Scholarships

Annual Awards

Every year, Asian American Studies faculty members honor students for their achievements and contributions to the department, campus, and community. To be considered for one of the departmental scholarships, applicants must:

1) Complete the AAS Student Awards Scholarship Application
2) Write one brief essay (500 words, prompt can be found in the application form)
3) Write a short bio (50-100 words)
4) Submit a 1-page resume (see application form for suggested format)
5) Be available for the AAS graduation & student awards ceremony on Thursday, April 24th from 5 to 8 pm at the Orchard Conference Center.

APPLICATION DEADLINE IS DUE on Tuesday, March 25, 11:59 pm!

If you have any questions, please contact Professor Gina Masequesmay at gina.masequesmay@csun.edu.

Award Descriptions

The following is a list of non-monetary awards. If you are a faculty member, please nominate students for one of our (non-monetary) awards using the Faculty Nomination Form.

• Promising Freshman Award: This award is provided to freshmen who have demonstrated promise in the context of academics and/ or community involvement. The ideal candidate might have demonstrated solid critical thinking skills, academic and/or personal improvement, and/or a burgeoning commitment to racial justice. Students are eligible if they: (a) are a freshman (0-29 units) and (b) have enrolled in at least one course in AAS. AAS faculty must nominate the students.
• Promising Sophomore Award: This award is provided to sophomores who have demonstrated promise in the context of academics and/ or community involvement. The ideal candidate might have demonstrated solid critical thinking skills, academic and/or personal improvement, and/or a burgeoning commitment to racial justice. Students are eligible if they: (a) are a sophomore (30-59 units) and (b) have enrolled in at least one course in AAS. AAS faculty must nominate the students.
• Promising Transfer Award: This award is provided to transfer students who have demonstrated promise in the context of academics and/ or community involvement. The ideal candidate might have demonstrated solid critical thinking skills, academic and/or personal improvement, and/or a burgeoning commitment to racial justice. Students are eligible if they: (a) are a transfer student and (b) have enrolled in at least one course in AAS. AAS faculty must nominate the students.
• Community Builder Award: This award recognizes students who play a crucial role in building Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American (APIDA) communities on- and/ or off-campus. The ideal candidate might have demonstrated meaningful campus or community-based involvement/ participation, and/or advocacy efforts. Students are eligible if they: (a) are currently enrolled at CSUN and (b) have enrolled in at least one course in AAS. AAS faculty must nominate the students.

The following is a list of monetary awards:

• Asuncion C. Abarquez and Rose Abarquez-Alcantara Endowment was established through the CSUN Foundation for the Abarquez Prize in Asian American Studies by the generous gift of Prosy de la Cruz. This is an annual prize for an Outstanding Essay by a student in Asian American Studies at CSUN. The winner will receive a cash prize in the amount of $1000. The topic of this essay competition is open to any issue relevant to Asian Americans and Asian American Studies. For more information on how to apply, please go to the Asuncion Castro Abarquez and Rosalinda Abarquez & Alcantara Endowment information page.
• Donna Kawamoto Special Achievement Award: The student who receives this award may not necessarily have a high GPA or be considered a visible leader, but the student has demonstrated resilience and a strong ability to overcome unusual hardships and life circumstances while pursuing higher education. Applicants need to be an AAS major, double major, or minor.
• Enrique de la Cruz Social Justice Award: The student who receives this award has demonstrated a commitment to ending social oppression, an impact on Asian and/ or Pacific Islander American communities on- or off-campus, and /or involvement in social justice organizations or projects; and completed or are in the process of completing community internship hours via an AAS 495 or AAS 497 or a designated senior capstone course.
• Eunai Shrake Promising Educator Award: This award attempts to address the lack of Asian American representation in the teaching force and recognizes students who have demonstrated a commitment to and potential for a career in the education field be it in the K–12 classroom or higher education. Applicants must have taken or are currently enrolling in an AAS course.
• Glenn Omatsu Community Engagement Project Award: This award is for students who are AAS major, double major, or minor. The student or group of students write a one-page proposal of their community engagement project (from an AAS class or with a community group) to receive either a $100 individual stipend, or a $250 small group stipend, or a $500 group stipend. The project proposal must be clear on how the work will benefit a community group in a feasible time frame. (For instructions on how to apply, please go to this award description & download the application form.)
• Laura Uba Academic Achievement Award: The student who receives this award should be a major/double-major in AAS and has demonstrated a strong academic performance and critical understanding of AAS and/ or Ethnic Studies. Priority will be given to a student with senior standing. Applicants need to have a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher.
• Kenyon Chan Outstanding Leadership Award: The student who receives this award is an AAS major, double major, or minor; and has demonstrated the goals and values of the department, as well as campus leadership. The student is engaged in practices that bridge the university and Asian and/ or Pacific Islander American communities, and has advanced Ethnic Studies through research and/or activism.