data Science. In high school, he spent most of his time on Policy Debate, where he developed his interest in international relations and has also led summer camps teaching debate to younger students. Outside of debate, he has also been involved in activism with the Young Dems, community service, and internships with State Assembly and City Council members. He enjoys playing soccer, listening to music, walking around New York City, and reading the news.

Kevin Cheng

Kevin was born in Rockville, Maryland and then sent to his father’s province in China to learn the language and culture. He moved back before starting kindergarten and says that he has often felt “stuck” between cultures, not fully in touch with his Chinese roots but also missing many of the experiences common to young people in this country because as a child he worked every day in his parents’ convenience store. Kevin maintained exceptional grades and participated in a diversity of activities in high school, including orchestra, scouting, theater, and the varsity swim team, where he was a co-captain. He plans to study mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland.

Donna Fernandez

Donna Fernandez is an incoming freshman at the University of California, Davis majoring in Environmental Science & Management as a first-generation Filipino-American student from Oakland, California. The Gold Mountain scholarship will help provide Donna access to higher education and allow her to obtain a college degree. As an Oakland native, she aspires to represent the AAPI community in the STEM field in college. With her degree, she pursues to become a research scientist and an advocate for the environmental rights of minority groups who are affected by environmental racism. 

Donna graduated from Oakland High School and was a part of student government for all four years where she served as the social chairperson for three years and the senior class president. She was also a part of the Environmental Science Academy where her passion for the environment flourished. Outside of high school, she was involved in numerous volunteer opportunities such as OCA’s East Bay Chapter’s PickITup Chinatown trash cleanups. With these experiences, she developed an interest in helping her community and making the world a sustainable place for future generations. 

Some things she loves to do in her free time are exploring the outdoors, traveling, playing with animals (she really wants a pet dog), and reading! 

Sarra Hussien

Sarra Hussien is a soon-to-be freshman at the University of Southern California studying Psychology and Political Science. She is originally from Dallas, Texas but is the proud daughter of two Middle Eastern and African immigrants. Sarra is primarily interested in increasing access to healthcare and equity for underrepresented groups both within the United States and internationally. 

On campus, she is planning on becoming an active member of the Global Medical Brigade, the Trojan Debate Squad, Muslim Student Association, and a variety of other organizations. In her free time, she loves to paint, read, travel, and watch new movies. When at home, she also tutors students at a local education center and hopes to one day create a non-profit to feed the large homeless population located in the Dallas-Forth Worth area. 

Angela Huynh

Angela Huynh is a first-year at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she majors in Biology. Although born and raised in Morrow, GA, she seeks to retain and learn more about Vietnamese culture. As a daughter of two immigrants, Angela holds a fervent interest in Asian American and immigrant family experiences, particularly regarding generational differences that arise from cultural and language barriers. Through writing, she seeks to push for a more nuanced narrative of Asian Americans and immigrant families.

During quarantine, Angela shifted away from writing on her personal blog to writing for a targeted audience of her experiences as an Asian American female in STEM and in America. Today, she writes for the youth-led organization, Dear Asian Youth, which strives to empower AAPI youth and encourage political engagement. Additionally, she serves as a freelance writer for the online magazine, Font Femme, for which she creates STEM articles geared towards making science more accessible and empowering to female audiences. In her free time, Angela enjoys writing poetry, honing her skills as a (novice) ukulele player, and binging shows on Netflix/Hulu.

She’s immensely grateful to be the recipient of the 2020 Gold Mountain Scholarship. This scholarship will give her much time to devote to academic and extracurricular commitments without being burdened by a full work schedule. With that said, Angela is excited to begin the next four years as a university student and continue her endeavors as a life-long learner.

Hassan Javed

Hassan Javed is a freshman at Columbia University planning to major in Economics and Political Science with a minor in Mathematics. He was born in Connecticut into a Pakistani family, and seeing their struggle navigating the American legal and commercial system as low-income immigrants and nonnative English speakers inspires him to pursue a policymaking career focused on supporting underrepresented populations. To pursue this passion, Hassan interns at his county’s Economic Development Office.

When he’s not pulling data off of JobsEQ or analyzing economic stimulus packages, Hassan loves traveling, learning about other cultures, and meeting new people. His hobby is collecting souvenirs like banknotes and stamps from other countries, and one of his biggest feats is entirely covering his bedroom walls with postcards from across the globe.

He also finds great joy in mentoring and passing on the torch to those younger than him. As part of his Citizen University Impact Project, Hassan designed Red Devil Buddies, a peer mentoring system specialized for rural and/or underfunded high schools like his own. Currently, as a mentor for Questbridge, the Rahbar Initiative, and other organizations, Hassan guides first-generation and/or low-income students like himself through the college application process.

In his free time, you can find him reading a great book (he recommends 1984), watching a movie with his friends over Netflix Party, and thinking about how he has to learn how to swim to pass Columbia’s swim test.

Imani King

Imani A. King is a freshman at Anderson University majoring in Art Education. She was born in Atlanta, spent most of her childhood in Seattle, WA then migrated to Greenville, SC where she completed her junior high and high school years. Although Imani is considered of mixed race, it is the richness of her Filipino heritage that she identifies with the most and it was within this loving Filipino home that shaped her into who she is today. She enjoyed many forms of art and culture during her childhood including dancing 13 years of classical ballet, playing the violin, drawing, and painting. It was the latter hobbies that stuck with Imani the most and became her life’s passion.

Imani can vividly recall those precious homeschool days, where she did more than just learn the curriculum. Her mother encouraged her to be creative and explore hidden gems in each lesson. She used many tools to drive various points home but one that stood out the most was art. Within the most unexpected subjects such as language, science, history, and math, she would conclude her lesson then challenge Imani to explain what she learned via illustration. Already having a natural love for art, this method her mother used to stimulate Imani’s intellect inspired her to one day do the same.

As a future art educator, Imani strives to nurture, guide, stimulate, and grow the dreams of art students just like herself. With one stroke of a brush, one curve in pottery, one splash of watercolor, or a single acrylic masterpiece, she believes she too can make a difference.

Keane Law

Keane Law is a recent graduate of Skyridge High School. Keane is currently enrolled at the University of Utah as a freshman and is pursuing a Bachelors of Science Degree in nursing. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii to parents of Filipino, Chinese, Portuguese, and Hawaiian decent, Keane identifies with a rich multicultural background. He enjoys researching his diverse family history and discovering who his ancestors were. He has a passion for birds/raptors and has volunteered with Hawk Watch International, an organization dedicated to the preservation of birds of prey. His hobbies include fishing, hunting, swimming, and skateboarding. He now resides in the great state of Utah and has taken up skiing and snowboarding during the winter season. Keane is honored to be a 2020 Gold Mountain Scholarship recipient and proud to represent the Asian Pacific American Community. The scholarship funds will be used toward Fall Semester tuition and is much appreciated.

Ayame Lewis

Ayame Lewis is a new freshman attending Pomona College in Claremont, CA majoring in Biology and Chemistry.

Her mother came from Hiroshima, Japan. When Ayame was 3 years old, her mother had to escape from DV and raise Ayame alone in California without any friends or family near for support. Ayame’s mother struggled financially. At age 11, Ayame was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor that put an even heavier financial burden on the family.

Raised in Los Angeles by a single mother in a low income household, Ayame always dreamed of helping other people in the poverty level. Connecting her interest in the STEM field and her passion for helping others together, Ayame’s future goals are researching diseases such as rabies or malaria that affects many people in poverty all around the world.

Ayame also loves to spend time with her cats and volunteer at the shelters. She is a swimmer and loves to spend time in the pool with her team. During break, she loves to go visit her family in Hiroshima and shop in Tokyo.

Itbaan Nafi

Itbaan Nafi is a rising freshman at Stanford University who plans to study International Relations and either Economics, Public Policy, or Computer Science. He was born and raised in Euless, Texas, a suburb in the heart of the Dallas--Fort Worth metroplex, to two Muslim Bengali immigrants.

Itbaan is a proud first-generation low-income Muslim Bengali-American. During his time at Colleyville Heritage High School (CHHS), he worked extremely hard to promote cultural awareness and to fight resource inequity within his local community. He served as a leader in organizations like Varsity Lincoln-Douglas debate, Peer Acceptance Leadership Skills, and the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District (GCISD) Diversity Advisory Council to mentor diverse students, encourage students to share more about their culture and to work with GCISD executive staff to promote a more culturally aware environment. Throughout his high school journey, Itbaan was selected to become a national Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) Scholar, Questbridge College Prep Scholar, and a CHHS Community Service Ambassador.

Itbaan looks forward to meeting his new peers and working hard at Stanford University. In the future, he aspires to become the first Muslim Bengali-American President of the United States in order to expand access to education, allocate more resources to socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, and promote technological advancement. He believes that by utilizing Stanford’s resources, community, and volunteering opportunities in different communities, he will be able to better understand different communal issues and perspectives in order to create more comparable policy.

In his free time, Itbaan enjoys watching the Dallas Cowboys football team, reading about current events, volunteering, mentoring socioeconomically disadvantaged students, and doing STEM research. He is extremely grateful to the OCA Foundation for providing him with a scholarship as it will help him pay for his books and other school supplies necessary for his Stanford education.

Kimberly Nguyen

Kimberly Nguyen is an incoming freshman at Georgetown University. She is a first-generation college student born and raised in Los Angeles, California by her hard-working Mexican immigrant mother. As a biracial, Asian and Latinx individual, she is an advocate for sharing the diverse narratives of marginalized voices in society. Her education has always been a pledge of purpose and support for her family and community. She believes that by pursuing a higher education, she will be able to obtain the necessary resources to promote the establishment of social and economic equity within her community. She plans to achieve this by attending Georgetown University undergrad where she will major in Government and Justice & Peace Studies. Afterward, she plans to attend law school in order to pursue a career in the field of law and politics. She acknowledges that too often the demands of communities of color are dismissed and overlooked due to the lack of diverse representation in political careers. Therefore, she strives to become a congresswoman who will serve as an active representative and advocate for diverse and underserved communities similar to her own. Ultimately, she aims to bring structural attention to the systems that govern marginalized communities so that their quality of life may finally be reflective of true justice. In essence, this next chapter of her life is devoted to not only her own future but that of her community. It is dedicated to paving a path of hope, breaking generational poverty, and systematizing equity.

Nina Linh Nguyen

Nina Linh Nguyen is a freshman at the University of Southern California, studying global health in the Keck School of Medicine program. Born and raised in San Jose, California, Nina is a Vietnamese American interested in learning more about immigrant rights and health disparities within low-income communities of color. Her goal is to work with underserved populations to increase access to reliable health care, and bridge long-standing systemic health and social inequities through sustainable solutions/policies.

In her local community, Nina serves as a Stanford Allcove youth advisor, supporting the initiation of the nation’s first youth-integrated mental health clinics in San Jose and Palo Alto. Through her work with Allcove, she has fostered spaces of visibility and mental health support for young people. Nina is a youth leader at SIREN: Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network, assisting with immigration clinic paperwork and encouraging people of color, immigrants and refugees, and young people to vote in the upcoming presidential election and complete the 2020 Census. Through her advocacy as the East Side Union High School Student Governing Board President, she has increased awareness for racial injustice and sexual harassment in her school district, working with members of her community to propose solutions.

On campus, Nina is a part of the QuestBridge Scholars Network -- a national community that promotes civic engagement on campus and empowers first-generation college students on their path to higher education. She hopes to further connect with fellow Trojans who are interested in public health, international relations, and AAPI culture & history.

In her free time, Nina enjoys listening to rap and R&B at the beach, or journaling at her favorite viewpoint. She wants to try professional photography and learn how to cook Vietnamese dishes like phở.

Quynh Anh Nguyen

Quynh Anh “Quinnie” Nguyen will be the first in her family to graduate high school and go to college! Quynh Anh grew up in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and finished up her high school career in San Jose, California and she will be headed to USC as a part of the Class of 2024, IB Diploma recipient, and Questbridge Scholar. Quynh Anh is incredibly passionate about civic engagement, and a lot of the work she’s done in high school focuses on encouraging Generation Z’s participation in political discourse and elections at every level. She is also very passionate about educational advocacy and continues to work in her community to close the education gap. In her quest to close that gap in other communities, she mentors low-income and first-generation students that are looking to go to college. She wants to continue to explore the ways in which her Vietnamese American identity can help her become a better advocate for her local community, a mission she’s been on ever since she participated in the 29th Asian Pacific Youth Leadership Project. Quynh Anh enjoys playing badminton and golf if California weather allows it. She also loves to paint, write poems, volunteer, and read books about political theory and history. The Gold Mountain Scholarship will give Quynh Anh an incredible boost in her college education by helping her buy books and supplies that will keep her connected with USC and it’s incredible professors and students, despite being hundreds of miles from the sunny Los Angeles campus.