Toyota Rewards Academic Excellence

22 Asian Pacific Islander (API) Students Granted Scholarships

TORRANCE, Calif. (May 18, 2015) – Recognizing the many challenges college-bound students face, Toyota awarded tuition support to 22 Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) students from the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to help with their cost of higher education.

In partnership with the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing college scholarships to APIAs, Toyota granted 22 scholarships at its fourth annual awards dinner and reception at the Toyota Automotive Museum on May 14, 2015.

With majors ranging from aerospace engineering to microbiology, and school selections from the University of California, Irvine to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, scholarship recipients received $5,000 towards a degree in a STEM field for their first two years of college. 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 in attendance.

“This scholarship will play such a large part in helping me get one step closer to becoming a successful mechanical engineer,” says scholarship recipient Pamela Nguyen from North Torrance High School. “I hope to influence my community for the better through my future creations.” Pamela plans to study mechanical engineering at California State University Long Beach.

“The scholarship recipients were selected from a pool of nearly 9,000 applicants,” said Tracey Doi, Toyota group vice president and chief financial officer. “Toyota is proud to recognize and celebrate the outstanding academic achievements of the 22 APIASF scholars. The commitment to community service and personal excellence of these future leaders is truly inspiring and we are excited to be a part of their journey.”

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.

Toyota executives Karen Ideno, Doug Murtha, Julia Wada, and millennial Toyota team members Shawn Kumar and Kelsey Yu participated in a panel discussion on the topic, “What has inspired you in your personal and professional development?" As both seasoned Toyota leaders and Generation Y TAASiA members, the panel provided unique insight and guidance on how scholars can successfully transition into the professional work arena.

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.

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About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates 10 manufacturing plants. Toyota directly employs over 31,000 in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $23 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design.

Toyota is committed to being a good corporate citizen in the communities where it does business and believes in supporting programs with long-term sustainable results. Toyota supports numerous organizations across the country, focusing on education, the environment and safety. Since 1991, Toyota has contributed nearly 700 million dollars to philanthropic programs in the U.S.

For more information on Toyota's commitment to improving communities nationwide, visit http://www.toyota.com/philanthropy.

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.