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2007 AEA Scholarship Recipients

Mengyuan (Amily) He
$3,000 Scholarship Recipient

Amily came to America in 2004 from China, and t had no difficulty adjusting to her new environment. Academically, she scored in the top 5 percent of her class at Skyline High School. When she came to understand that there were many students in the community who were new to the country like her, she helped found the International Club at her school to help them better adapt and give them a platform to share their culture. She has been involved in a wide variety of community service projects, and she has won a variety of awards for music, essay writing, and engineering design. She has a remarkable decision to make in the near future; she has to choose among Harvard, Stanford, MIT, UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Chicago for her higher education – all of whom accepted her application!

Vivian Chan
$2,000 Scholarship Recipient

Vivian attends Piedmont High School and plans to pursue a major in life sciences at either UC Berkeley or UCLA. In school she has achieved a perfect academic record despite taking an extremely rigorous curriculum which includes 4 AP courses this year. She writes, "As an Asian girl in a predominantly white school and community, I have overcome social barriers to establish myself as an active member both within Piedmont and in the surrounding Oakland community. As ASB President this year, I have worked to put all the lessons I've learned about teamwork and leadership over the last four years of service in student government towards leaving a legacy at Piedmont High. I have served as the student representative to both the PUSD Board of Education and the local Parents' Club. I enjoy making a connection with the larger Bay Area by volunteering at the skilled nursing facility at Summit Medical Center to talk with very lonely patients there, and by teaching English as a second language to preschool children at El Centro Infantil in Oakland. In my spare time, I enjoy watching foreign and indie films, baking, and playing volleyball. I plan on leaving my mark on the community wherever I end up.”

Darielle Davis
$2,000 Scholarship Recipient

Darielle attends the EXCEL program of McClymonds High School and has truly excelled in her academic achievement, ranking first in her class. She actively participated in the redesign of McClymonds into three small schools during her sophmore year, and her principal credits her with significant contributions during the design process. She chaired the Youth Leadership Council at her school which is working towards establishing better afterschool programs for the students. She also interned with Habitat for Humanity East Bay, leading groups which built the foundations of 6 homes in the seven weeks she was there. she also participates on her school’s track and field team.

Jennifer Kong
$2,000  Scholarship Recipient

Jennifer was born in Dawson’s Creek, B.C., Canada. She and the rest of her family moved to Oakland shortly before her 4th birthday. she is a senior at Oakland High School and has done very well academically, despite taking a very challenging curriculum and working nearly full-time to help support her family. She participates extensively in extracurricular activities, including student government and freshman orientation. She writes, "Both of my parents are immigrants from China and has stressed the importance of education to me throughout my whole life. Today, I still continue to respect their wishes and to strive to do my best in everything I do.”

Damon Mok
$2,000 Scholarship Recipient

Damon attends Skyline High School and is also near the top of his class. His passion is writing and journalism, and his teacher included samples of his writing in the recommendation that showed Damon’s “political awareness, a sense of poetry, and grasp of detail-all balanced in fluid, clear argument.” Damon combined his writing skills with his leadership skills to become Editor-in-Chief of his school newspaper, a position made doubly difficult by requirement that the paper be self-funded. He is also involved in community service, serving as president of his school’s EXCEL Club and participating in numerous other community service organizations.

Nhi Truong
$2,000  Scholarship Recipient

Nhi is currently enrolled in the “Business Entrepreneurial School of Technology” (BEST) program of McClymonds High School. She is highly respected by her teachers as a dynamic leader and a “powerhouse of energy”. At the suggestion of her English teacher, she helped found a Key Club chapter of the Kiwanis. As president of that group, she organized a number of community service projects. She writes, “Growing up having to overcome so many struggles, I have learned to stay strong and not let anything prevent me from succeeding. Since middle school, I have always loved working with elementary school students. After attending college, I plan to become an elementary school teacher, then eventually a social justice lawyer. Whatever it is, I know that I will be making positive changes in the community, perhaps even the world. After all, I want to become good role model to kids -- someone who they can look up to and tell their parents, ‘When I get older, I want to be just like her.’”

Sandra Yang
$2,000 Scholarship Recipient

Sandra Yang, a senior at Oakland High School, was born and raised in Oakland, California. Raised in a large family that knew little about the American culture, she strived to succeed with the guidance she had. Her interest in student leadership was triggered at the California Association of Student Councils Summer Leadership Conference 2004. She was elected as Oakland High’s Associated Student Body President for two consecutive years in hopes of improving the school environment and the quality of education. she served as the All City Council’s secretary during the 2005-2006 school year. She is involved in various other activities such as Oakland High’s Parent Teacher Student Association, School Site Council, Link Crew, Yearbook and KIWIN’S. On top of her clubs and activities, she also works at an Orthodontist office after school. Sandra is known as a very giving and caring person and is very devoted to helping her family. She is now choosing between University of California, Los Angeles and University of California, Berkeley. She hopes to return to Oakland after her studies and positively impact the community in even larger ways.

Huber Trenado
$2,000 Scholarship Recipient

Huber was born in Van-Nuys, California but moved to Oakland when he was three years old. He comes from a large Latino, single parent family and will be the first in his family to go to a four-year college. He attends MetWest High School and plans to attend UC Berkeley, majoring in Political Science. He has traveled to Thailand and Chile and is very interested in community leadership. He writes, “Politics is what drives my passion and curiosity to ask questions about the complex world we live in.” His extracurricular activities included volunteering in last year’s mayoral campaign. Huber also writes, “My mother always says that education is the key to a world free of injustices and I’ve internalized that statement too. I don’t have a “dream” career but rather an interest in politics that I’m hoping will lead me to a career that embraces all my interests. After college I plan to come and serve my underrepresented community in East Oakland, the community I grew up in. Though in Oakland we live with a lot of violence, we also live in a paradise of diversity and that is what I think is great about our city.”

Tracy Zirbel
$2,000 Scholarship Recipient

Tracy is a top student at Skyline High School, achieving an academic rank of first in her class of 401. However, her other activities demonstrate that she is much more than just another bookworm. She has spent considerable amounts of time volunteering for the Environmentally Conscious Organization (ECO) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) holding the offices of Vice President and Co-President respectively. She also volunteers for the Alameda Food Bank and the Merritt College Greenhouse which grows and donates plants to homeless shelters. Her application for the AEA scholarship reflected an unusually mature understanding of the role of leadership, and of the importance of connecting, at a deep and personal level, to the people we are trying help in community service programs.

Derek Chan
$1,000 Scholarship Recipient

Derek attends Skyline High School and is in the top 15 percent of his class academically. His passion is music and he plays cello in the Berkeley Youth Orchestra and other youth music programs. He has held leadership positions in the BYO and helped others in his section to raise funds and to improve their performance. He is active in the community through EXCEL (National Exchange) Club and Interact (Rotaract), helping to raise funds for vaccination programs and social services.

Jonathan Ham
$1,000 Scholarship Recipient

Jonathan attends Oakland High School student and plans to attend either UC Berkeley or UCLA. Academically, he is first in his class of 334, despite an extremely challenging curriculum which includes many AP courses. He is active in student government, various environmental/outdoor clubs, and swimming. He placed third in the Northern California Lifeguard Games last year. He writes, “In my high school career, I have developed a strong interest in creating change in my community, Becoming a medical practitioner will allow me to fulfill that passion of mine. Becoming a certified lifeguard gave me the first opportunity to be in a position to help others through medical care. My training and certification in CPR and First Aid has given me an early exposure to a future medical career. Basically, what I definitely hope to achieve from my education is not just a degree and some fancy job, but something that has the potential to benefit everyone so that I can come back to my community and help to make positive changes.”

Susan Deng
$1,000 Scholarship Recipient

Susan was born and raised in Oakland and attends Oakland High School. She has achieved an outstanding academic record despite taking an extremely challenging curriculum, including a 4 AP courses this year. She plays on the school badminton team and volunteers with the McCullun Youth Court, a diversion program for first time youth offenders. Her parents immigrated from China, so she grew up with a mix of American and Chinese cultures. She writes, "Even though I grew up in America, I am still connected with my roots. In Oakland High, I joined the Lion Dance Club and performed for many local elementary schools to teach students about the Chinese culture. I especially enjoy Lion Dancing because it keeps me connected to my community. Other than lion dancing, I also enjoy playing badminton and playing the guitar.”

Kristin Hong
$1,000 Scholarship Recipient

Kristin attends Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton and has been very involved in Leadership the past three years, currently serving as the Associated Student Body Treasurer. She has been on the cheerleading squad for four years and was captain for the last two. She is also on the lacrosse and swim teams. She is also very active in the community; she is a member of the National Charity League, a mother-daughter organization that performs community service at philanthropies such as American Cancer Society, Open Heart Kitchen and Taylor Family Foundation. She co-chaired a charity event at her school called “Mr. Amador”, similar to the Miss America Pageant, which raised $11,000 for the Oakland Children’s Hospital. She plans to attend UCLA in the fall. She writes, "In my free time, I enjoy scrapbooking and listening to music.

Catherine Miller
$1,000 Scholarship Recipient

Cat attends the Oakland School for the Arts and has earned Academic Honors every semester she has attended there. Cat is passionate about the dance program which performs both for school events and in the community. She is very proud of her work volunteering as a movement teacher for the K-1 students at Sankofa Academy. She was also asked by her elementary school to help bring physical education back into early education in the public schools. These experiences have inspired her to pursue a career as a movement therapist specializing in children’s issues.

Ngoc Mai Trinh
$1,000 Scholarship Recipient

Mai attends Castlemont Leadership Preparatory High School. She plans to attend the University of California, Berkeley in the fall and will be the first in her family to graduate and go to college. She has done very well academically, and is an avid runner. She won a gold medal in 26.2 mile L.A. Marathon. Mai remembers the day when she and her family landed in America from Vietnam and being carried in her father's arms at the age of three. She writes, "My favorite hobbies are drawing, eating, goofing off and talking to friends. I hope to, one day, become a great dentist and help my family become financially stable. I really love life and hope to one day use my optimistic attitude to help others around me.”

Frederick Wang
$1,000 Scholarship Recipient

Frederick is a senior at Arroyo High School in San Lorenzo. Frederick is ranked first in his class of 451, and has achieved this academic record despite taking the most challenging curriculum his school has to offer. In addition, he participates in many activities and interests outside the classroom. He has played the violin in the Youth Orchestra of Southern Alameda County for seven years. He is the founder and president of Chemistry Club, a representative of the student council, vice president of the Chess Club, and coordinator of the Math Club. He also has volunteered at numerous Interact Club-sponsored activities and served as a Mandarin translator for events in Hayward. His hobbies include drawing and swimming. He will be attending U. C. Berkeley this fall and plans to pursue a medical career.

Nathifa Wright
$1,000 Scholarship Recipient

Nathifa is currently a senior at Excel High School and is soon to be a freshman at Tuskegee University. Throughout her high school career, Nathifa has been involved in her school community through activities such as kindergarten tutoring, youth leadership council, student government, track and field, etc. She is a passionate member of Excel’s Mock Trail Team. She aspires to become a doctor and to be a passionate activist for her community. She writes, “I have always had an interest in creating positive change and leaving an affirmative impact wherever I go. I hope to continue to be the change I want to see in the world throughout my educational career and beyond.”