NAAAP-NC members and supporters convened for the annual Lunar New Year dinner at Royal China Buffet in Raleigh on Saturday, March 3, 2007. This was also the first time that NAAAP-NC awarded scholarships, to three outstanding high school seniors: Steven Lin, Stephanie Sun, and Tan Tran.

The winners were all present with their family and friends. Musician Dan Tan entertained everyone during the dinner with his original songs and impressive guitarwork. Linda Phan of Boat People SOS, a non-profit group in Raleigh that assists low-income Vietnamese immigrants, also spoke briefly about her organization and upcoming fundraisers. Phan is the cousin of Tan Tran, as well as the reason he knew of the NAAAP-NC Scholarship Program.

After a few words from current NAAAP-NC President Julia Yip, NAAAP-NC Scholarships Director Judy Tseng presented the students with their framed certificates, scholarship checks, and NAAAP-NC T-shirts. Each student had a few minutes to say some words of thanks. NAAAP-NC is grateful to Sean Pan of State Farm Insurance and GlaxoSmithKline for their donations that made the scholarships possible.

Stephanie Sun has been accepted by UNC-Chapel Hill and is still waiting to hear from other colleges. Steven Lin has been accepted by UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State University; he also is waiting to hear from other schools. Tan Tran will attend NC State University this fall. Bios of the NAAAP Award winners as well as copies of their essays can be read here: http://naaap-nc.org/News.do?id=1313