By Katrin Ciaffa, 10,000 Degrees Regional Director for Sonoma and Napa Counties.
For students who identify as AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander), people often assume that they have the financial resources and know-how to access, persist, and succeed in college. But that’s not always the case. There are a lot of misconceptions about AAPI students, Jin Choi told NBC Bay Area recently. Choi is Asian American and the director of scholarships at 10,000 Degrees, a leading, equity-focused scholarship provider and college success nonprofit in California.
We Are Not A Homogenous Group
“A lot of people think we are this homogenous group, that all of us graduate college, that all of us have engineering jobs… but of course, that’s not true,” Jin said. “There are over 60 different Asian nationalities and cultures in the Bay Area, and they all have their unique, different college outcomes … for instance, if you look at the Hmong community, the Vietnamese community, the Cambodian community, many are living under the federal poverty guidelines. They need as much help as any other community out there.”
Eighteen percent of 10,000 Degrees scholarship recipients identify as AAPI. Last year, they awarded nearly 600 AAPI students $788,000 in renewable, need-based scholarships. 10,000 Degrees has several scholarships specifically dedicated to AAPI students, including the Nas Scholarship for students of Indian descent, and the Asian Scholarship Fund for students who have one parent of Asian descent, are graduating seniors from Sonoma, Marin, Napa, or Contra Costa high schools, and are planning to enroll in college fulltime. All of 10,000 Degrees’ scholarships are need-based and renewable until baccalaureate attainment.
Through a potent combination of scholarships plus comprehensive support, 10,000 Degrees annually helps over 12,000 high school and college students from low-income backgrounds get to and through college so they can realize their full potential and positively impact their communities and the world.
Juliana Z.
Like 10,000 Degrees scholarship recipient Juliana Z., the daughter of Chinese immigrants, who hopes to give back to her community. “Growing up, those around me, including my immigrant parents, worked two to three blue-collared jobs, struggling with language barriers impacting their job security,” Juliana recalled. “My passion for languages stems from my realization that I could use this knowledge to advocate for others.
“I hope to use my language skills as the foundation of my work to further immigrant advocacy”
Juliana Z.
Juliana graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco in 2021 and is now attending UC Berkeley. She is determined to make a difference for other Asian immigrants.
“As a Chinese-American female, often underrepresented in today’s political stage, I strive to use my voice to help voice the needs and concerns of Asian Americans on the national policy agenda to combat the dominant model minority narrative,” Juliana said. “I aim to advocate for the provision of interpretive services to help the diverse population of Asian immigrants in their dealings with public/private agencies on a local, state, and national level. I seek to change our educational institutions to teach about multiculturalism and the histories, cultures, and contributions of Asian Americans.”
Amanda Doan
“I’m proud to say that I will be one of the first in my family to attain a college degree. I feel grateful that I am in 
a position where I can pursue my boldest dream of graduating without any debt during my undergraduate career, and I can assure that 10,000 Degrees, its staff and the various scholarship donors generosity will never be forgotten. Thank you for your investment in the youth!”
Amanda Doan, wearing a traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai to honor her Vietnamese heritage as a first-generation college student; Yerba Buena High School, Santa Clara 2018, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2023.
100% of 10,000 Degrees students come from low-income backgrounds, 93% are from communities of color, and 92% will be the first in their family to attend college. 10,000 Degrees also provides extensive support to undocumented students, including scholarships.
Hy L.
Hy L. is a 10,000 Degrees scholarship recipient from Sonoma County who graduated from Piner High School in Santa Rosa in 2022 and is now majoring in mechanical engineering at UCLA. “My family and I immigrated from Vietnam in 2010, and being able to make my parents proud after all the hard work they’ve put in makes me very happy,” Hy said. “My parents always assured me that money wouldn’t be an issue, that we can take out loans and make it work, especially since engineering is a stable career. But I definitely wanted to seek out opportunities where they existed if it could ease the burden on our family. I am incredibly grateful for this scholarship and its easing of not only our financial burden but my mental burden as well.”
10,000 Degrees services include college and financial aid counseling, near-peer coaching, financial aid management, and career and graduate school support for students and alumni. Unlike most other college success organizations, there is no GPA requirement to participate in their programs. Their Fellows, near-peer coaches who are recent college graduates and often alum of 10,000 Degrees, are embedded in high school and college campuses to help students navigate life both on and off-campus and throughout their college success journey. With this innovative support model, 10,000 Degrees achieves unmatched success rates: Over 80% of 10,000 Degrees four-year college students earn bachelor’s degrees. 10,000 Degrees community college students transfer to and graduate from four-year colleges at a rate that’s three times the national average. 10,000 Degrees students also graduate with 88% less student loan debt than the national average.
Eight Bay Area Counties Served
10,000 Degrees programs reach students and families in eight Bay Area counties – Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara – and partner with 41 high schools, 56 community colleges, and 170 four-year colleges and universities across the nation.
Application Period
The 10,000 Degrees scholarship application period coincides with the FAFSA® (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and California Dream Act (for undocumented students) application periods, which will be opening at the end of the 2023 calendar year. 10,000 Degrees’ team provides extensive support with all financial aid applications and always strives to work closely with each student’s family.
Please check 10,000 Degrees’ website at 10000degrees.org for more information. 10,000 Degrees strongly encourages all AAPI students with financial needs to apply and take advantage of this life-changing, free resource.
Questions? Please contact:
- Katrin Ciafffa, Regional Director for Sonoma and Napa County: katrin.ciaffa@10000degrees.org
- Jin Choi, Director of Scholarships: jchoi@10000degrees.org