In 2019, President Mun Y. Choi was awarded the Chang-Lin Tien Leadership in Education Award, which honors an Asian American and Pacific Islander who has achieved significant academic accomplishments and demonstrates the potential to advance to the highest leadership levels in higher education. This prestigious honor included a $10,000 grant to establish a systemwide Chang-Lin Tien Scholarship Fund to support exceptional, civic-minded students. The 12 recipients of these scholarships represent students from across the UM System as well as a range of disciplines. The awardees share a collective commitment to public service and community impact. President Choi and the student recipients were all recognized at a virtual ceremony on September 1, 2020. Learn more about the scholarship recipients below.
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Samantha N. Hays Samantha Hays has held many leadership positions during her time at UMKC, including work as an Academic Assistant and Residential Assistant for the Honors College and Residential Life for more than three years, where she has helped freshmen and international students transition to college. Hays has also supported the most "at-risk" students through her work as a VISTA intern for the Summer Bridge program, and she previously mentored students in the First Gen Roo pilot program. As part of the pilot program, Hays represented her own first-generation status and supported incoming "first gens" through meaningful programming with Financial Aid and Career Services. When asked about her commitment to civic leadership, Samantha says, “Though the goal of civic leadership is to provide resources to others, in none of my actions have I ever felt afterwards that it did not improve my own life and well-being to some degree.” Off campus, Samantha has served as a hospital volunteer and research volunteer to improve care for pediatric patients. She plans to continue serving the UMKC Residential Life community as an Assistant Residential Life Coordinator as she completes her master's degree, and eventually hopes to earn her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine with the support of the Health Professionals Scholarship Program through the U.S. Army.
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Duong Hoang As the marketing chair of UMKC’s Vietnamese Student Association, Duong Hoang is responsible for promoting events through social media marketing campaigns and other forms of communication. This position allows her to collaborate and fuse her leadership skills with her creativity, and to increase the visibility of Vietnamese culture while also giving back to the community. She is particularly proud of two events: an organizational event called, “Di De Tro Ve” (which means “Going to Returns”); and a five-month campaign to raise money to help Vietnamese children facing poverty attend school. “Di De Tro Ve” successfully helped create solidarity among other Vietnamese students studying abroad. With support from students on campus and the Vietnamese community in Kansas City, the campaign raised nearly $1,000 from selling T-shirts and souvenirs at the Tet Celebration. Hoang is committed to creating a diverse culture at UMKC where students can share their experiences, have cultural perspectives and learn from each other. She says, “Civic leadership is the acknowledgment of the privileges that I have, combined with my skills, values and enthusiasm to advocate for equal rights and improve the quality of life in my community.” Hoang plans to earn her doctorate in physics and then enter a career in higher education, where she will continue to support underprivileged children and represent Asian women in STEM. |
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Katlyn Maas Katlyn Maas is an active leader in Missouri S&T’s volunteerism programs, whether it be the alternative break program Miner Challenge; the Volunteerism and Greek Life Days of Service program; or taking a group of friends to the local thrift store to help organize clothing. She aims to lead by example and by engagement. As a senior member of Lambda Sigma Pi, a service-based fraternity on campus, Maas averages about 50 community service hours per semester. As part of the Volunteerism and Greek Life Days of Service program, she has participated in several community volunteer events. As part of Miner Challenge, she led a team of students to Charleston, West Virginia, in the spring of 2019 to assist with after-school programs. “To me,” says Maas, “civic leadership is using my knowledge and applying it towards making people aware of the injustices around us.” Maas will graduate with her MBA in December 2021, and she plans to pursue work in the nonprofit arena. She dreams of starting her own nonprofit organization one day, with a focus on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) education in rural schools. |
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Dominique Sanchez As a registered lobbyist in the Missouri state legislature for The Associated Students of the University of Missouri (ASUM), Dominique Sanchez worked on a variety of student issues – from creating more STEM scholarships to advocating for and against policies that affect students. Sanchez’s exposure to state government led her to pursue a leadership role with ASUM. Currently, she serves as the chapter president at UMKC, a position she sees as an opportunity to impact students through increased civic engagement and participation in the political process. Sanchez says, “Civic leadership is accomplished through fostering other individuals to become civic leaders themselves, and my advocacy at the state government level and my leadership role in my organization puts me in a unique position to affect change.” Sanchez is passionate about increasing access to care and health equity for ethnic minority populations. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in law and public policy, with her ultimate goal to work for a nonprofit organization. |
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Teresa Schneider Teresa Schneider’s comprehensive involvement includes participation in the Residential Hall Association, holding the role of Campus Facilities Chair in the Student Council and participting in Greek Life. As part of Keramos, a professional Ceramic Engineering Fraternity, she designed and executed a demonstration to young students on fiberglass manufacturing that involves cotton candy machines. This demonstration was given at local schools, science camps and even the St. Louis Science Center. While serving on the Student Council, Schneider successfully petitioned the Student Union Board to provide closed captioning on movies displayed on-campus, as well as to offer accommodations for dietary restrictions and audio-visual impairments. When it comes to her philosophy on civic leadership, Schneider says, “Civic leadership is all about focusing on the community you serve. It is also about remembering that the best leaders are servants first.” She plans to remain active as an alum, including as an adviser to her Zeta Tau Alpha chapter and its philanthropy, Breast Cancer Education and Awareness. Eventually, Schneider wants to work in a management role and use her minor in Leadership Communications to make a difference. |
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Suzanne Young Suzanne Young’s work includes undergraduate research with Dr. Robert Schwartz, where she helps study the challenges facing Missouri’s rural communities, including disparities in health care, a shrinking workforce, internet access, drug addiction and aging populations. Over the course of two years, Young collected data on these issues as well as met with community leaders, rural entrepreneurs and engagement network specialists. This information helped her recommend entrepreneurship projects and solutions to stimulate business development in these communities. In addition, Young acted as an ASUM intern and worked with her peers to promote student interests in Jefferson City. To Young, “Civic leadership means taking time to help people regardless of how you feel about the issues they care about. It means setting aside your personal views in order to make the world better for your neighbors.” After graduation, Young plans to canvas for candidates who are passionate about helping others, to join civil action groups that work to improve lives and to eventually run for political office. |
Reviewed 2020-09-08