George Choy Memorial/Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) Scholarship
2005 Application Deadline - TBA

The purpose of the George Choy Memorial/Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) scholarship is to provide financial assistance to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Asian and Pacific Islanders (API) entering their first or second year of post-secondary education. The maximum grant award is currently $1,000.

Who Was George Choy?
George Choy was an ardent activist who spoke out for queer APIs, driven by the belief that we are all "part of the family, too." He was especially vocal in support of queer youth in our community, successfully representing GAPA to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to pass Project 10, the counseling program for LGBT teenagers in public high schools. In keeping with the vision of George Choy, this scholarship embraces people across the spectrum of sexual minorities.

What is GAPA?
The Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) is an organization dedicated to furthering the interests of gay and bisexual Asian/Pacific Islanders by creating awareness, developing a positive collective identity, and establishing a supportive community. GAPA was formed from the need for an organization to address - through a democratic process - social, cultural, and political issues affecting the gay and bisexual Asian/Pacific Islander community.

Who Can Apply?
You can apply for this scholarship if you:

• Self-identify as an Asian/Pacific Islander (at least 25% API ancestry); priority will be given to those who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, or who are involved in the LGBT community
• Are in the process of applying to, or are currently attending, a post-secondary institution (college, university, or vocational school)
• Live in one of the nine-Bay Area counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano)
• Have a grade point average (GPA) of 2.75 or better

How to Apply
Application materials and deadline information for the next scholarship to be awarded will be posted as soon as they are available. For more information, please contact us at 415.398.2333.

2002 George Choy Memorial/Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) Scholarship Recipient
Ty Lim is a junior at the University of California Berkeley. Lim, who is studying Political Science, Asian American Studies, and Ethnic Studies, perfectly embodies Choy's activist spirit. While in high school, the 20-year-old native of Long Beach, California, started Youths Making a Difference, a nonprofit community services organization focusing on issues ranging from cancer research to AIDS to literacy. Last year Lim formed a chapter on the Berkeley campus and he is now brining the organization to UC Riverside and UCLA. Lim is also a member of Cal Queer and Asian and has just started Express 20's, a weekly support group for gay, bi, and questioning men in the east bay. Lim says the $1,000 scholarship will cover his school and living expenses, has given him more self-sufficiency and helped ease the burden on his family. “For Horizons and GAPA to be sponsoring this scholarship is tremendous,” he says, “because there needs to be more support for youth. They're providing a support base and a kind of surrogate family, and I'm totally grateful.”

2001 George Choy Memorial/Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) Scholarship Recipient
Tuan T. Louv is a Sophomore at De Anza College in Cupertino California currently studying interior designs. He is an active member of the Asian Pacific American Students for Leadership at De Anza and his goal is to bridge an emergent gap between the straight and queer API community. "Support from this fund is important to me because it is coming from the API/LGBT community. The George Choy Memorial/ Gay Asian Pacific Alliance Scholarship is one of the very few scholarships that recognizes queer API's as a 'Positive Identity' for me and many other queer API's, this recognition is the ultimate prize."