New Scholarship Strengthens Community for Students Pursuing Asian American and Diaspora Studies
Established by the Duke Asian Alumni Alliance, the new scholarship fund supports scholarship and community among students, alumni and faculty.
As an undergraduate student at Duke, Hosea Chang '03 says he found an Asian American student community at Duke that made him feel like he belonged.
“Duke quickly felt like home to me,” Chang says, who now helps create community among alumni as the chair of Duke Asian American Alumni Alliance (DAAA). Established in 2019, DAAA is dedicated to building a unified Duke Asian/Asian-American community with over 25,000 members in seven regions.
That formative experience led Chang and fellow alumni Debbie Chang M.B.A.’99 and Ed Chan M.D.’96 to establish a scholarship for Duke students.
The Duke Asian American Alliance Scholarship Fund will provide financial support to students pursuing degrees in the Asian American and Diaspora Studies (AADS) program at Duke, while also promoting a stronger connection among Duke’s Asian American alumni, current students, faculty and allies.
“We want to ensure that today’s students have the opportunity to explore diverse cultural identities in a meaningful way,” Chan says. “--while also feeling connected and supported by the larger Duke community.”
Leo Ching, the Schiff Family Dean of Humanities and the Arts and Duke professor of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, agrees.
“This scholarship can help recognize the diverse histories and struggles as forms of knowledge that are both relevant and essential to the broader Duke community,” he says.
The scholarship will also focus on creating community and a network of fellow Duke alumni and faculty who can support students, Debbie Chang says.
“It's about creating opportunities for students to connect with a network of alumni who share their experiences and want to see them succeed,” she says.
The scholarship makes it possible for students to connect with both alumni, who can support them in their Duke journeys, and faculty mentors in the AADS program, who can guide them in both their academic and career pursuits. These relationships provide students with the support they need to excel in their studies while also building a network that will help them in the professional world after graduation.
“It’s important for students to see that they’re part of something much larger than themselves,” Chan says.
Ed Chan, Debbie Chang and Hosea Chang have generously given $100,000 to establish the fund, but an an additional $200,000 is needed to ensure scholarships can be distributed to AADS students. Support is crucial to ensuring the fund's long-term sustainability and raising awareness of the history and impact of Asian Americans and the Asian diaspora at Duke and beyond.
“We’re incredibly proud of the progress we’ve made so far,” says Hosea Chang. “But we still have work to do to ensure this scholarship can continue to support students well into the future.”
