By JEAN-PAUL deGUZMAN
The San Fernando Valley Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League is pleased to honor five talented college and college-bound students with scholarships to support their academic and social justice organizing pursuits.
Seira Narita is headed to UC Davis in the fall and received the Dr. Sanbo and Mrs. Kay Sakaguchi Graduating High School Scholarship.
Olivia Mazzucato (UCLA), Kara Tanaka (Santa Clara University) and Nova Weng (UCLA) received the Dr. Sanbo and Mrs. Kay Sakaguchi Undergraduate Scholarships, while Dean Caudill (UC Berkeley) received a chapter undergraduate scholarship.
The chapter was very impressed with the breadth and depth of each student’s scholastic achievements and level of engagement with their school and larger community. They are all very well versed in contemporary issues facing Asian Americans such as media representation, LGBTQ rights, and immigration politics. They are currently (or aspiring) journalists, artists, musicians, veterinarians, and policy makers.
The Dr. Sanbo and Mrs. Kay Sakaguchi Scholarships are generously funded by a longtime chapter supporter and named for pillars of the San Fernando Valley Japanese American community. The scholarship committee specifically awards students with interests in civil rights and community service. Previous winners have graduated from UCLA and UC Santa Barbara, participated in the Tuna Canyon Detention Station Coalition’s “Only the Oaks Remain” exhibition, and gone on to intern with the prosecution for the Khmer Rouge Tribunals in Cambodia.
For more information about the scholarships, please visit: http://sfvjacl.weebly.com/scholarships-and-internships.html