The Thomas Tam Scholarship is funded by an endowment established by the City University of New York in recognition of Dr. Thomas Tam’s contributions as a former member of the CUNY Board of Trustees, founding Executive Director of the Asian American / Asian Research Institute, and leadership in the Asian American community. The Scholarship awards $1,000 to an individual qualified undergraduate student that is currently enrolled at any of the twenty-one colleges within CUNY, Asian or non-Asian, who has demonstrated creativity in the communication of the concerns of the Asian American community in areas such as health, education, culture, media and advocacy.
The 2018 CUNY Thomas Tam recipient will be honored at AAARI’s 17th annual gala on December 6, 2018.
2018 Recipient
Yineng Ye (The City College of New York)
Project: What’s Wrong with “American-Born [ ]”?
Mr. Yineng Ye, a Theater major, will explore conflicts in an Asian American family through a production of Carla Ching’s play “Fast Company,” a story about a family in which everyone is a con artist. While the children are running cons on one another, they are unaware that they are falling for a “con” their single mother is running – the final one that is intended to teach her children a lesson about the meaning of family. With a cast of both Asian and non-Asian actors, the production reflects dilemmas experienced by not only Asian children, but also those of other children from different cultural backgrounds. The characters struggle with feeling as if they are born into a “con”, experiencing the pressure to fit in among society, questioning their identity, while also carrying the responsibilities and expectations passed down from the older generations. “Fast Company” is not only an exploration into the meaning of family, but also an inquiry of identity.
2018 Honorable Mention
Sherry Chen (Baruch College)
Project: Queens Youth Collaborative (QYC) / New York Asian American Youth Conference
Ms. Sherry Chen, a Marketing major, addresses in her project the social challenges of growing up as an Asian American in the 21st century and how the community deals with issues such as domestic violence and sexual assault, with silence often outcome. Ms. Chen has launched and been involved with several enrichment workshops designed to encourage Asian Americans to speak out about their experiences and to become part of a larger community.
In 2016, as president of the Youth Community Project Team (YCPT), Ms. Chen co-organized a youth conference, “Not Your Model Minority: Challenging 21st Century Stereotypes.” For the 2017 conference, “Queens Youth Collaborative (QYC),” she produced, wrote, and acted in a play, “Emma,” which tackled the topic of rape. “It was my ultimate goal to inspire Asian Americans to break away from the model minority myth and be more willing to reach out for help. Although I will not be able to completely end domestic violence and abuse for everyone, I hope to continue having a positive influence on others as I move through life.”
Scholarship Committee: Russell Leong, Joyce Moy & Pearl Tam
Coordinator: William Tam
