Diana Ming Chan Bilingual Social Work Scholarship Awards Presented at NASW State Conference

By Nancy Lim-Yee, LCSW

The Diana Ming Chan Bilingual Social Work Scholarship Awards were presented at an Awards Ceremony during the NASW State Conference on Friday, October 9, 2015. Diana Ming Chan, a licensed clinical social worker, was the very first Chinese bilingual social worker in San Francisco’s Chinatown.  She was a social work pioneer and inspirational community leader.  Throughout her distinguished 46-year career, Diana was an innovator and risk taker who repeatedly made contributions of long lasting impact in various communities.

After Diana passed away in August 2008, the Asian Pacific Islander Social Work Council, in collaboration with the NASW California Chapter and the NASW Foundation, established a scholarship fund, to honor Diana’s memory and to support her legacy.  Diana felt that it was especially important to have an adequate number of qualified Asian bilingual social workers providing services in our communities.

Applicants for the scholarship were asked to submit their applications by answering two questions:

• How would you advance social work in the Asian Pacific Islander Community?
• How do you plan to or have you used your bilingual skills to help others?

The three scholarship recipients include Jenny W. Lam and Trish Shang-Tzu Yeh, both graduate level social work students at the School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley, and Wai-Yan Wendy Leung who will be completing her MSW at Cal State East Bay’s Dept. of Social Work in June 2016.  The API Social Work Council extends its congratulations to these future social workers.

The Asian Pacific Islander Social Work Council hopes to continue to present the Diana Ming Chan Bilingual Social Work Scholarship to other social work students for many more years to come.  If you would like to support Diana’s vision and passion for the social work profession, the Council invites you to make a tax-deductible donation to the Diana Ming Chan Bilingual Social Work Scholarship Fund.

Donations can be made online at the NASW Foundation website (https://www.socialworkers.org/onlinedonation/OnlineDonation.aspx?fund=r/efund).

Please remember to designate your donation to the Diana Ming Chan Bilingual Social Work Scholarship.

Photo:  Left to Right:  Richell Jose, API Social Work Council Co-Chair; Scholarship Recipients: Wendy Leung, Jenny Lam, Trish Yeh; and Janlee Wong, NASW-CA Executive Director.