2019 Steps For Change Scholarship

2019 Steps For Change Scholarship Winners

Congratulations to the 2019 Steps For Change Scholarship Winners!

With the number of exceptional student applicants we have received, it was an incredibly difficult decision by the scholarship judging panel to select the final scholarship award recipients.

Thank you for all who have applied and best of luck in all your future endeavors!

UC Riverside, Biomedical Engineering

LUISA RUIZ-PEREZ

Luisa Ruiz-Perez is a resilient, persistent, and diligent individual, who will be studying biomedical engineering at the University of California, Riverside. Her ultimate goal is to build a prosthetic arm for her mother and create affordable + quality prosthetics for missing limb low income individuals. During high school, her father was deported and her mother (with a missing hand) provided the sole source of income. Under these circumstances, Luisa also had to work to take care of her mother and younger brother.

John Hopkins University, Neuroscience

OMOBOLADE ODEDOYIN

Omobolade Odedoyin is a very well rounded individual-- both in school and at home. He spent his high school career taking care of his ill mother while his father was in Nigeria, up until she passed away last summer. While dealing with the challenges in his family life, he continued to stay on top of his studies through his passion in math & science. His goal is to secure a position as a neurosurgeon and ultimately provide more opportunities for better healthcare in West Africa.

University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Biological Engineering

ROYAL SHRESTHA

Royal Shrestha will be attending the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and pursuing a major in Biological Engineering. As an ambitious, generous, and hardworking individual, he strives become a successful biomedical engineer to design new and more affordable healthcare technologies to help impoverished villages in Nepal gain access to inexpensive medical treatment. Royal has been very active in community service, helping abandoned children find foster homes and saving young girls from indentured servitude back in his home country.

2019 Scholarship Judging Panel

Thank you to all our scholarship judges for their hard work and dedication in selecting the winners of the 2019 Steps For Change Scholarship. All our scholarship judges on the panel help us properly select the best award recipients on a fair and professional standpoint.

Feel free to click on their names to learn more about them!

Ms. Abby Loomis, Esq. Attorney-at-Law

American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
AILA Washington: Member & Chair, Department of State Liaison Committee
AILA Washington: Vice-Chair, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Liaison Committee
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) - Volunteer Attorney
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) – Volunteer Attorney

Mr. Chong Le Senior Engineer

Senior Engineer in the Remote Sensing Systems Directorate of the Space and Missiles System Center (SMC) at the Los Angeles Air Force Base
30 years of service for the United States Government
- Responsible for managing the reactivation efforts and development of the satellite for a missile defense demonstration program
- Contributed to the successful launch in 2009 and completion of the early orbit check-out of the two missile defense demonstration satellites
Systems Engineering & Integration Lead for a Space Environmental Monitoring Program 2013-2016
Senior Civilian of the Year at SMC in 1996

Ms. Sandy Wang FNP-BC

Master's Degree of Science in Nursing, Family Specialty (MSN) from UCLA
Bachelor's Degree of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Loma Linda University

The Pill Club- Leadership & Senior Lead Nurse Practitioner

MinuteClinic- Family Nurse Practitioner and Clinic Resource Provider
Wealth by Health Steps for Change Foundation- Keynote Speaker
The Sweeter Approach to Sweet-Ease- Pending Publication
Clinical Preceptor for UCLA

Dr. Patrick Mak Retired, Principal Director of the DoD Defense Meteorological Satellite Program

Spent the last 33 years of his professional career at The Aerospace Corporation
Held technical and managerial positions on a variety of Air Force, Navy, NASA, and international satellite programs
Retired in 2014 as the Principal Director of the DoD Defense Meteorological Satellite Program
2013 Aerospace President's Award, 2012 Aerospace Alex Liang's Asian American Award

Ms. Polly Low Councilmember of the City of Rosemead

Software Engineering Manager at Raytheon
President of the Chinese Elected Officials (CEO) from 2013-2015
Commissioner on the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) Affairs
President of the Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials (APAMO) of National League of Cities
2014 Women of Distinction Award from Congresswoman Judy Chu

Ms. Wendy Zimmerman SVP Area Manager at HSBC Bank USA

SVP Area Manager for Southern California South Area at HSBC Bank USA
Former Interim Regional Manager at Fremont Investment & Loan
Over 35 years of banking experience in the financial industry
CEO Award Winner, HSBC Securities (USA) Inc

Mr. Erik Hoeffs Divisional Franchise Director at GNC

Division Franchise Director at GNC, supporting franchisees & field representatives throughout the Western U
Received the Director of the Year Award for Excellence in 2014, 2013, and 2012
Certified Divisional Trainer for GNC
Over 20 years of experience in retail operations, customer service, and various multi-unit management roles