OCA Congratulates 2022 OCA-UPS Gold Mountain Scholars

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2022

Contact:
Kent Tong, Manager of Programs
kent.tong@ocanational.org

Washington, D.C. — OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates announced the 2022 recipients for the annual Gold Mountain Scholarship program today, continuing a longstanding commitment with the UPS Foundation to support AAPI first generation students attending institutions of higher learning.

The following fifteen recipients are graduating high school seniors who will be starting courses at various universities and colleges this fall, and will each be awarded a $2,000 grant provided by UPS to cover tuition and school expenses.

The OCA-UPS Gold Mountain Scholarship for Graduating High School Seniors is awarded to:

  • Candace Cang; Norcross, GA; Stanford University

  • Jiexin Chen; Castro Valley, CA; University of San Francisco

  • Nazmul Dewan; Brooklyn, NY; Hunter College

  • Christine Doan; San Diego, CA; University of California, Berkeley

  • Karen Huang; Los Angeles, CA; University of California, Irvine

  • Mandy Jiang; Duncan, South Carolina; Northeastern University

  • Marjella Lajuan; West Valley City, UT; University of Utah

  • Joyce Lin; Bayside, NY; Barnard College

  • Raef Makrai; Sam Mateo, CA; University of California, Berkeley

  • Ai Vy Nguyen; San Francisco, CA; University of California, Berkeley

  • Rimsha Reem; Bayonne, NJ; Rutgers University—New Brunswick

  • Poe Reh, Watauga, TX; University of North Texas

  • Un Ieng Sit; San Francisco, CA; University of California, Berkeley

  • Collinn Tran; Charleston, WV; University of Virginia

  • Yifi Wu; Oakland, CA; University of California, Irvine

Full scholar biographies can be accessed here.

Additionally, four rising college seniors will each receive $2,500 to cover tuition and school expenses.

The OCA-UPS Gold Mountain Scholarship for Rising College Seniors is awarded to:

  • Lady Dorothy Elli; Tucson, AZ; University of Arizona

  • Xanthia Lam; Oakland, CA; University of California, Berkeley

  • Xuan "Lance" Li; Staten Island, NY; Georgetown University

  • Peter Pham; San Jose, CA; University of California, Berkeley

Full scholar biographies can be accessed here.

The OCA-UPS Gold Mountain Scholarship program was created to honor a time when Asian immigrants saw America as a mountain of golden opportunity, and to honor our awardees who also seek to fulfill their dreams of a higher education. Since 1999, UPS has generously funded the program and provided this opportunity in partnership with OCA to hundreds of AAPI students for over twenty years.

“We are so grateful to UPS in partnering with us to help first-generation AAPI college students access higher education,” said OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates National President Linda Ng. “There are many barriers to higher education for many parts of the AAPI community. The large annual intake of scholarship applicants proves that the AAPI community has continued need for financial assistance in order to obtain a higher education degree. The OCA-UPS Gold Mountain Scholarship not only provides aid but also another motivational push for AAPI students to complete higher education.”

The scholarship has enabled AAPI students to pursue their education in a variety of ways:

"The Gold Mountain Scholarship has allowed me the opportunity to do a full-time internship at the Texas State Capitol as a fellow with my university. I have been inspired to be one of the few Muslim students in the building as my presence can change stereotypes and combat discrimination. I seek to mobilize fellow youth from underrepresented groups in the political process to help influence change in society." - 2020 OCA-UPS Gold Mountain Scholar

“Through the Gold Mountain Scholarship, I've been able to pursue my education this past year without worrying about the financial strains on myself and my family as well as utilize the funds to help support my continued education in graduate school. I'm grateful for the scholarship in supporting APIDA individuals, and I'm eager to invest the support I received back into the community by eventually pursuing a PhD program that allows me to study APIDA identity and mental health.” - 2020 OCA-UPS Gold Mountain Scholar

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Founded in 1973, OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national, member-driven civil rights organization dedicated to advancing the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs). Learn more about our work at ocanational.org/about.

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