WesternU Awards 18 Asian American Students Loans or Scholarships in 10th Annual Event
Eighteen Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU) students of
Asian descent will receive scholarships or loans ranging from $500 to
$1,000 at the Tenth Annual Asian American Scholarship Dinner on Saturday,
March 11, at the Sam Woo Seafood Restaurant in San Gabriel.
WesternU has provided more than $75,000 in loans or awards to 88 students
since it held its first Asian American Scholarship Dinner in 1991.
Many of the recipients are immigrants or first generation U.S. citizens
with compelling stories of academic triumph in the face of adversity.
Several have come from refugee camps and hardworking low-income families.
At the dinner, WesternU also will pay tribute to William Lee, DO, R Ph, a
1987 graduate of WesternU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
(COMP), and associate medical director at Gateway Medical Group in La
Mirada.
WesternU established the Asian American Scholarship Fund to financially
assist students of Asian descent who are studying to become health care
professionals. Scholarship recipients are judged by three criteria:
academic performance, financial need and community service.
Asian Americans represent 31 percent of WesternU’s student body and
approximately 15 percent of its alumni. Many past scholarship recipients
have gone on to become respected health care professionals serving Asian
communities, often pursuing their careers in underserved and economically
disadvantaged areas.
Those students to be honored at the dinner are: Kaeh Vang Saephanh, a
first-year medical student at COMP. Ms. Saephanh, of Pomona, is the
recipient of the James Yee Ginn & Mae Ginn Memorial Osteopathic
Scholarship Fund Award of $1,000, given annually to an osteopathic medical
student of Asian-American descent.
Maisie S. Mok, also a first-year medical student, will receive the $1,000
Randall Shue, DO ’83; Michael Wong, DO ’91; and Eugene Chan, MD, Chinese
Scholarship Fund award. Ms. Mok is a resident of Ontario.
Santa Ana resident Kevin D. Mai, another first-year COMP student is the
recipient of the $1,000 T.G. Wing Chow Scholarship Fund award.
Connie Chen, a third-year medical student from San Marino, will receive a
$1,000 scholarship, as will Baldwin Park’s Delano S. Fabro, Jr., a third-
year COMP student; Claremont’s Hieu Nguyen, also a third-year medical
student; Pasadena’s Navin Kedia, in his second year at COMP; Pomona’s Dat
Trinh, a second-year medical student; and Chino Hill’s Vincent Ayroso, a
first-year COMP student.
First year COMP students John-Khoa Do, from Garden Grove; and Pomona’s
Apinya Bee Vutikullird, will receive $1,000 loans from the Asian American
Scholarship Fund.
Cindy Con Tran, of Pomona will receive a $500 scholarship. Ms. Tran is a
first-year student in WesternU’s Primary Care Physician Assistant (PA)
Education program.
Jeanny Liu, a second-year PA student at WesternU’s Regional Center in
Chico, also will receive a $500 scholarship. Ms. Liu lives in Santa Clara.
Second-year Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) student Elaine S. Wong, of
West Hills, also is the recipient of a $500 scholarship, as is first-year
College of Pharmacy student Mai Nguyen, of Santa Ana; second-year pharmacy
student Rita Patel, of Chino Hills; third-year pharmacy student Nancy
Nguyen, of Claremont, and fourth-year pharmacy student Van Pham, of
Hawthorne.
The evening’s honoree, Dr Lee, is board certified in family practice,
occupational medicine, a registered pharmacist, and is a certified medical
review officer. He is an assistant clinical professor of family medicine
at COMP and an assistant clinical professor of occupational medicine at
the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Lee also serves his community as
a medical review officer for the 500-member Gateway Consortium, Tuflex
Industries and Foam Craft, Inc. He also is company physician for Von’s
Companies and Tuflex Industries in Santa Fe Springs, the Norwalk La Mirada
School District and Choc Thrift Stores.
Tickets to the dinner are $100 per person; proceeds go toward the Asian
American Scholarship Fund. For reservations or more information, contact
WesternU’s Events and Programs Department at (909) 469-5365.
