YFPA Scholarship Program
The YFPA Scholarship Program was designed to serve Bay Area graduating high school students who are involved in the Filipino community and have been accepted into a 4 year college/university to pursue a Bachelor’s degree. We are now accepting 2021 applications! Apply Today! View the YFPA Scholarship Program 2021 application. Due to the global impact of COVID-19, Your Filipino Professional Association will postpone in-person events and meetings, including the YFPA Scholarship Awards. We are committed to ensuring the health and safety of attendees, members, partners and the YFPA community. In this unprecedented situation, YFPA will continue to be agile and innovative in our messaging and proactive in our engagement. Thank you for your patience, understanding and continued support of YFPA. Program 2021 Timeline:
If you have scholarship questions or comments, please email Regina Finuliar, YFPA Scholarship Director, regina.finuliar.yfpa@gmail.com.
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YFPA Scholarship Program Recipients
Maria Paningbatan (2020) Maria is graduating from Westmoor High School in Daly City. Through her accounting class at Westmoor High, she contributed to the development of an accounting efficiency system and resource guide for student clubs on campus, in accordance with California education codes and student government bylaws. An active member in the Filipino community she worked on cultural engagement projects in Stockton's Little Manila, addressed concerns of PilipinX students pursuing higher education at UC Berkeley's PilipinX Academic Student Services (PASS) Shadow Weekend, attended Stanford's Pilipino-American Student Union's PilipinX Youth Leadership Conference (PYLC) on current issues facing the Filipino community and volunteered with Filipino Barkada events to support and raise funds for impoverished communities in the Philippines. Maria hopes to become a Certified Public Accountant and plans to major in Business Administration, Accounting and minor in Asian Studies with a concentration on the Philippines. She would like to pursue her Master's Degree. Maria will attend University of California at Berkeley this Fall. 
Kayley (2018) Kayley is a graduating senior from Jesse M. Bethel High School in Vallejo. She is an avid member in the Filipino community, often traveling to attend Filipinx Youth Conferences spanning from Davis to Santa Barbara. She has taken the lessons she has learned from these conferences and has implemented them into her school’s “BRIDGE Club”, a club that tries to bridge the gap between being a young Filipinx and also being American. Growing up in such a diverse and rich community like Vallejo, Kayley learned the importance of educating yourself on, not only about your own culture, but also other people’s culture. Kayley’s other interests include volunteering with her school’s Interact Club, makeup, and technology. The summer before college, Kayley will be at Google’s Computer Science Summer Institute at their Seattle office and will be attending California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in the fall to further pursue her studies in Computer Science. She hopes to work with artificial intelligence to create companion robots to help those with intellectual and physical disabilities. 
Bridgitte (2016)
Bridgitte was born in Turlock and raised in San Jose, California. She is a graduating senior at Mt. Pleasant High School where she has taken several leadership roles in class office, student government, and track and field. This year she was the Vice President of School Site Council, a member of the Safe School Ambassadors Program, and team captain for her Track and Field team. On top of being involved in school, she actively serves in her church. She participates in the Liturgical ministries, teaches Catechism classes, and sings in the choir. She is an active participant of the Filipino-American Committee that promotes Filipino traditions to the church community, and also donates food and toys to charities/nonprofit organizations. She aspires to give back to her family and community by sharing her knowledge in business, encouraging students to pursue a degree, and offering her time and services to help them. Bridgitte will be attending California State University, Long Beach this fall to pursue a major in Business with a concentration in Marketing. 
Precious (2015)
Precious was born and raised in the Philippines. At the age of eight, she moved to the Tenderloin, San Francisco, with her dad and two brothers to reunite with her mom, who moved to the U.S. in 1999. Living in the Tenderloin has shaped her passions and aspirations. In the future, she wants to go back to her community and expose youths to educational opportunities in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, and make District 6 safer for all. As of now, she is a senior in Sacred Heart Cathedral and a prospective freshman in UC Berkeley in the college of Letters and Science for Applied Mathematics. 
Julianne (2014)
Julianne is graduating senior at Lick-Wilmerding in San Francisco. Julianne was actively involved as a freshmen, sophomore, and senior class representative and served as an Executive Co-Vice President. She was also co-president of her school’s Filipino Heritage Club where she explored her Filipino American heritage and helped foster an appreciation for the culture at her school. Julianne has been dancing since the age of 4 studying jazz, ballet, tap, contemporary, and hip hop. She was a member of Tiffany’s Dance Academy of SSF’s performing company, Funksters SF - a youth hip hop team, and at school where she was chosen as a “Dance Mama,” a role that entails organizing rehearsals and being a positive presence. In addition to dance, Julianne has been playing the piano for 13 years. Julianne’s encounters within and beyond her school’s academic settings have given her a sense of what she hopes to do in the future. Through her many science classes and hospital volunteer experiences, she’s developed a passion for the mechanistic and humanistic sides of science. Julianne believes that the sheer interaction between individuals is just as valuable as the science behind the conditions one experiences. Julianne aspires to pursue medicine and become a doctor in the future. and will be attending University of California, Davis in the fall, majoring in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior. |
Fausthina Dalit (2020) Fausthina is a graduating senior at William C. Overfelt High School in San Jose. She is first-generation Filipina, raised in a diverse, majority Spanish speaking neighborhood. Away from home, Faustina connected with Filipino culture through church activities and the Filipino Youth Coalition in middle school. At Overfelt, she was a member of the Filipino American Student Association, played volleyball and received the Players Award and Coaches Award and served as Team Captain her senior year. Faustina worked as a Teaching Assistant in the Overfelt counseling office and impacted local communities in Ecuador through Global Glimpse. As a senior, she completed the Medical Student Transformative Experience in Medicine program (SSTEM) at Stanford University. Faustina aspires to be a pediatrician and a catalyst for communication models between care providers and patients, especially in low-income neighborhoods that lack equal access and opportunities to healthcare. Fausthina will attend University of California at Berkeley this Fall. 
Alyanna (2017) Alyanna was born in Berkeley, California and raised in Hercules, California. Born from Filipino immigrants, she grew up heavily influenced by the Filipino culture. Alyanna has served in her school’s “Filipino Club” as an officer, helping to teach her community about the different foods, arts, and history of the Filipino people. She has also participated in her city’s “Tinikling” dance, where she performs the traditional Filipino dance during multicultural events, and teaches elementary students how to do the dance themselves. Alyanna has also conducted a “Threads of Hope” Fundraiser for her community service club “KIWIN’S”, that sold bracelets for the purpose of raising money for underprivileged families in the Philippines. Alyanna enjoys singing, volleyball, and playing instruments in her spare time, as well as devoting her talents to perform in front of the elderly through an organization called “Pinole Friends”. Alyanna graduated from Hercules High school as salutatorian, and will be attending the University of California, Los Angeles in the fall, majoring in Physiological sciences. 
Kristal (2016)
Kristal was born in Quezon City, Philippines and migrated with her family to the United States in 2011. Growing up with a shy personality, she eventually emerged as a leader when she became an intern for an afterschool program by Filipino Advocates for Justice where she create and facilitate workshops about Filipino history/culture and societal issues. She uses her leadership to empower women and help create a space for fellow immigrants to adjust in America. She also mobilizes youths to actively participate in the community to fight against discrimination in our society. Kristal’s experience as a leader empowered her to use her voice as a future educator. She will take on a new journey in San Francisco State University as a Sociology major and Ethnic Studies minor. She also values her Filipino identity and wants to teach young people to be proud of their background by embodying the saying, “No History, No Self” 
Jerold (2015) Jerold was born in Quezon City, Philippines. In April 2002, his family moved to San Francisco in search for economic prosperity and a better education for him and his brother, Ivan. They lived in the South of Market neighborhood, a community containing mostly low-income and immigrant families. Jerold attended Bessie Carmichael Elementary School and various programs around the SoMa such as West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service Center and SOMCAN (South of Market Community Action Network), which helped him keep a sense of Filipino identity as he grew up as an Asian-American. Even as he was exposed to the greater San Francisco community in his transition from elementary school to middle and high school, he still stayed in touch with his Filipino culture and his sense of community. Jerold currently attends Galileo Academy and expects to graduate in May. In Galileo, he was a captain for his Cross Country and Track and Field teams, as well as the president for the Yoga Club and the Vice President of the Filipino Club. In the SoMa community, he is currently one of the core members of YOHANA (Youth Organizing Home and Neighborhood Action), a youth-led program that strives to mold the city’s future leaders through leadership building and political awareness. As one of the leaders of YOHANA, Jerold spoke in front of San Francisco City Hall to increase the minimum wage and pass the Housing Balance Act. In his free time, he likes to run, do yoga, or play basketball. He is also an avid Warriors and Giants fan. In the fall of 2015, Jerold will attend Stanford University. 
Alexandra (2014)
Alexandra is a graduating senior at Presentation High School where she is involved in student activities and clubs such as the Presentation Ambassadors Club, Community Involvement, Mu Alpha Theta, California Scholarship Federation, Peer Ministry, Leadership Academy and she was the Editor-In-Chief of the yearbook. She recently completed a project collecting over 800 books and $100 to donate to remote libraries in the Philippines through Books for the Barrios. She writes for SF Post, Inquirer.net, is a blogger, webmaster, and is an Honourable Mention for Youth Voice at the Plaridel Awards. Alexandra participated in various Fashion pageants like the Snow Show for San Francisco Fashion Week, the Philippine International Aid show, and currently holds titles in several pageants. Alexandra also hosted the Miss Philippines Earth USA Pageant last November. She recently signed with City Models Management as a model. Alexandra hopes to publish her own book and have her own show to highlight local business and promote community events. Alexandra will be attending Santa Clara University as a Communications major and minor in Business |