Toyota Rewards Academic Excellence in STEM-Related Fields
Scholarships Granted to 22 Asian Pacific Islander Students
TORRANCE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In celebration of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, Toyota is
pleased to announce that it awarded scholarships to 22 Asian Pacific
Islander American (APIA) students for post-secondary education in the
disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The annual scholarship is offered through a collaborative partnership
between Toyota and the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship
Fund (APIASF), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing college
scholarships to APIAs. The 2016 student recipients were each awarded
$5,000 in funding towards a degree in a STEM field for their first two
years of college.
The fifth annual event was held at the Toyota Automobile Museum on May
10, 2016 and included an awards dinner and reception, as well as a panel
discussion on the theme, “How do you build and develop careers and
teams?” Toyota executives Karen Ideno, Doug Murtha, Mindy Zhang, and
Toyota team members Alexandra Chau and Chihiro Kurokawa shared their
unique experiences with the scholars as they prepare for college entry
in the fall.
“I’d like to thank Toyota for helping me fulfill my pursuit of higher
education,” says scholarship recipient Joy Hsu, who was recently
accepted to Stanford University with a major in computer science. “I
will definitely put the scholarship to good use, becoming a better
person and empowering others on my journey.”
This year’s scholarship recipients were selected from more than 8,000
applicants with majors ranging from biochemistry to computer
engineering, and school selections from the University of California at
Berkeley to Stanford University. The students, whose heritages trace to
five countries in the API region (including Vietnam, China, the
Philippines, India and Korea), were also recognized for their
achievements by local Los Angeles government officials.
“Through this annual scholarship program, Toyota’s partnership with
APIASF is a natural extension of our corporate giving priorities,” says
Tracey Doi, Toyota group vice president and chief financial officer.
“Toyota is proud to recognize academic excellence among diverse and
underserved populations in our local communities, and to support each
scholar’s academic dreams in his or her unique STEM career path.”
Doi is an advocate of Toyota Asian American Society in Alliance
(TAASiA), an employee resource group that continuously leverages the
strength of a growing APIA population within Toyota to foster an
environment and corporate culture of diversity and inclusion.
In addition to Toyota’s corporate contribution, the Toyota Giving
Circles, a program that allows team members to donate to their chosen
charity, TAAP (Toyota Asian American Powered by associates) and NFTA
(Network of Filipino Toyota Associates) subsidized two of the
scholarships in partnership with Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in
Philanthropy (AAPIP).
As part of an expanding commitment to investing in its scholarship
recipients, Toyota is offering a paid summer internship to one of its
2016 Toyota APIASF scholarship recipients. The intern will have the
unique opportunity to experience a workplace environment, acquire the
interpersonal skills necessary to succeed on the job, and will have the
chance to gain valuable insights into his or her long-term career goals.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world’s top automaker and creator of the Prius
and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for
the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over
the past 50 years, we’ve built more than 30 million cars and trucks in
North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.)
and directly employ more than 44,000 people (more than 34,000 in the
U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.)
sold more than 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.5 million in the
U.S.) in 2015 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over
the past 20 years are still on the road today.
Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the country.
As part of this commitment, we share the company’s extensive know-how
garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community
organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good. For
more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
About Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund
Based in Washington, D.C., the Asian & Pacific Islander American
Scholarship Fund (APIASF) is the nation’s largest non-profit provider of
college scholarships for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI).
APIASF works to create opportunities for students to access,
complete, and succeed after post-secondary education; thereby developing
future leaders who will excel in their career, serve as role models in
their communities, and will ultimately contribute to a vibrant America.
Since 2003, APIASF has distributed nearly $90 million in scholarships
to AAPI students across the country and in the Pacific Islands. APIASF
manages three scholarship programs: APIASF’s general scholarship, the
APIASF Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving
Institutions (AANAPISI) scholarship program, and the Gates Millennium
Scholars/Asian Pacific Islander Americans funded by a grant from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Contacts
Toyota Business Communications
Amanda
Rice, (310) 468-1745
or
Media Web sites:
http://www.toyotanewsroom.com
http://www.lexusnewsroom.com
http://www.scionnewsroom.com
