Staff members from the Gates Millennium Scholars Program/Asian Pacific Islanders enjoying the festivities. Left to right are: Donna Lacuest Pascua, Joanna Ng and April Rongero.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Jennet Sambour, Southeast Asian Resource Action Center, reviewing the guest list for the evening.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Left to right, Bindi Patel, APIASF Scholarship Associate and Genny Hom-Franzen, Development Manager, holding APIASF information packets for guests.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Smiling for the camera are, left to right: Tariq Khan, APIASF Board Member; Sarah Vander Werf, staff associate for Lisa M. Dietlin and Associates, and Lisa M. Dietlin, President, Lisa M. Dietlin and Associates.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Left to right: Ginny Gong, National President of OCA (Organization of Chinese Americans); Jacinta Titialii Abbott, APIASF Board Member; and Max Niedzwiecki, APIASF Executive Director and President
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Setting up the refreshments, provided by McDonalds, General Mills and The Coca-Cola Company, all corporate sponsors of APIASF, are extreme far left: Manish Shah, Operations Consultant- Field Service, McDonald's; Genny Hom-Franzen, APIASF Development Manager and Tim Larimer, Operations Manager - Field Service, McDonald's.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Among the guests were, left to right: Gale Awaya McCallum, APIASF Advisory Council Member and Program Director of Gates Millennium Scholars - APIA; James McCallum, and Wai-Ling Eng, APIASF Board Vice Chair and a member of the Asian McDonald's Owners Association.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Left to right Glenn Kikuchi, Asian McDonalds Owners Association, who generously donated and coordinated the delivery of the McDonald's food and Coca-Cola beverages; Kathryn Mlsna, APIASF Advisory Council Member from McDonalds, and Jim Norberg, Vice President and General Manager, Baltimore Washington Region, McDonalds.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Pausing for a quick photo, left to right, are: Alexandra Rose, APIASF legal counsel, Piper Rudnick Gray Cary; Michelle Armstrong, MetLife Foundation, APIASF sponsor, Max Niedzwiecki, APIASF Executive Director and President; Bo Thao, APIASF Board Member and Scott Uzzell, APIASF Board Member.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Enjoying the Coca-Cola beverages served that evening are Genny Hom-Franzen, APIASF Development Manager; Kenneth Wong, White House Commissioner from Pennsylvania; Jimmy Lee, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; and Derrick Nguyen, White House Commissioner from California.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Enjoying conversation before the program begins are, left to right: Jacinta Titialii Abbott, APIASF Board Member; Max Niedzwiecki, Executive Director, and Rod McLeod, APIASF Board Member.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

APIASF sponsors, Steve Kline and Melanie Shelby from Pacific Gas & Electric's Washington, DC office, checking in at the registration table.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Left to right, Arindam Dhar and Shampa Dhar, parents of 2006 scholarship recipient Abhishek Dhar; Abhishek Dhar and Robert Underwood, APIASF Board Chair.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Waiting for the formal program of the reception to begin are, left to right: Sarah Vander Werf, Lisa M. Dietlin and Associates; Rod McLeod, APIASF Board Member from Jones Day, and Michael Fung, APIASF Board Member from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Approximately 100 guests attended the APIASF reception in the beautiful and historic lobby of the Department of Commerce Building in Washington, DC.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Robert Underwood, APIASF Board Chair and former Congressman from Guam, gave brief welcoming remarks during the program.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Three 2006 APIASF Scholarship winners spoke at the reception. Pictured left to right: Lilika Fonua; Hawaii; Abhishek Dhar, Maryland; and Joanna Tenta, Texas.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

APIASF Board Members, Advisory Council Members, & scholarship recipients gathered for a group photo.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Tariq Khan, APIASF Board Member from Nationwide, (left) made some brief remarks while Max Niedzwiecki, Executive Director, looks on.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Dr. Kent G. Seig accepted an award on behalf of his brother Keith Sieg, who was honored at the reception for helping APIASF review the most scholarship applications.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Max Niedzwiecki, APIASF Executive Director and President, thanked the corporate sponsors for their support of APIASF, including Wells Fargo, a corporate sponsor, who provided special gifts for the students.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Bob Sakaniwa, a staff member from United States Congressman Mike Honda's office, spoke on behalf of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Jimmy Lee, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, welcoming guests.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Left to right: Genny Hom-Franzen, APIASF Development Manager; Aryani Ong, APIASF consultant, and Ed Vigezzi, Vice President, Sodexho USA, one of APIASF's corporate sponsors, and an APIASF volunteer scholarship reader.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Shirley Manan, Marketing Manager from Southwest Airlines, an APIASF sponsor; Abhishek Dhar, 2006 APIASF scholarship recipient; Joanna Tenta, 2006 APIASF scholarship recipient, and Genny Hom-Franzen, APIASF Development Manager.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Enjoying a laugh at the reception are, left to right: Jim Norberg, Vice President & General Manager, Baltimore Washington Region, McDonalds; Wai-Ling Eng, APIASF Board Vice Chair, and Tariq Khan, APIASF Board Member.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Left to right, APIASF scholarship winner from Hawaii Lilika Fonua; her father, Kalake Fonua; Kamuela Chun, APIASF Advisory Council Member and Glenn Kikuchi, Asian McDonalds Owners Association.
Photo by Ramon G. Talusan

Representatives of APIASF were invited to the White House on May 16 to attend a briefing on immigration reform with United States Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez.

More than 100 guests attended the celebration, including corporate sponsors, scholarship winners & their families, dignitaries, volunteers & supporters.
Photo by Jay (Jizeng) Chen, Asian Fortune