Opportunity
Dr. Tony Vang and Mayor Lee Brand Scholarships
The Dr. Tony Vang and Mayor Lee Brand Scholarships pay $1,000 toward college for Fresno County high school seniors, and Cambodian American students can apply.[1][2] Both awards come from The Fresno Center, a nonprofit in Fresno, California, and share one application form.[2] The Mayor Lee Brand Scholarship is for students with average grades, and the Dr. Tony Vang Scholarship is for students with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher.[2][3]
Sponsorship
The Fresno Center was founded in 1991 and serves the Hmong and wider Southeast Asian communities of the Fresno area, with work in mental health, education, employment and civic life.[4] It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.[2]
On February 24, 2021, former Fresno mayor Lee Brand gave the center a $50,000 scholarship fund.[3] The money came from $400,000 left unspent in his campaign fund, which he divided among eight local organizations; the gift was presented at Roosevelt High School.[4] The fund was set aside for Southeast Asian students in the Fresno area and is meant to last ten years.[4][3] The center matches Brand's gift through its own employee giving program.[3]
Award and support
Each scholarship is a one-time award of $1,000 to help a student begin college.[3][5] With the center's match, the Mayor Lee Brand Scholarship gives out $10,000 a year, which the center counts as ten awards of $1,000.[3][1] When the fund was announced in 2021, the center's chief executive, Pao Yang, set a goal of five scholarships a year.[4]
The Dr. Tony Vang Scholarship, offered for 2026 to 2027, goes to students who have overcome serious hardship on their way to higher education.[5][1]
Eligibility
Applicants are Fresno County high school seniors who will graduate in June 2026 and plan to go on to college.[5][2] The application form lists Cambodian among the ethnic origins an applicant can choose, with Hmong, Laotian, Indian, Latinx and other.[2] The center's current pages set no rule on ethnicity; in 2021, applicants had to be of Southeast Asian descent.[5][4]
The two awards are split by grades.[2] The Mayor Lee Brand Scholarship is for students with a GPA of 2.0 to 2.9 who hope to earn a college degree.[2][3] The Dr. Tony Vang Scholarship asks for a GPA of 3.0 or higher and full-time college enrollment from fall 2026.[5]
Application
Students apply online on one form and choose the scholarship that fits their GPA.[2] The form asks about the applicant's school, activities, intended major, career goal and whether they would be the first in their family to go to college.[2] It also asks for an essay of 300 to 500 words with a short life story, the reasons the student should receive the award and the family's financial situation.[2] Two letters of recommendation and a photo of the applicant are required, and students who are selected may be asked for documents that back up their answers.[2]
The 2026 round closed on April 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.[5][2] The Mayor Lee Brand Scholarship opens in the fall and names its winners the following spring.[3] In 2021, the year the fund began, applications closed on April 27.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Fresno Center, Education (2026)
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 The Fresno Center, Dr. Tony Vang Scholarship and The Mayor Lee Brand Scholarship application (2026)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 The Fresno Center, Mayor Lee Brand Scholarship (undated)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 GV Wire, Former Mayor Endows 10 Years of Scholarships for Fresno's SE Asian Community (February 2021)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 The Fresno Center, Dr. Tony Vang Scholarship (2026)