APIASF Hosts Inaugural Summit: Elevate
Washington, D.C. (October 10, 2017) - The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) hosted its inaugural Summit: Empower Leader Engagement, Vision, and Advancement Through Education on September 29th and 30th in Washington, D.C. Summit: ELEVATE built upon our signature Higher Education Summit to include a convening of Asian American Native American and Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) stakeholders to set key shared priorities for AANAPISIs over the next couple of years and a leadership academy for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) high school and college students. Attendees had the opportunity to engage with top practitioners and policymakers on scalable best practices, successful institutional capacity-building initiatives, new research and data, and evidence-based recommendations to strengthen students, families, and communities.
"With the addition of a Leadership Academy to prepare students for higher education and careers and the Convening to acknowledge the unique role that institutions play in AAPI student development, we hope to uplift and empower students. We are excited to build off the success of APIASF's Higher Education Summit Series as one of the most widely attended higher education event for raising awareness about the unique needs of the AAPI student population. This year's theme and program expansion speaks to our commitment of boosting leadership and skills development for AAPI students," said Neil Horikoshi, APIASF President and Executive Director.
"Moreover, the epicenter of this summit is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the creation of the AANAPISI designation. AANAPISIs acknowledge the rich history and mosaic of experiences in the AAPI community to build infrastructure for culturally relevant education for our community. Therefore, this year's summit also examines the past and present of AANAPISIs, in order to map the vibrant future for AAPI students at these institutions."
"Wells Fargo is proud to support APIASF's inaugural Summit: ELEVATE, but even more importantly, sponsoring the aspirations of the next generation of AAPI leaders. At Wells Fargo, we are driven by the belief that our investments in diversity and inclusion is vital for an America that is inclusive of all experiences and backgrounds," said Georgette "Gigi" Dixon, Senior Vice President, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Corporate Responsibility, and Community Relations of Wells Fargo & Company. "Once again we are happy to build dreams and break barriers with APIASF and we congratulate them on a successful Summit: ELEVATE."
The event culminated in the recognition of those who were at the genesis of the AANAPISI designation and have been instrumental to fulfilling APIASF's mission of providing resources that increase access to higher education at the Summit Gala: Reaching Higher. APIASF honored Sarah Bauder and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with the Excellence in Education Award. APIASF also honored Georgette "Gigi" Dixon, Senior Vice President and Director of Strategic Partnerships, Corporate Responsibility, and Community Relations of Wells Fargo & Company with the Inspiring Dreams Award. Last, but not least, APIASF also recognized the Honorable Esther Kia'aina, Executive Director of the Pacific Basin Development Council, Lisa Hasegawa, the inaugural Activist in Residence for the UCLA Asian American Studies Center and the Luskin School of Public Affairs Institute for Inequality and Democracy, and the Honorable Robert Underwood, President of the University of Guam, with the Higher Education Awards for their contributions to the creation of AANAPISIs.
The College of Micronesia-FSM is a desginated Asian American Native American and Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). The college’s Vice President for Enrollment Management, Joey Oducado, and Micah Lane Ohli, an APIASF scholar and an HCOP student attended the summit.
