NAAAP Scholarship Committee Congratulates Six Student Recipients of the 2009 NAAAP Verizon Leadership Scholarships

Winners Selected from a Field of More than 100 Applicants

The National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) and Verizon are proud to announce the six (6) winners of the 2009 NAAAP Verizon Leadership Scholarships.

Each student will receive $4,500 in scholarship money for a total of $27,000 donated by the Verizon Foundation.  This year's winners are:

• Jason Chow, Junior, Cal Poly Pomona (La Crescenta, CA), mgmt. computer info. systems
• Tony Kim, Senior, University of Houston (Houston, TX); electrical engineering
• Hoang Nguyen, Senior, Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA), accounting
• Somchai Phasouk, Sophomore, DePaul University (Chicago, IL); marketing
• Boloroo Uuganbayar, Freshman, Yale (New Haven, CT), computer science
• Jiayi Wang, Junior, University of Washington (Seattle, WA), marketing and finance.

Brad Baldia, NAAAP National President, said "the scholarship committee with support from NAAAP chapters and ventures did an excellent job in implementing, this, our first National scholarship for Asian American students.  We are proud to partner with Verizon and share their commitment to fostering new leaders and cultivating the talents of our next generation."

Scholarship winners were selected from a field of more than 100 entries.  Each candidate was required to have a GPA of 3.0 or above, submit essays on Leadership and Asian American role models, and provide letters of recommendation from academic and community mentors.

"At Verizon, we believe that education is the key to tomorrow's highly-skilled workforce.  We're proud to make this investment in these six students, because we're confident that they will become successful members of the Asian American professional community," said Diana Vargas, Sr. Staff Consultant at Verizon.

Entries were judged by members of the NAAAP Scholarship Committee consisting of officers and members from NAAAP chapters nationwide.

Yiu Man So, Scholarship Committee Chair, said the caliber of this year's applicants was impressive.  "Many of them demonstrated excellent academic performance and leadership skills.  It was an honor to witness the talent, positive outlook and courage among Asian Americans."

Scholarship winners will be recognized locally as well as at the 2009 NAAAP National Convention in Denver, CO (August 13-16) at the Hyatt Regency.

The National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit membership-based organization and is the largest and fastest-growing Asian professional association with representation in over 25 cities across the United States and Canada.  Its vision is "We Make Leaders!"  For more information about NAAAP, go to www.naaap.org.

The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literace and K-12 education through its free educational website, Thinkfinity.org, and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence.  In 2008, the Verizon Foundation awarded more than $68 million in grants to nonprofit agencies in the U.S. and abroad.  It also matched the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting in an additional $26 million in combined contributions to nonprofits.  For more information on the foundation, visit www.verizonfoundation.org.

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