FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   CONTACT Katie Tran-Lam Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (202) 747-7236 ktranlam@apiasf.org     APIASF ANNOUNCES APPLICATION FOR 2012-2013 SCHOLARSHIP CYCLE Scholarship Program Helps to Increase Success and Degree Attainment Among Underserved Asian American and Pacific Islander Students Washington, D.C., October 6, 2011-The Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), the nation's the nation's largest nonprofit organization devoted to providing college scholarships for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), announced today that it is accepting applications for the 2012-2013 scholarship cycle. Scholarships will provide the critical scholarship support that many AAPI students need to pursue higher education and access to APIASF's programs and services. During the 2011 - 2012 scholarship cycle, APIASF awarded more than $1.2 million to over 500 students in 43 states and students in the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and American Samoa. APIASF also welcomed its new cohort of Gates Millennium Scholars who hailed from across the country and Pacific Islands.   According to a 2010 report produced through a partnership between APIASF and the National Commission on Asian American and Pacific Islander Research in Education (CARE), there are many ethnicities within the AAPI community that have been traditionally underserved with lower than average educational attainment rates. Additionally, many are experiencing rates of poverty higher than the national average with some ranking among the lowest in the nation. The APIASF scholarship program helps address this critical need by providing direct scholarship support to hundreds of AAPI students from across the country, the U.S. Territories, and the Freely Associated States. "There is a significant need within the AAPI community for organizations like APIASF that can provide the financial resources that students need to access higher education, the programmatic support to help them navigate the system, and the leadership development opportunities to help them successfully transition into their careers," said APIASF President & Executive Director Neil Horikoshi. "Our goal is to see that all AAPI students have access to higher education and resources that cultivate their academic, personal and professional success regardless of their ethnicity, national origin or financial means." Since 2003, APIASF has provided a critical bridge to higher education by distributing more than $50 million in scholarships to deserving AAPI students through our two scholarship programs. In addition to the APIASF scholarship program, APIASF manages the Gates Millennium Scholars/Asian Pacific Islander Americans funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For details about APIASF's scholarship programs or to apply, visit APIASF's Web site atwww.apiasf.org. Also, follow APIASF on Facebook (www.facebook.com/apiasf) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/apiasf). Applications are due on January 13, 2012. # # # About APIASF Based in Washington, D.C., the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) is the nation's largest non-profit organization devoted solely to providing college scholarships for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Since 2003, APIASF has provided a critical bridge to higher education for APIA students across the country by distributing more than $50 million in scholarships to students. APIASF manages two scholarship programs: APIASF's general scholarship and the Gates Millennium Scholars/Asian Pacific Islander Americans funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.