Rotary Scholarship Applications

• Service Above Self

I believe I qualify for the Rotary Club’s Service Above Self Scholarship because I believe that service to others is necessary to creating a better world. Throughout my life I have been dedicated to service, and when I grew up, I started planning as a youth council member of the Chinese Friendship Association of Portland, organizing summer camps for children, a college preparation panel for high schoolers, and a summer event for the community. When I became leader of the youth council, I began helping with bigger projects, like organizing the Lunar New Year Gala at Keller Auditorium, one of the biggest Lunar New Year events in town, becoming an MC for their events, and being the main youth spokesperson for House Bill 3595, petitioning to make Lunar New Year an official holiday in Oregon.
I branched out beyond my community, both as a member of the city of Lake Oswego’s Youth Leadership Council, and the ‘23-25 executive youth president of the VisionEnvoy Branch of Lake Oswego Lions Club. Through the youth council, I found my passion for government and civic engagement, supporting and writing testimony for bills, and learning about the different branches of city government. As the executive youth president of VisionEnvoy, I lead my team to teach my culture—the Chinese culture—to the Lake Oswego community after the pandemic, in order to foster understanding in the midst of the Stop Asian Hate movement. Now, we perform every year at the Multnomah County Fair.
I also interned for Mayor Joe Buck in the 2024 City Mayoral Election, helping him with his campaign. I was able to connect with more members of the community, and learned how political campaigning works. I also worked as a bilingual teacher at the Lake Learning Center, helping to teach children. At school, I’m the Asian Cultural Festival Committee Leader for the Asian American Student Union, focusing on providing free Asian food for the festival. Each year our festival has about 1000 community members attending the event.
I’m extremely passionate about volunteering, and I love helping out people. My work has inspired me to continue a life of service, as either a politician, or a teacher, and has helped me to be honored with the city’s 2023 Unsung Hero Award. I believe that I represent the core values of this scholarship, and I would be honored to receive this scholarship to help me continue my education and service to the world.

I submitted an early decision application to New York University and was accepted, so I am committed to NYU. This was the only application I sent at the time because it was the early round, and since I was accepted, I've not applied to any other schools, under the binding Early Decision Agreement.

No, I have not received any full tuition nor any scholarships/grants which I can use to fund my education.