April 19, 2005 > Scholarship Luncheon

by Fran Sabado-Gin and Bernadette Chinn, chairpersons

This year the South Bay Chinese Service Club awarded $15,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors of Chinese descent at our 36th annual SBCSC Scholarship Luncheon held at the Courtyard by Marriott, Newark-Silicon Valley on Saturday, April 9.

SBCSC Vice President Gerry Low-Sabado greeted the graduates and praised them for their academic records and community activities. Each applicant was introduced and presented with certificates of recognition from Congressman Pete Stark, Senator Liz Figueroa, Assemblyman Albert Torrico and Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty. Honored guests included former State Assemblymember John Dutra, former State Assemblymember Ellen Corbett, State Assemblymember Johan Klehs, Fremont Mayor Bob Wasserman, Fremont Councilman Steve Cho and his wife, Amy, Fremont school board member Peggy Herndon, Fremont school board member Ivy Wu, Fremont Planning Commissioner Sue Chan, Fremont Planning Commissioner Pauline Weaver, Alameda County Library Foundation President Aaron Wong, Citizens for Better Community Director/Founder Henry Yin, and Citizens for Better Community Executive Director Kathy Jang,

Tracy Patrick Chan, a 2000 graduate of Fremont's Mission San Jose High School and previous winner of two South Bay Chinese Club awards - the Howard Tom Memorial Scholarship and the Outstanding Essay - shared his experiences as he transitioned from high school to college. Chan is currently a consultant in the healthcare industry. He challenged the students to explore the many opportunities that college will provide and participate in activities in which they have a passion. Author and journalist, William "Bill" Wong, addressed the graduates after lunch and presented an eloquent interpretation of the essay question the students had to answer in the scholarship application: "How my Chinese ancestry/heritage affects my goals and interactions with this society." His insightful presentation was well received by the students, their parents, club members, donors and local dignitaries.

The 41 applicants represented 11 different high schools in Southern Alameda County. They are an impressive group of scholars. Their average GPA is 3.76 and together they have donated over 15,890 community service hours. In this group there are six National Merit Finalists, 11 AP Scholars, 15 Governor's Scholars, five students with perfect unweighted 4.0 GPA's, three students with a perfect 800 on the SAT II exams, two students with perfect AP scores of 5, eight Scholar Athletes, one ASB Vice President, one ASB Secretary, one ASB Treasurer and a Miss Teen Chinatown.

Our 2005 Scholarship Recipients are:

$1,000 Scholarship Recipients
Jennifer Chien, American High School
Cassey Ho, James Logan High School
Stephanie Hwang, Mission San Jose High School
Jessica Kao, Mission San Jose High School
Kristine Lee, Irvington High School
Jessica Lin, Mission San Jose High School
Owen Lin, American High School
Jennifer Lowe, Castro Valley High School
Yating Shi, Arroyo High School
Karen Yan, Irvington High School

$500 Scholarship Recipients
Baran Ho, Mission San Jose High School
Mary Kong, James Logan High School
Amy Lin, James Logan High School
Hao Liu, James Logan High School
Anly Tsang, San Leandro High School
Michael Tsiang, Mission San Jose High School
Deborah Wong, Chinese Christian Schools
Albert Wu, Mission San Jose High School

$250 Scholarship Recipients
Grace Chan, San Leandro High School
Katherine Leung, American High School
Jing Wu, Castro Valley High School
Simon Wu, Castro Valley High School