2009 Taiwanese American Community Scholarship Award Recipients

 

Miss Melissa E. Alba

James W. Robinson Secondary School

Fairfax, Virginia

Mr. Ryan M. Bercaw

Gaithersburg High School

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Mr. Gregory G. Callas 

Westfield High School

Chantilly, Virginia

Miss En-Chi Chang

Winston Churchill High School

Potomac, Maryland

Miss Celia R. Dubroof

Gaithersburg High School

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Miss Ithi H. Joshi

Chantilly High School

Chantilly, Virginia

Mr. Matthew L. Litton

Chantilly High School

Chantilly, Virginia

Mr. Joshua M. Oppenheimer

Winston Churchill High School

Potomac, Maryland

Miss Christine R. Peng

Thomas S. Wootton High School

Rockville, Maryland

Miss Clarke S. Randolph

Benjamin Banneker Academic High School

Washington, DC

Miss Sneha Ryali

Centreville High School

Clifton, Virginia

Miss Ravneet K. Singh

Herndon High School

Herndon, Virginia

Mr. Andrew M. Taverner

Tuscarora High School

Frederick, Maryland

Mr. Soham Trivedi

James W. Robinson Secondary School

Fairfax, Virginia

Miss Ping T. Yeh

Centennial High School

Ellicott City, Maryland

Miss Alice T. Zic

Quince Orchard High School

Gaithersburg, Maryland

 

(In alphabetic order)

 

 

 

 

Melissa E. Alba

Melissa Alba attends Robinson Secondary School and will be pursuing her future education at George Mason University.  Melissa is a very outgoing, hardworking and overachieving young adult. In Robinson Secondary, Melissa has been very involved in organizations and clubs such as the College Partnership Program, National Honor Society and Criminal Justice Club. She has had the privilege to play on her schools basketball team and receive her Varsity Letterman Award her junior year of High School.  Melissa has not only been involved in high school activities, but also throughout the community. She has been able to use her time wisely and productively by coaching a Fairfax Police Youth Club soccer team since her freshman year of high school. With all the time consumption of soccer, Melissa has still been able to set aside time for other activities such as Girl Scouts. Melissa has proudly served her community as a Girl Scout for thirteen years, since she was a Daisy in Kindergarten.

Melissa is very excited to start her freshman year of College at George Mason University where she will be majoring in Administrative Justice. She wants to thank all the support from her family, friends and her school as well as the Taiwanese American Community Award Committee for giving her the chance of success and believing in her potential.

 

Ryan Bercaw

Ryan Bercaw, a senior from Gaithersburg High School, is a life-long soccer player and aspiring engineer who believes being an active member in the community is vital.  Ryan was a member of the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Students Opposed to Smoking, and co-founded the GHS Ultimate Frisbee Club along with some friends.  Ryan was a four year player for the Gaithersburg High School Varsity Soccer team and was senior captain this past season.  He has been playing soccer since the age of five both for school and clubs teams and often uses his experience to help the development of younger players around the community.  He has also excelled academically with a 4.0 un-weighted gpa, receiving straight A・s throughout all of high school.  After much thought and consideration, he has decided to attend the College of Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.  He plans to excel academically at Virginia Tech setting him up to have a successful career in the field of engineering.  Ryan also plans on being an active member in the Hokie community by participating in several clubs and helping out with community service activities. 

 

Gregory G. Callas

Greg Callas is a senior at Westfield High School in Chantilly, Virginia.  Greg has been a member of the Student Government all four years serving as Committee Chair, Board Member and as the Vice President his senior year.  He is a member of National Honor Society.  He has been a member of the football team all four years earning a varsity letter his junior year as the team went on to win the Virginia State Championship.  He played junior varsity baseball and served as Team Captain his sophomore year.

Greg is active with the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  He sees first hand how devastating this disease is as his uncle has been fighting the disease for over 30 years.  Greg has appeared on the local telecast of the MDA Telethon since he was only 5 years old to present a check for the money raised to find a cure.  He has been honored with the Outstanding Leadership Award given to him his junior year by WHS.  He is the oldest of three boys in his family and is a fine example to his younger brothers.  He will be attending Virginia Tech in the fall and plans to major in Marketing Management.   He plans to pursue a post graduate degree..

En-chi (Grace) Chang

En-chi (Grace) Chang is a senior at Winston Churchill High School. She is Vice President of the English Honor Society and member of the Science Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society), National Honor Society, and Tri-M Music Honor Society. She is Vice President of the Asian American Club and has played piano, flute, piccolo and guitar for a combined total of 20 years. Although she has eclectic interests, music has always been most dear to her heart. Besides winning several state and county awards, she has also played in many bands and musicals.

Grace has won several leadership and community service-based awards, including the Washington China Post Leadership and Community Service Award, as well as the Outstanding Student Award given by the organization American Citizens of Taiwan Origin. Whether volunteering at senior living centers, babysitting, or tutoring, Grace finds great satisfaction in assisting others.

She would like to thank her parents, teachers, and peers for their loving guidance, as well as the Taiwan Culture Center for providing such generous support to students. Grace will strive to honor her Taiwan heritage through her education at Vanderbilt University this fall.

 

Celia Dubroof

Celia Dubroof is a senior at Gaithersburg High School. Celia served as President of the Key Club, Sgt. at Arms of the Interact Club, Vice-President of the Drama Club, a Freshman Mentor, and was a member of National Honors Society, French Honors Society, and Students Against Destructive Decisions. Celia was captain of the Girls Varsity Tennis team and manager of the Wrestling team. Celia was a semi-finalist in the Maryland Distinguished Scholar Talent in the Arts Vocal Category and Honorable Mention in the Maryland Distinguished Scholar Academic Category. She has excelled in the arts all through middle school and high school, participating in the Montgomery County Honors Chorus for eight years, as well as participating in the Maryland Junior All-State Choir for 3 years and the Maryland Senior All-State Choir for 2 years. Celia was a 2007 Mark Curtis Scholar, an honoree for her high school at the MCPS Superintendent Performing Arts Award GALA, and received 1st place at the Macklin Business Plan Competition. Celia is a Saturday School tutor, a student director at Musical Theater Center, a Hebrew Home of Greater Washington volunteer, and an enthusiastic Outdoor Education counselor. Celia is greatly honored to receive the Taiwanese American Community Scholarship Award which will help to defray the costs of attending Wake Forest University in the fall. Thank you!.

 

Ithi Joshi

Ithi Joshi, a senior at Chantilly High School, has been greatly involved in her community for the past four years. Her strong volunteering spirit took her to Paraguay, South America last summer. There, she engaged in spreading literacy and education through the community she worked in for a month. Joshi has also provided community service at local Girl Scout summer camps by working as camp leader for the campers. She furthermore has volunteered at the INOVA Fair Oaks Hospital for over two years. At school, Joshi is historian for the National Honor Society and a member of the Spanish and Science Honor Societies. She enjoys dancing and has been a part of Chantilly・s International Night all throughout high school. Joshi also enjoys playing soccer as a hobby for the Chantilly Youth League. This fall, Joshi is excited to be attending the University of Virginia. She would like to thank God for His incessant blessings, her family, teachers, and the Taiwanese American Community Scholarship Committee for selecting her as a recipient for this award.

 

Matthew Litton

Matthew Litton is currently a senior at Chantilly High School and he is very involved in his school and community.  Matthew has participated in numerous service projects including building picnic tables for his school as part of his Eagle Scout project, mentoring underprivileged children in the Anacostia district of Washington, D.C., and orchestrating gift drives for hospitals and events at local nursing homes.  He currently serves as the President of the National Honor Society, the captain of the Varsity Golf Team, and a leader of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  Also, he has been instrumental in initiating the creation and implementation of Chantilly High School・s Honor Code.  Matthew has achieved a 4.0 GPA in addition to volunteering with his church and working part time at the Virginia Golf Center and Academy.  In the fall, Matthew will attend Grove City College with plans to study Electrical Engineering.

 

Joshua M. Oppenheimer

Josh Oppenheimer is a senior at Winston Churchill High School. At Churchill, Josh has been very involved in student government, serving as Freshman Class Vice President, Sophomore Class President, School SGA Vice President, and is currently School SGA President. He has loved serving the school and community, whether it has been organizing school events or leading fundraisers. Josh is part of the Math, Tech, and Science Academy, as well as involved in many honor societies and the Mock Trial Team. Josh is a Maryland Distinguished Scholar Semi-Finalist, a National Merit Commended Scholar, and a President・s Volunteer Service Award recipient for over 260 hours of community service. Last year, Josh completed an internship at NIH, creating podcasts about cancer for high school students to download. He enjoys sailing, scuba diving, long walks on the beach, and California Tortilla. Josh is excited to attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall.

 

Christine Peng

Christine Peng was born in Fairfax Virginia in 1991 and is currently a senior at Thomas S. Wootton High School. Christine participates in numerous extracurricular activities including being an active member of the National Spanish Honor Society, American Red Cross Club and Rotary Interact Club. Through these organizations, she has helped raised money for children in third world countries, donated bikes to children around the world, and gave meals to the less fortunate on Thanksgiving. Ever since she was little, Christine has been playing music. Christine began her musical education when she was 5 years old with the piano and in fourth grade, she started to play the cello and since then, Christine has participated in numerous ensembles, including the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra, the Potomac Valley Youth Orchestra, and her school orchestras. Christine also loves children and has spent her last 4 summers working with children at camps around Montgomery County. In her spare time, she enjoys running, traveling, and spending time with friends. In the fall, Christine plans on attending the University of Maryland, College Park where wants to major in Business.

 

Clarke Randolph

Clarke Randolph, a senior at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, DC, is a member of the National Language Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, President of the Banneker Chapter of the National Honor Society, and 2008 inductee into the National Achievers Society, Greater Washington Urban League.  In preparation for her desired career as a Physician of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Clarke has begun studying independently, Mandarin Chinese language, and Chinese history and culture.  During the summer of 2007, Clarke, a violinist, was invited to travel to China for two weeks with the Landon Symphony Orchestra to represent America and perform in various cities, including Beijing, Chengdu, Suzhou, and Xi・an.  Clarke has volunteered her talents for many fundraising events, and has performed for embassies of foreign nations, and at universities, schools, and various theatres throughout the Washington Metropolitan area.  In May of 2008, Clarke received the Excellence in the Arts award from the National Society of Arts and Letters in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Clarke plans to attend Spelman College this fall.  Clarke is honored to be a recipient of the 2009 Taiwanese American Community Scholarship Award..

 

Sneha Ryali

Sneha Ryali is currently a senior at Centreville High School. She is very outgoing, compassionate, intellectually driven girl. She participates in numerous extracurricular activities including National Honor Society, Social Studies Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Business Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and Spanish Club. She was actually the Vice President for the Spanish Club in her school. As much as she loves learning about her culture she also likes exploring other traditions and customs. She participated in the Science Fair and went to states twice representing her school. Outside of school dance is one of her greatest passions which she has continued for the past seven years. She also loves painting and working on anything related to art. She has been volunteering for the Centreville Library for the past couple of years and also volunteered for Fair Oaks Skin Care Center. Apart from school she loves hanging out with her friends, listening music, reading and spending time with her family. She is really looking forward to attending George Mason University and hopes to major in Business Management and Accounting. In the future, she hopes to continue to volunteer and be a part of the community. She thanks her family for supporting her throughout her high school years and helping her with every step she takes.

 

Ravneet Singh

Ravneet Singh, a Senior, is one of the most hard-working and committed students at Herndon High School. At school and at work, Singh is known for her punctual, diligent work ethic. With excellent leadership and organizational skills, she juggles her time with school, work, and volunteering throughout the week. She is involved in several clubs and organizations, including Varsity Math Team, Math Honor Society, and National Honor Society. Last year, she was elected the president of the Students Against Global Abuse (SAGA) club, a school-based environmental club dedicated to stopping the effects of global warming.

Singh・s exceptional character has been recognized and awarded through her service and academics countless times. In less than two years, she has performed almost 300 hours of community service and has been nominated for Herndon・s Most Outstanding and Distinguished Volunteer. Academically, Singh has been acknowledged for her high GPA and grades throughout her high school career, even claiming the title of Valedictorian during her Freshman and Sophomore years before moving to Virginia from Texas.

Her passionate and ambitious nature will surely guide Singh to success in the fields she wishes to study, business and finance. She plans on attending two years at Northern Virginia Community College before transferring to George Mason University.

 

Andrew M. Taverner

Andrew Taverner is a senior at Tuscarora High School in Frederick Maryland. Andrew is very active in extracurricular activities at his high school, including Key Club, National Honor Society, Academic Team, Envirothon, and Book Club. He has been Vice President and Editor of the Tuscarora Key Club and received the Distinguished Vice President and Distinguished Editor awards. In the Key Club, Andrew has had the opportunity to raise money for the Red Cross, collect canned food, clean the roads, and gift wrap presents during the holiday season to raise money for the Key Club's sponsoring Kiwanis Club. Andrew has also played the violin since 4th grade and participated in All County Orchestra and Frederick Regional Orchestra. Andrew has been in the Bug Patrol 4-H group since 3rd grade and was the Treasurer of Bug Patrol for four, non-consecutive years and Vice President for two years. He was the Senior Entomology Champion and his collection won the Overall Reserve Grand Champion at the Frederick Fair. Andrew has also been interning at the National Cancer Institute in Frederick for the past year and will be returning there this summer. Andrew will be attending the University of Maryland, College Park this fall. 

 

Soham Trivedi

Soham Trivedi is currently a senior in the International Baccalaureate Program at James W. Robinson Secondary School. He has dedicated much of his time to providing services to the community through Boy Scouts and has risen very high within the program  attaining the rank of Eagle Scout along with numerous other honors and awards. He has also helped his school community through various tutoring activities that he completes through his participation in National, Math, Spanish, and History honor society He has been very active in Science Fair earning him a first place award and a grand prize nomination at the regional fair this year. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, camping, hiking, backpacking, canoeing, listening to music, playing bass guitar, traveling, watching movies, and sleeping. Soham is excited to attend the University of Virginia next year, and hopes to major in biomedical engineering.

 

Ping Teresa Yeh

Ping Teresa Yeh, a senior at Centennial High School, is active both at school and in her community. A passionate student, Ping enjoys a gamut of subjects -- math, science,and humanities. She has gone to the American Regions Mathematics League with her Math Team, competed in science research competitions like the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, and won a special prize at Maryland History Day. She loves working with younger children; she leads a tutoring group for recently immigrated elementary school students and teaches her church's Kindergarten Sunday School. A participant and later an intern for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Student Leadership trips for five consecutive summers and the president of the Environmental Club, Ping is dedicated to learning about and protecting the world around us. She also coordinates her school's annual quizbowl tournament, as the It's Academic club secretary. A violist, she also participates in the Howard County GT Orchestra and plays in the Centennial String Quartet. She has conducted research at the Center for Biologics Evaluations and Research, the Johns Hopkins Institute of Genetic Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health.

Ping was thrilled to receive the Presidential Scholar Award for Maryland, and is honored to accept the Taiwanese American Community Scholarship Award! She is excited to attend Rice University in the fall, as part of the Rice University-Baylor College of Medicine eight-year Medical Scholars Program.

 

Alice Zic

Alice Zic, a senior at Quince Orchard High School, has actively pursued an eclectic array of activities throughout her high school career ranging from marching band to the school newspaper.  She developed and refined her leadership and communication skills by serving as a Section Leader in Marching Band, Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper, and Co-President of Formosa Club, where she had the opportunity to not only learn about Taiwanese culture, but to also sing in Taiwanese in Quince Orchard High School・s International Night.  Despite her long list of activities, Alice has had the time to pursue her true passions: science and music.  Alice currently takes voice lessons at the Levine School of Music at Strathmore while serving as an active member of her school・s show choir.  This semester, Alice also had the opportunity to be a part of Impact Entertainment, a local hip hop dance company.  In the classroom, Alice has consistently taken and excelled in AP science courses, and as a result, was nominated this year to attend the Holiday Lectures on Neuroscience at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.  Alice plans to continue her love for science next year at Wake Forest University, where she plans to major in biology and minor in neuroscience.                                 

 

Taiwanese American Community Scholarship Award

 

 

In order to enhance the relationship between Taiwanese American and the community where Taiwanese American lives and to provide encouragement and inspiration of young Americans to excel in leadership, community services as well as academic achievement, the Taiwan Culture Center (TCC) of the greater Washington area is proud to sponsor the :Taiwanese American Community Scholarship Award;.  The TCC Board of Directors (BOD) invites all senior students to apply for this scholarship.

 

Qualification & Application

  • All graduating high school seniors of the ten selected schools are eligible to apply.  One or more awards will be given to each chosen school, provided there are sufficient applicants from that particular school.
  • All graduating high school seniors in the Washington DC metropolitan area who are not from the ten selected schools are also eligible to apply.  There will be one or more awards in this (At-Large) category if there are at least five applicants in this category.
  • It is open to all qualified students from all ethnic groups. Limited to citizens and permanent residents of USA.
  • The deadline of application is generally in mid-April of each year.

 

Evaluation criteria: Leadership (30%); Community Activities and Services (30%); Extra Curricula Activity (15%); Academic Achievement (15%); A written essay of no more than 500 words on :My Most Rewarding Experience of Participation in Community Services; Essay (10%)

The application forms are available at the following web link: http://www.TaiwanCultureCtr.org/tacsa/.