Alejandra Hernandez
Nogales High Schooll
University of California, Los Angeles

Alejandra Hernandez has an impressive record of volunteerism and an equally impressive academic record. She has earned a 4.29 weighted GPA while giving back to her community by volunteering many hours at the local library and community center, tutoring, helping with environmental non-profits, and promoting the International Baccalaureate program. Alejandra got her drive to succeed from her mother, and Alejandra hopes to show her mother that her mother’s hard work raising their family on her own were not in vain. Alejandra has high hopes of achieving her doctorate degree and becoming an optometrist, and we have no doubt she will do all that and more.

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Eli Canseco
Montebello High School
U.C.L.A.

Eli Canseco is unstoppable, and he will not let anything-not his immigration status, not the bullying he experienced as a child, and not the fact he was raised by a single mother-prevent him from achieving his dream of becoming a physician. Eli was salutatorian of his graduating class, which consisted of 675 students. He was also Vice President of the Montebello Scholarship Federation, helping to raise money for scholarships for graduating seniors, and a mentor in the Montebello High School Mentoring Program, tutoring underclassmen in Algebra.

Eli will be the first in his family to attend college. Eventually, he hopes to return to the City of Montebello and open a clinic for immigrants and low-income Californians. His motivation comes from his mother and grandmother. He wants “to complete [his] education and make them proud by repaying them for everything they ever did for [him].” We have no doubt that Eli will make everyone he meets, including us, proud of him and his accomplishments.

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Elaine Cheung
Mark Keppel High School
U.C.L.A.

Elaine Cheung will undoubtedly accomplish great things. She graduated from Mark Keppel High School with a 4.23 weighted GPA and earned many academic honors, like being an Advanced Placement Scholar and winning first place in the National Ocean Science Bowl. Elaine achieved these successes while working part-time at her parents’ small accounting business and volunteering at various community organizations.

She served food to the homeless with Union Station Homeless Services and organized events at the Los Angeles Public Library’s Chinatown Branch. We were also impressed by her leadership. She is president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance Youth Council and vice president of the City of Monterey Park’s Youth Advisory Board. After losing her father to a stroke, Elaine dreams of becoming a dependable doctor who improves the lives of patients. We are happy to help her reach her goals and are excited to see how she’ll pay it forward.

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Xiao-Yi Chen
Mountain View High School
U.C.L.A.

Xiao-Yi Chen is fiercely determined and unstoppable. Despite having arrived in the United States only three years ago, Xiao-Yi Chen graduated from high school at the top of her class. This was no easy task. Xiao-Yi struggled to learn English and a new culture. In addition, she had to work in her parents’ restaurants on the weekends, serving as hostess, peeling shrimp, folding dumplings, and cutting fruit. Often, her feet would be numb from having to stand all day and her hands would itch from having to prepare meat. She juggled these burdens with extracurricular activities, like serving as President of the Pacific Horizon student club, which helps assimilate recent immigrants into American culture. She hopes to help raise funds for schools in the future so that they can provide SAT preparation courses for recent immigrants. Xiao-Yi entering UCLA and plans to major in Business Economics. We cannot wait to see what she will accomplish in the future.

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Tiffany Calero
Covina High School
U.C.L.A.

Tiffany Calero exudes determination and courage when she speaks about her calling as a physician. Her interest in medicine emerged when she had to care for her sister. Instead of fussing over the Homecoming football game or studying for an upcoming test, Tiffany was by her sister’s side during lengthy visits to the emergency room. This burden borne out of love and selflessness for her familia did not prevent her from graduating near the top of her class. She believes that we have a “moral obligation to aid other[s]” and wants to break down “the limitations placed on Latinos.” With such conviction, we are sure she will succeed in all her endeavors, including being the first in her family to graduate from college.

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Armando Espinoza
Montebello High School
U.C. Santa Barbara

Armando Espinoza has an unshakeable commitment to better his life and his community. Raised by a mother who taught him “that a woman can play the role of father and mother for her family,” he knows first hand the sacrifices we all must make for our loved ones. His drive to succeed, “to be the one who made it to college,” was formed after witnessing his mother work as a domestic worker. We believe Armando has achieved tremendous success.

He graduated in the top 5% of his class from Montebello High School. The selection committee was also moved by his promise to help others in his community. He hopes to one day become a role model for Mexican youths in Montebello, to inspire and motivate them “to do better in their schooling.” Armando wants to lift them out of neighborhoods where crime and substance abuse are common and to empower Mexican youths to reject “the negative stereotypes” that are often placed on them. We are deeply honored to help Armando be the change he wishes to see in his community and to name him as a scholarship recipient.

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Greg Chen
Arcadia High School
University of Chicago

Greg Chen has not let his family’s working-class background prevent him from achieving amazing successes. While growing up, he remembers his long walks home from school while his parents worked late nights for minimum wage. But Greg always chose perseverance over self-pity. Having arrived in the United States in the 7th grade, speaking no English, Greg has not let any of these obstacles slow him down.

Greg is a member of Arcadia High School’s national champion team in constitutional debate, and is also a member of the school’s state champion team in the Physics Bowl. Greg is determined to repay his parents for all their sacrifices by obtaining a college diploma. This conscientious and compassionate scholar, musician, and athlete is headed for success, and we are delighted to be part of the journey.

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Janet Guan
Alhambra High School
U.C.L.A.

Janet Guan is wise beyond her years and she brims with empathy. The scholarship committee quickly and deeply grew attached to Janet after reading her
application. Born with a cleft lip, she has had to endure long bus rides with her mother, doctor visits where she has translated her own condition, and surgeries. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Janet lives life with tremendous gratitude, joy, and determination.

She graduated from Alhambra High School as Valedictorian. Janet will be attending U.C.L.A. and hopes to become an attorney, so that she “can be the ear that listens, the voice that speaks, and the mind that fights for the immigrant community both [her] parents and [she] call home.”

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Jack Wen-Jye Chu
Jack Chu personifies the qualities the Jeff Yang Scholarship hopes to promote: a drive to always better oneself, commitment to serve others, and appreciation for people and things in our lives. He was Valedictorian of his graduating class from Mark Keppel High School. In addition to excelling academically, Jack was active on and off campus as President of Crown & Scepter, Co-President of Student Advocacy for Voting Empowerment, and Chief Facilitator for the City of Monterey Park’s Harmony Festival. It was, however, Jack’s commitment and love for his immigrant parents, who have struggled to provide for him and his siblings, that made him stand out above the competitive applicant pool. Jack will be attending the University of Pennsylvania, where he plans to major in Psychology, Business or Internal Studies. He hopes to eventually become a financial advisor that provides services, advice, and resources to Asian immigrant families, many who lack basic financial knowledge.

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