Compiled by Staff
Northwest Asian Weekly
Northwest Asian Weekly’s Diversity Makes a Difference scholarship program celebrates young people who are committed to reaching out across cultural lines. Students are nominated by their schools as being champions of diversity. From among those students, a judging panel will choose five winners who will receive $1,000 scholarships and a number of finalists who will receive $200 scholarships.
The Diversity Makes a Difference awards dinner will take place on March 30 at New Hong Kong Restaurant. To buy tickets, visit diversity.nwasianweeklyfoundation.org. Each week, leading up to the dinner, we are publishing a batch of short profiles of the nominees, in no particular order.
Gillian Friedman
Senior at Roosevelt High School
Nominated by Cora H. Mackoff
“Gillian’s dedication to immersing herself in diverse situations seems to call her to be involved in such programs as Youth Undoing Institutional Racism (YUIR) in Seattle and the Nesiya Program in Israel,” Cora H. Mackoff, social studies department head, wrote in a letter of recommendation. “The YUIR program is designed to empower inner city youth to recognize and transcend society’s cultural, political, and psychological barriers to their development.”
In her personal essay, Friedman wrote about her experience in the Nesiya Program and in Youth Undoing Institutional Racism, Childhaven, and the University Food Bank.
About Youth Undoing Institutional Racism, she wrote, “With weekly meetings and twice-yearly intensive workshops, we work together to build bridges between disparate groups and raise awareness about the impact of racism on youth in Seattle. … In the summer after my junior year, I was one of three interns given fellowships to create a documentary about the relationships between youth of different backgrounds and the Seattle Police.”
Desiree Gross
Senior at Chief Sealth High School
Nominated by Kory Kumasaka
Desiree is a leader and a volunteer, a familiar face that we call upon to represent the school,” Chief Sealth counselor Kory Kumasaka wrote in a letter of recommendation. “She is the senior class president and has held the offices of president and treasurer of the Key Club. She also has been a member of several community service groups, such as City Heroes, YMCA Earth Service Corps, the Youth Media Institute, and the Service Board. … Desiree comes from Palau, a Micronesian island south of the Philippines.”
“I think diversity is important because people from different backgrounds can come together to make one another more richly diverse,” Gross wrote in a letter of recommendation. “I believe that people who interact with other people are able to open up their perspectives and not be afraid to try new things. Living in Seattle for 13 years, it still excites me that I am able to meet people from all over the world. Therefore, without diversity, I would not think that going to school or other places would be as exciting.”
Brianna Ishihara
Senior at Holy Names Academy
Nominated by Alice Tanaka
“Brianna has taken a special interest in the role of the 442nd regimental battalion in World War II because of her grandfather being a part of that battalion, the most decorated in the history of America,” Alice Tanaka, Holy Names counselor, wrote in a letter of recommendation. “When the United States finally decided to recognize their accomplishments with the Gold Medal of Honor ceremony recently, Bri was able to be there as her mother stood in for Bri’s deceased grandfather. … She has given presentations at various events, most notably at the unveiling of the Wall of Honor at the local Nisei Veterans Hall.”
“When I began attending Holy Names Academy, a predominately white, all-girls Catholic high school, I was in culture shock, and for the first time, I was aware of being different,” Ishihara wrote in her personal essay. “I felt I needed to get more socially engaged, so I joined the Multicultural Student Union (MSU). I was an Asian and Pacific Islander (API) focus group leader my junior year and both an API and MSU group leader my senior year. As a leader, my goal is to include issues impacting diverse communities and not just focus on sharing different types of food and culture.”
Ben Cheung
Senior at Shorewood High School
Nominated by Pam Richards
“Ben is well liked by his peers. His understated and friendly personality meshes well with a wide range of personality types,” Shorewood counselor Pam Richards wrote in a letter of recommendation. “It’s no surprise he was selected to be a student leader through the LINK mentor program. He’s also a year-round competitive soccer player on both school and select teams. His church involvement is important to him. In fact, he cites his Christian values as being the most positive influence during his high school years. He’s also a regular volunteer at our local hospital, which has helped him research his interest in a medical career.”
“In most places, the community is created by all kinds of people,” Cheung wrote in his personal essay. “Whether it is by race or by interests, these differences help make the community. … Diversity helps me see how and why people are different. It shows me the positive impacts different people from me can make to a community compared with me. … Diversity is important in how it shows how different diverse people can positively impact a community.”
Janice Liang
Senior at Sehome High School
Nominated by Julie Kratzig
“Janice is very active in her school and community. In school, she has not only done orchestra, but has participated in sports, Science Olympiad, clubs like Students for Global Awareness and Outreach, and is currently serving as the Associated Student Body Treasurer,” Sehome Counselor Julie Kratzig wrote in a letter of recommendation.
“In her community, Janice has volunteered her musical talent for her church. She has traveled to Taiwan for the last few summers to volunteer to teach English to elementary and middle school children.”
“My parents are Taiwanese immigrants, and growing up, I came to know both Chinese and American cultures,” Liang wrote in a personal essay. “Having resided in the United States for the better part of my life, American culture is something I live by. But my parents also present many Chinese values in our household, and I’ve become accustomed to those as well. Merging two distinct ways of living [in] my life has given me the ability to work with a diverse community.”
Sarah Mirahsani
Senior at Issaquah High School
Nominated by Todd Herd
“I have known Sarah in my capacity as her school counselor for years now at Issaquah High,” Issaquah counselor Todd Herd wrote in a letter of recommendation. “I have found her to be extraordinarily mature and capable for a teen, an academically talented student who has been successful over the years in solid, well-rounded academically focused courses at both the high school and college levels.”
“Attending Bellevue College as a high school junior made me realize that here was a place where I could espouse the reality of Iran and change people’s perception of its culture,” Mirahsani wrote in a personal essay. “Meeting other Persians on campus ignited my interest towards my roots. Soon, I became involved in the Persian Association, and as my dedication and passion towards learning about my rich culture flourished, I had the honor of being elected the vice president of the Bellevue College Persian Association. … I spearheaded the Nooruz event for the Persian New Year. It was the largest student event Bellevue College had hosted thus far, and soon after, the students of Bellevue College voted the Persian Association as ‘Club of the Year.’”
Ada Nolasco
Senior at Sehome High School
Nominated by Lindsay McDonald
“Ada has shown strong leadership in our Sehome High School MEChA club,” wrote counselor Lindsay McDonald in a letter of recommendation. “She helped to organize a dinner last year in which we brought students from Western Washington University to our high school to speak about academic success. She has also been active in a program called Club de Lecture, where high school students mentor elementary students in reading. However, in this case, the children are reading in Spanish, to help them develop as bilingual and biliterate students.”
“Even though I was not born in El Salvador, my family is from there. I am proud to be from a different place. That way, I can teach others from what I have been taught. … I am sometimes called Mexican and I say, “I am not Mexican, I am Salvadorian,” and they say, “It’s the same thing.” To me, it’s not the same thing because of our ways of doing things. … I would think that the same goes for all other cultures. They don’t like to be mistaken because they’re proud of who they are. It’s amazing when you learn thing things from them.”
Jessica Ramirez
Senior at Nathan Hale High School
Nominated by Jeffery Jones
“I made efforts to connect as I saw tremendous potential in Jessica,” Jeffrey Jones, head counselor at Nathan Hale, wrote in a letter of recommendation. “I’ve also learned that because her mom is a single parent who works late hours housecleaning, Jessica also helps to financially support her family and that she has many responsibilities looking after her younger brother.”
“What Jessica has done to support diversity in our school is noteworthy,” added Jones. “As a freshman, she and a group of friends got together to start up Hale’s first-ever Latino Club. … Over the four years of her involvement, the club has offered ways for Latino students to showcase their cultural heritage in various all-school events.”
“Diversity is especially important to me because going to a school where I am usually the only Latina in all of my classes can be intimidating,” Ramirez wrote in her personal essay. “I personally try to make a positive influence among my peers every day, and I have, for the last four years.”
Areesa Somani
Junior at Issaquah High School
Nominated by Melanie Bonanno
“Outside of the classroom, Areesa … has been a member of the National Honor Society and Key Club throughout high school, and consistently volunteers in their service initiatives throughout the year,” Issaquah counselor Melanie Bonanno wrote in a letter of recommendation. “She has served as a juror at the Bellevue Youth Court for the City of Bellevue on a monthly basis for the last two years. She jumped at the chance to get involved with the Multicultural Club in her freshman year, serving as secretary, and she was selected to serve as president this year.”
“I remember being attuned to the sting of racism from a young age,” Somani wrote in her personal essay. “My first experience with such injustice occurred on the kindergarten playground, where my friend Evan told me that his parents would no longer allow him to be in my company due to the color of my skin, and, as I would later discover, the prejudice in their hearts. I was too young to understand the complexity of the situation, but I remember feeling hurt, humiliated, and confused. Surely this was not my fault. Surely this was wrong. From then on, race became a part of my life.”
“I currently attempt to affect change by continuing my work with the Multicultural Club, a school organization which I founded in order to combat the prejudice that is still prevalent in our community,” Somani wrote. (end)
For more information, visit diversity.nwasianweeklyfoundation.org.