We are pleased to announce the following 2008 scholarship winners:
| Winner | Summary of Judges comments |
| Donna Quach | Donna is a very well rounded student. Her list of activities shows that she is a strong leader in her community. She has also shown that she is a very positive influence to those around her. With her involvement in the almost ridiculous list of extracurricular activities and community services, one would expect her to be completely overwhelmed. Yet she has a 4.0 GPA and recommendation letters that describes her as a kind and engaging person. We are just very impressed. |
| Samantha Chin | Samantha is the winner of 2007 Miss Chinese in Seattle, and was involved in many different community service activities as that. She has also done a substantial amount of work at a nursing home, in addition to many other extracurricular activities. All that on top of getting a 4.0 GPA. We like her because of her extraordinary experiences and leadership qualities. The fact that her experience of being Miss Chinese does not distract her from maintaining such a high GPA is impressive. |
| Kevin Vitz-Wong | Kevin’s GPA is respectable. Through his essay we can see right away that he is a leader, and an initiator. He has cofounded a club called SLAM (Student Lives Always Matter) with a goal to educate youth in the community about suicide. Through education they help raise awareness around a very important issue and aim to prevent such tragedies from happening. Another area that he is very involved in is filmmaking. One of his recommendations described both his creativity and passion in media production. His production shows how intensely involved he is in the humanity that surrounds him. |
| Quy Nguyen | Quy has a 3.9 GPA. Her most impressive acheivements are those involving the Seattle Mayor’s Youth Council. As a member she has shown that she can see problems in her community, and presents such issues directly to those who has the power to make important policy changes. Comming from a low-income family she has a passion in issues of gentrification of neighborhoods. She has come up with policy solutions and presented those ideas as a short film to the mayor. |
| Sherrie Hsu | Sherrie coupled her 4.0 GPA with strength in many other areas. Her aspirations to become a journalist is especially intriging. One of her teacher described her as one of the best writers she has ever taught. Her involvement in student journalism shows her sensitivity to issues concerning her community. We like her because of the very well rounded student career and her many acheivements. |
| Iris Davies | Iris is the first in her family to go to college. In high school she has achieved a respectable GPA. Done a lot of volunteer work for medical centers, food banks, and Sunday schools. She aspire to find a public health position in her community and serve those who need help after college. To help her acheive that goal she has been job shadowing a long time nurse at a woman’s homeless shelter. We like her because she has a noble goal and she backs that up with action. |
| Cuong Hgo | Cuong has a 3.87 GPA. That is a very impressive acheivement given that he has only moved to the US four years ago. He went from taking ESL classes to enrolling in Running Start program at the UW in a very short time. His hard work is worth our encouragement. What moves us the most though is how he is giving back by translating important messages concerning hygiene and health for those in the community that don’t speak english very well. It is one thing to do well in school, but the fact he is using his newly acquired skills to benefit his community is much more impressive. |
| Taylor Matalone | Taylor is a 4.0 student with a long list of impressive and important activities such as Red Cross refugee shelters, awarness for Darfur Genocide, National Honor Society, etc. In her essay, Taylor shared her experience and insights of working at the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop and how she was profoundly moved by her interactions with Cancer survivors and their relatives. It shows her compassion, and her ability to understand those around her in ways that most of us do not bother to. |