SSHS alumna wins APIASF scholarship

A recent graduate of Saipan Southern High School has been awarded a $2,500 grant by the Asia & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund.

Jove Jenn Maalihan Taman, daughter of Majie and Simeon Maalihan, said she applied for the financial assistance in January this year and is elated and grateful to learn that she has been chosen to receive the award.

“I feel very proud of myself and I am very glad that I was named for this scholarship. It’s a great help for my [college] studies,” she told Saipan Tribune.

The financial grant will be awarded for the 2011-2012 academic school year.

The 17-year-old student graduated from high school last month. Taman said she will be attending University of Hawaii at Hilo to pursue a degree in nursing.

APIASF, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization devoted solely to providing college scholarships to Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, is awarding for the first time ever $1.2 million in scholarships to more than 500 students for the 2011-2012 academic school year.

In a statement from the organization, it said that its scholarships—ranging from $2,500 to $8,000 individually—are given to deserving high school and college students with which many of whom are the first in their family to attend college.

With a goal of providing a critical bridge to higher education for students across the country, APIASF’s scholarships are intended to make a difference in the lives of Asia and Pacific Islands students by providing them with resources that increase their access to higher education.

“Our primary focus is to provide scholarships to AAPI students and offer guidance, mentorship, and programs to facilitate their academic success, leadership, and professional growth,” said APIASF president and executive director Neil Horikoshi in a statement.

The organization said the 2011-2012 APIASF scholarship class will be attending more than 200 colleges and universities around the country. Many students have plans to pursue various fields of study including anthropology, biology, dentistry, international relations, marketing, political science, sociology, and even zoology.

APIASF manages two scholarship programs: the general APIASF Scholarship and the Gates Millennium Scholars Program/Asian Pacific Islander Americans funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Since 2003, the organization has provided recipients more than $40 million in scholarship grants.