Khmer group's scholarship deadline nears [for Long Beach Unified School District]

04/20/2010
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

The Khmer Parents Association is seeking applicants from the Class of 2010 for a series of college scholarships it will be awarding at the end of the school year.

The KPA in conjunction with Pioneer Circuits, Inc. will be awarding 12 scholarships to Southeast Asian high school seniors attending schools in the Long Beach Unified School District. Amounts will range from $500 to $1,500.

To be eligible, the student must be a child with at least one parent who is a Southeast Asian refugee from Cambodia, Vietnam or Laos.

In addition to the award, winners will participate in a one-day leadership training program offered by Pioneer Circuits CEO James Lee.

Lee will also maintain contact with award-winners throughout their college careers to offer help, advice and other perks.

Interested students can obtain an application from their school scholarship counselors or career centers. Applications must be postmarked by Saturday, April 24.

The award-winners will be notified by mail. Friends and families of the award-winners are invited to the Scholarship Award and Graduation Celebration at St. Mary Medical Center.

Additional information is available from Chan Hopson, the Scholarship Committee Co-Chair, 562-276-5888 or e-mail to misschan@khmerparent.org or Charles Song at 562-999-6147 or clsdiamondandgold@yahoo.com

Cambodian parents' group to honor grads

06/06/2008
Greg Mellen
Long Beach Press Telegram

LONG BEACH - Long Beach high school graduates of Cambodian heritage are invited to a Class of 2008 Graduation Celebration tonight at St. Mary Medical Center.

The Khmer Parents Association in conjunction with the Cambodian Association of America, the United Cambodian Community and St. Mary Medical Center will hand out more than $2,000 in scholarships to about 10 local graduates and expect about 200 local residents to attend.

Any 2008 high school graduate with at least one Cambodian parent is invited to the free dinner. Appropriate business attire is requested.

The celebration, the brainchild of KPA president and activist Chan Hopson, returns after a three-year hiatus.

A French-school educated teacher in Cambodia before the rise of the Khmer Rouge, Hopson also sponsors Cambodian health forums in Long Beach. Education, however, remains her passion.

"We want to support them and motivate them to go higher in education," Hopson said of Cambodian students, noting that many high school graduates are the children of uneducated parents and have lacked to the direction of their peers.

"We want people to see in this country if you don't have a higher education, you're not going anywhere," Hopson said.

Today's dinner is from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Parr Enhancement Center Building at St. Mary Medical Center, 1055 Linden Ave. For information call Chan Hopson 562-276-5888.