The Center’s connections with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and students since are partly due to the leadership of community activist Meg Malpaya Thornton, who coordinates the Students and Community Projects Unit. SCP is engaged in student leadership and organizational development, service learning and community internships, research and curriculum support, and special campus and community collaborations.

The Center awards students fellowships and scholarships, ranging from $500 to $8,000. They are provided from endowments and special funds that were established through the generosity of donors and are given for community-oriented research, creative projects, campus or community service experience, and/or internships with specified community organizations. For more information, click here.

If you would like to contribute to students' academic and community endeavors, go to the AASC Gift Giving page to donate (listed under Scholarships/Fellowships for Asian American Studies [21st Century]).

Student Leadership Development and Organizational Development Advising

UCLA has a long history of active, influential, and diverse student organizations. SCP continues to nurture the development of AAPI student leadership and campus organizations through partnerships and individual and group advising, which encourages students to critically reflect on their leadership and organizing, actively engage in campus and community issues, and work with campus, community, and alumni groups. Through the years, student organizations that reflect diversity in ethnicity, mixed heritage, sexual orientation, academics, politics, arts and culture have been established.

Current Student Organization Partnerships and Engagement

Past sponsorships and historical ties include:

Service Learning/Internship Program & Curriculum

SCP facilitates and promotes service learning, internships, participatory research, and other forms of experience-based education. Students are encouraged to develop and advocate for courses and to pursue advanced studies on AAPIs. Noteworthy curriculum projects include the Asian American Gender and Sexuality course, Cambodian American Experience course, Hmong American Studies Conference, the campaign for language classes in Tagalog, Vietnamese, Hindi and Thai, Save the South Asian minor, and the Pilipino Studies concentration.

Asian Pacific American Community Research Roundtable (APACRR)

The APACRR brings together community practitioners, graduate students, faculty, and researchers to discuss, identify and collaborate on communitybased research needs. The Research Roundtable was initiated in 1989 by the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council—a consortium of more than forty AAPI social service and advocacy organizations in the greater Los Angeles area—and SCP unit. Through the years, other partners have included the University of Southern California, California State Universities at Los Angeles, Long Beach and Northridge, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the L.A. County Human Relations Commission.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Community Directory for Los Angeles and Orange Counties

This resource lists over 900 AAPI organizations and agencies in Southern California that provide services that are accessible, culturally sensitive, and ethnic language competent. The Community Directory enables individuals, community-based organizations, and institutions to network, collaborate, provide information, and refer their clients. It primarily lists non-profit organizations which provide cultural, educational, and social welfare services with a specific focus on AAPI communities and organizations involved in social or political advocacy around issues directly related to AAPIs. It also contains sections on Asian American Studies programs and AAPI student service centers, media, community and social service organizations in Los Angeles and Orange counties. A print version can be purchased through the AASC Press or viewed online here.