Organization
Khmer Parents Association
The Khmer Parents Association is a Long Beach, California, nonprofit that has helped Cambodian American youth through education since 1995.[1][2] It is also written Khmer Parent Association. The University of California, Davis, curriculum site describes it as hoping to build a strong, healthy Khmer community in the city, proud of its culture and identity.[1]
Southeast Asian Scholarship
The association's best-known program is the Southeast Asian Scholarship, awarded since 1995.[3] It is open to high school students whose parents come from Southeast Asian countries. In 2012 applicants needed a grade point average of at least 2.75 and community volunteer work, and a fund of $20,000 was divided into 30 awards of $500 to $1,500.[3] By 2021 the scholarship had been honoring 15 graduating seniors each year for a quarter century.[2]
Other work
The association lists tutoring, leadership training and health education for young people, women and families among its programs. It also holds a yearly Mother Daughter Conference for women and girls and has pressed for Khmer dual language classes in Long Beach Unified School District schools.[1] It is one of the community partners of the Cambodian American Studies Model Curriculum at the same university.[1]
Leadership
Chan Hopson, a former teacher, helped found the association in 1995 and, as of 2021, had led it since then as an unpaid executive director; she also started the scholarship. She has also organized many local gatherings for Cambodian residents, from forums on health and jobs to sessions on bridging the gap between parents and children.[2] She led the association when Voice of America's Khmer service reported on the scholarship in 2012.[3] Long Beach City College named her one of its 2019 alumni honorees, and Assemblymember Patrick O'Donnell named her his district's Woman of the Year in 2016.[2]
See also
References 3
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