Producing films, media, programs and events that promote awareness and unity of Asian American culture, artistry and identity. "One Voice. Many Stories."
2013 Against The Grain Artistic Scholarship
Due Date: April 30, 2013
Purpose: To provide financial assistance and promotion of Asian American college students pursuing a major in the performing and/or visual arts (film, theatre, fashion, photography, graphic design, dance, music, etc).
Two Awards: Minimum of $1000 to be applied toward school tuition and fees
General Eligibility Requirements:
Be a high school senior or currently enrolled full-time at an accredited vocational, junior college or four-year college/university
Be of at least 50% Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity
Be a citizen, national or legal permanent resident of the U.S
Be enrolled in a U.S. accredited junior, vocational or four-year college or university as a full-time, degree seeking student by the upcoming academic calendar year and pursuing a major in the visual/performing arts (film, theatre, fashion, photography, graphic design, dance, music, etc.)
Demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted)
Selection Criteria:
Selection is based on rating system judged in a four major categories. The candidate with the highest combined cumulative points will receive the scholarship. These categories are:
Quality of content submission (essay, artistic portfolio)
Academic performance
Leadership/community service experience and contribution
Phone/in-person committee interview
We reserve the right to invite Scholarship Winners to be presented at our annual charity
event, Fashion for a Passion, on Saturday, October 12 in Dallas, Texas. The presence
of scholarship winners is highly encouraged.
Funds will be disbursed directly to the educational institution in the student’s name.
2013 Against The Grain Groundbreaker Leadership Scholarship Due Date: April 30, 2013
Purpose: To provide financial assistance and promotion of Asian American college seniors and graduate students who have exhibited exemplary leadership, vision and passion that is
blazing a trail for others to follow and changing lives in the Asian American community.
Two Awards: Minimum of $1,500 to be applied toward school tuition and fees
General Eligibility Requirements:
Be a college senior enrolled full-time at an accredited U.S. four-year college/university or a graduate student enrolled at an accredited U.S. graduate program
Be of at least 50% Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity
Be a citizen, national or legal permanent resident of the U.S.
Demonstrate visionary leadership abilities through innovative means
Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted)
Video Presentation:
All scholarship candidates will submit a video presentation showcasing their work and qualifications:
Videos will be judged on content, creativity and execution
Videos are to be submitted on flash drive in the formats .wmv or .mov
ATG will post videos of the Winner and Finalists on our homepage. Please see the release form.
Selection Criteria:
Selection is based on rating system judged in a five major categories. The candidate with the highest combined cumulative points will receive the scholarship. These categories are:
Video presentation
Quality of content submission (essay)
Academic performance
Leadership/community service experience and contribution
Phone/in-person committee interview
We reserve the right to invite Scholarship Winners to be presented at our annual charity
event, Fashion for a Passion, on Saturday, October 12 in Dallas, Texas. The presence
of scholarship winners is highly encouraged.
Funds will be disbursed directly to the educational institution in the student’s name.
Presenting the 2012 ATG Artistic Scholarship Winners:
Britt Espinosa graduates this June after being homeschooled with a variety of academic courses through public school, online, community private courses and self-directed learning. He studied classical piano for 10 years and had formal voice training for 2.5 years. He quickly discovered he loved music and found himself on various musical groups singing and playing; not only piano, but also guitar, bass, and the occasional drums. Britt is actively involved in leading a musical ministry team, teaching younger and newer musicians.
What made you decide to pursue a degree in music/music management?
I’ve always loved music, and musical performance. I started the band, The Exchange, in 2010. Over the next two years, we went on to perform almost 100 events, playing shows, youth camps and conferences throughout the West Coast. As we gained more experience and play time, I started to fill the role of managing the business and road management aspects of the band. Through this and also my years of leading young musicians on a musical team, I came to find that I greatly enjoyed and was challenged by the business aspects of leading a band/team. I want to sharpen my skills as an artist in my college years. Additionally, I believe an artist can be much more effective and influential if combined with skills of leadership and management expertise. A possible outcome of my combined education would be to become an artist developer and manager.
What does it mean to you to be named the 2012 ATG Artistic Scholarship Winner?
I feel incredibly honored to be chosen out of all the very impressive entries and participants! It humbles me to see so many young people like myself making beautiful art and giving back to the community. To be chosen out of this group is a very great honor!
What does ‘going against the grain’ mean to you?
To me ‘going against the grain’ means having the discipline and drive to pursue a dream in the midst of hardship, stigma, and setbacks. Discipline includes dedication to education, working when you don’t think you can go anymore, and having foresight. Having a ‘drive to pursue’ means to make the most out of every opportunity, and to also hold onto to the dream when things are slow and require patience.
18 year-old Thoa Nguyen was born in Hue, Vietnam. In 1996, her family (including herself, her parents and older sister) immigrated to America when she was three years-old. After living in Arkansas with her grandparents for six months, the family moved to Arlington, Texas. The family experienced culture shock, but the opportunity to pursue the American Dream was a dream come true.
Although the language barrier was initially an issue, school quickly became one of Thoa’s strengths. She challenged herself, taking advanced classes whenever possible, as well as courses that interested her artistically.
What made you decide to pursue a career in film (art direction)?
Film production has always been interesting to me, and I believe that you should pursue a field that provokes your curiosity and interest for it. And with my art skills and creativity as a precursor, I want to associate that with film production to be an art director for film.
What it means to you to be named the 2012 ATG Artistic Scholarship Winner:
It means the most to me spiritually. It’s a sign of reassurance that what I am doing will be worth it in the end, because someone out there believes in me.
What does ‘going against the grain’ mean to you?
To me, ‘going against the grain’ is synonymous to swimming against a current, doing what your heart tells you to do, despite what is expected. By pushing yourself to reach your goals no matter the circumstances or resistance, you are going against that opposing force. We would not be where we are now if minorities throughout history had not conformed and sparked revolutions. Like they say, ‘if there’s a will, there’s a way,’ even against the grain.
Rebekah Kim’s journey to the Olympic Games started at the age of nine. She has been involved with the sport of synchronized swimming for 19 years. In 2004, she led Ohio State’s Synchronized Swimming Team to win a National Collegiate Championship, winning gold in all three events (duet, trio, team). With one year left at OSU, Rebekah took a break from school to train with the Olympic team in 2006. The eight-time national team member helped the U.S. win gold at the 2006 World Trophy Cup in Moscow, Russia, which marked the first victory over the Russians who have been reigning champions for the past ten years. In the following year, Rebekah participated in the 2007 Pan Americans Games, where the U.S. finished gold, securing their spot in the 2008 Olympic games. Kim made her Olympic debut in Beijing, 2008 where the U.S. placed fifth. Following the Olympic games, she returned back to OSU to complete her schooling where she led the team, as team captain, to win another National Championship in 2009. That same year, she was named Athlete of the Year. She is the first Korean American to have ever made the U.S. Olympic Synchronized Swimming team.
On “What makes a good leader?” (excerpted from scholarship essay)
Every leader must be raised and taught and must therefore, be teachable…A leader with a teachable heart, regardless f the shortcoming she may have, will in the end bear life lessons which can transform and make great impact on people’s lives…A good leader must know exactly where she is coming from…must know where she is going…is aligned with her passion and goals. She knows where she is effective and where she is not…Furthermore, a good leader knows when and how to say ‘no.’ A leader should have a giving and servant-like heart, [but] is not merely a slave to be pushed around…and knows the boundaries of her own and those of others….A good leader never ceases to motivate and encourage others, especially when people are lost without hope. [A leader is ] a seeker of the truth [who] not only accepts herself, but accepts the society she lives in. She holds true to what is right and just in her own heart through her actions, as well as her actions in life. Therefore, it can never be the title, rank or position that makes a good leader, but rather the character of the person that does.
What made you decide to pursue a career in teaching and previously, sports?
Growing up, I decided to be involved with sports because I was an extremely active child. My mom recognized my athletic abilities and allowed me to experience all kinds of sports and activities including gymnastics, golf, dance, ballet, swimming, diving and figure skating (I am truly blessed to have such an awesome mom, who I believe also, went against the grain by her willingness to support me in my passion to excel in something other than academics and music). I finally decided I wanted to pursue synchronized swimming because it encompassed everything I loved- swimming, gymnastics, dance and music! After the Games in 2008, I went into coaching and I really loved the teaching aspect of it. There’s something so rewarding about seeing the lightbulb go off in your students’ minds and body. When I went to Indonesia for a mission trip in the summer of 2009, I found myself in a rural area among tons of children. I had heard that there was a great lack of teachers in the area and I felt an overwhelming burden come upon me. I remember thinking to myself, “What about all of these children? Who’s going to teach, lead and empower them?” I believe teaching is a tool that you can use wherever you go. It’s a critical asset to have if you want to inspire and have great impact on people’s lives.
What it means to you to be named the 2012 Sunna Lee Scholarship Winner:
I am extremely encouraged to know that an organization such as ATG, that is truly making a difference in the Asian American community, is supporting me in my endeavors to be who I want to be and do what I want to do. It definitely makes a special mark in my heart and impacts my life in a way that I would like to do for others.
What does it mean to you to “go against the grain?”
A person “going against the grain” is not only a trailblazer, but is also someone who dares to thrive on unfamiliar grounds. Their drive is passion, empowerment and a whole lot of “everything is possible” attitude.
2013 Against The Grain Artistic Scholarship
Due Date: April 30, 2013
Purpose: To provide financial assistance and promotion of Asian American college students pursuing a major in the performing and/or visual arts (film, theatre, fashion, photography, graphic design, dance, music, etc).
Two Awards: Minimum of $1000 to be applied toward school tuition and fees
General Eligibility Requirements:
Selection Criteria:
Selection is based on rating system judged in a four major categories. The candidate with the highest combined cumulative points will receive the scholarship. These categories are:
We reserve the right to invite Scholarship Winners to be presented at our annual charity
event, Fashion for a Passion, on Saturday, October 12 in Dallas, Texas. The presence
of scholarship winners is highly encouraged.
Funds will be disbursed directly to the educational institution in the student’s name.
2013 Against The Grain Groundbreaker Leadership Scholarship
Due Date: April 30, 2013
Purpose: To provide financial assistance and promotion of Asian American college seniors and graduate students who have exhibited exemplary leadership, vision and passion that is
blazing a trail for others to follow and changing lives in the Asian American community.
Two Awards: Minimum of $1,500 to be applied toward school tuition and fees
General Eligibility Requirements:
Video Presentation:
All scholarship candidates will submit a video presentation showcasing their work and qualifications:
Selection Criteria:
Selection is based on rating system judged in a five major categories. The candidate with the highest combined cumulative points will receive the scholarship. These categories are:
We reserve the right to invite Scholarship Winners to be presented at our annual charity
event, Fashion for a Passion, on Saturday, October 12 in Dallas, Texas. The presence
of scholarship winners is highly encouraged.
Funds will be disbursed directly to the educational institution in the student’s name.
Presenting the 2012 ATG Artistic Scholarship Winners:
Britt Espinosa graduates this June after being homeschooled with a variety of academic courses through public school, online, community private courses and self-directed learning. He studied classical piano for 10 years and had formal voice training for 2.5 years. He quickly discovered he loved music and found himself on various musical groups singing and playing; not only piano, but also guitar, bass, and the occasional drums. Britt is actively involved in leading a musical ministry team, teaching younger and newer musicians.
What made you decide to pursue a degree in music/music management?
I’ve always loved music, and musical performance. I started the band, The Exchange, in 2010. Over the next two years, we went on to perform almost 100 events, playing shows, youth camps and conferences throughout the West Coast. As we gained more experience and play time, I started to fill the role of managing the business and road management aspects of the band. Through this and also my years of leading young musicians on a musical team, I came to find that I greatly enjoyed and was challenged by the business aspects of leading a band/team. I want to sharpen my skills as an artist in my college years. Additionally, I believe an artist can be much more effective and influential if combined with skills of leadership and management expertise. A possible outcome of my combined education would be to become an artist developer and manager.
What does it mean to you to be named the 2012 ATG Artistic Scholarship Winner?
I feel incredibly honored to be chosen out of all the very impressive entries and participants! It humbles me to see so many young people like myself making beautiful art and giving back to the community. To be chosen out of this group is a very great honor!
What does ‘going against the grain’ mean to you?
To me ‘going against the grain’ means having the discipline and drive to pursue a dream in the midst of hardship, stigma, and setbacks. Discipline includes dedication to education, working when you don’t think you can go anymore, and having foresight. Having a ‘drive to pursue’ means to make the most out of every opportunity, and to also hold onto to the dream when things are slow and require patience.
Read Britt’s Going Against the Grain Feature
Although the language barrier was initially an issue, school quickly became one of Thoa’s strengths. She challenged herself, taking advanced classes whenever possible, as well as courses that interested her artistically.
What made you decide to pursue a career in film (art direction)?
Film production has always been interesting to me, and I believe that you should pursue a field that provokes your curiosity and interest for it. And with my art skills and creativity as a precursor, I want to associate that with film production to be an art director for film.
What it means to you to be named the 2012 ATG Artistic Scholarship Winner:
It means the most to me spiritually. It’s a sign of reassurance that what I am doing will be worth it in the end, because someone out there believes in me.
What does ‘going against the grain’ mean to you?
To me, ‘going against the grain’ is synonymous to swimming against a current, doing what your heart tells you to do, despite what is expected. By pushing yourself to reach your goals no matter the circumstances or resistance, you are going against that opposing force. We would not be where we are now if minorities throughout history had not conformed and sparked revolutions. Like they say, ‘if there’s a will, there’s a way,’ even against the grain.
Read Thoa’s Going Against the Grain Feature
Presenting the 2012 Sunna Lee Scholarship Winner:
Rebekah Kim’s journey to the Olympic Games started at the age of nine. She has been involved with the sport of synchronized swimming for 19 years. In 2004, she led Ohio State’s Synchronized Swimming Team to win a National Collegiate Championship, winning gold in all three events (duet, trio, team). With one year left at OSU, Rebekah took a break from school to train with the Olympic team in 2006. The eight-time national team member helped the U.S. win gold at the 2006 World Trophy Cup in Moscow, Russia, which marked the first victory over the Russians who have been reigning champions for the past ten years. In the following year, Rebekah participated in the 2007 Pan Americans Games, where the U.S. finished gold, securing their spot in the 2008 Olympic games. Kim made her Olympic debut in Beijing, 2008 where the U.S. placed fifth. Following the Olympic games, she returned back to OSU to complete her schooling where she led the team, as team captain, to win another National Championship in 2009. That same year, she was named Athlete of the Year. She is the first Korean American to have ever made the U.S. Olympic Synchronized Swimming team.
On “What makes a good leader?” (excerpted from scholarship essay)
Every leader must be raised and taught and must therefore, be teachable…A leader with a teachable heart, regardless f the shortcoming she may have, will in the end bear life lessons which can transform and make great impact on people’s lives…A good leader must know exactly where she is coming from…must know where she is going…is aligned with her passion and goals. She knows where she is effective and where she is not…Furthermore, a good leader knows when and how to say ‘no.’ A leader should have a giving and servant-like heart, [but] is not merely a slave to be pushed around…and knows the boundaries of her own and those of others….A good leader never ceases to motivate and encourage others, especially when people are lost without hope. [A leader is ] a seeker of the truth [who] not only accepts herself, but accepts the society she lives in. She holds true to what is right and just in her own heart through her actions, as well as her actions in life. Therefore, it can never be the title, rank or position that makes a good leader, but rather the character of the person that does.
What made you decide to pursue a career in teaching and previously, sports?
Growing up, I decided to be involved with sports because I was an extremely active child. My mom recognized my athletic abilities and allowed me to experience all kinds of sports and activities including gymnastics, golf, dance, ballet, swimming, diving and figure skating (I am truly blessed to have such an awesome mom, who I believe also, went against the grain by her willingness to support me in my passion to excel in something other than academics and music). I finally decided I wanted to pursue synchronized swimming because it encompassed everything I loved- swimming, gymnastics, dance and music! After the Games in 2008, I went into coaching and I really loved the teaching aspect of it. There’s something so rewarding about seeing the lightbulb go off in your students’ minds and body. When I went to Indonesia for a mission trip in the summer of 2009, I found myself in a rural area among tons of children. I had heard that there was a great lack of teachers in the area and I felt an overwhelming burden come upon me. I remember thinking to myself, “What about all of these children? Who’s going to teach, lead and empower them?” I believe teaching is a tool that you can use wherever you go. It’s a critical asset to have if you want to inspire and have great impact on people’s lives.
What it means to you to be named the 2012 Sunna Lee Scholarship Winner:
I am extremely encouraged to know that an organization such as ATG, that is truly making a difference in the Asian American community, is supporting me in my endeavors to be who I want to be and do what I want to do. It definitely makes a special mark in my heart and impacts my life in a way that I would like to do for others.
What does it mean to you to “go against the grain?”
A person “going against the grain” is not only a trailblazer, but is also someone who dares to thrive on unfamiliar grounds. Their drive is passion, empowerment and a whole lot of “everything is possible” attitude.
Read Rebekah’s Going Against the Grain Feature
Read about 2011 Artistic Scholarship Winners, Dorcas Leung and Monika Hoang here.