Ronald McDonald House Charities New York Tri-State Area (RMHC-NYSTA) celebrated the seven recipients of its 2017 RMHC/ASIA (Asian Students Increasing Achievement) Scholarship Program today with an awards luncheon at the W Hotel Union Square in Manhattan. Seven $16,000 scholarships, an increase from six last year, were awarded to outstanding local high school seniors. Hosted by CeFaan Kim from ABC7 Eyewitness News, the event featured a keynote address delivered by New York State Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou of District 65 and a special award presentation to the Honorable Doris Ling-Cohan of the New York State Supreme Court for her contributions to the Asian American community. The luncheon also coincides with Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Created in 2001, the RMHC/ASIA Scholarship Program has awarded over $1.6 million to Asian high school students in the New York Tri-State Area. As the largest scholarship of its kind, RMHC/ASIA annually grants individual college scholarships of $16,000 each to students in financial need who have demonstrated academic achievement, leadership and community involvement. Recipients are selected by a judging committee comprised of representatives from leading Asian American organizations, RMHC-NYTSA and McDonald’s.

“The RMHC/ASIA Scholarship program was designed to address the reality that many Asian American students face significant financial barriers to higher education,” said Christopher Perry, Executive Director or RMHC-NYSTA. “We are incredibly proud to offer seven generous college scholarships this year to help these promising young students achieve their dreams of obtaining a higher education.”

“With the increasing cost of college, not every family can afford their children’s tuition fees,” said McDonald’s franchisee Michael Anderer, President of the RMHC-NYTSA Board of Trustees and a member of this year’s scholarship selection committee. “We are committed to and are always happy to lend a helping hand to outstanding students in the community.”

The seven recipients of the 2017 RMHC/ASIA Scholarship Program are:

• Nancy Cao, 18, of Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, received “Best Inequality Hack” at the Social Hacks Hackathon with her all-female team for their website, which strips gendered language and racial biases from job applications to promote diversity in the workplace. She will be attending Harvey Mudd College and majoring in Computer Science.
• Dong Zhi Guo, 18, of Westhill High School in Stamford, CT, is the editor in chief of her school’s newspaper, The Westword, and has led the publication to a Silver Crown Award from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for journalistic excellence. She will be attending Boston University, majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Journalism.
• Mikako Inaba, 18, of Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, NJ, is the president of a school club, Foster the Children, working in the best interest of abused and neglected children living in the foster care system. She will be attending Princeton University and studying Mathematics.
• Noreen Mohsin, 18, of Townsend Harris High School in Queens, is president of her high school’s chapter of the ARCHON National Honor Society and has been captain of the girls cross country and track team for the past two years. She will be attending University of Pennsylvania and studying Business.
• Gladis Philip, 18, of Saddle Brook High School in Saddle Brook, NJ, has volunteered for five different organizations and has completed over 795 hours of community service. She will be attending SUNY New Paltz and majoring in Biology on the 7-year medical track.
• Tasfia Shawlin, 18, of Riverdale County School in the Bronx, started an afterschool arts education program at an elementary school in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the South Bronx. She will be attending Wellesley College and is undecided in her major.
• Shaina Zafar, 17, of H. Frank Carey Junior-Senior High School in Franklin Square, started her school’s Red Cross Club and was one of the youngest students to participate in the 2016 Summer Youth Assembly at the United Nations. She will be attending University of Pennsylvania and majoring in Political Science and Economics.