Elaine Reiko Akagi Scholarship

General Information

Deadline: 11:59 PM PST on Sunday, March 3, 2024
Amount: $3,000

The Elaine Reiko Akagi Scholarship was launched in 2011 as a scholarship intended to encourage people of color to enter the field of education (teaching) with preference to those entering Special Education. This is an area of education, which unfortunately, sees many students of color, but an area where the students don’t see role models that look like them. It is the goal of this scholarship to bring some equality to the ratio of students and teachers of color.

Elaine Reiko Akagi retired as an educator in 2010 after 38 years in the public school system. She was a community activist, mentor and advocate for children of color; she worked with students in many settings, from preschool through high school. She saw the relief on a parent’s face when the parent saw a teacher who looked like her child. There was an instant connection. And the students, too, connected with someone who “looked” like them. Ms. Akagi passed away on October 19, 2012 after a very brief but courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. The Elaine Reiko Akagi scholarship is a $3,000 scholarship and will be presented at the luncheon.

Eligibility

Applicant should have a declared major in education or a field related to education, i.e. educational psychology or occupational, physical or speech therapy with the intent of working in a school district at the time of application.
Applicant must have a minimum 2.5 GPA
Consideration will be given to applicants from Western Washington

Steps/Timeline

Application and supporting documents must be uploaded by 11:59 PM on Sunday, March 3, 2024
Notification of interview status – Week of March 25, 2024
Online Zoom interview (required) – Saturday, April 20, 2024
Scholarship winners are invited to attend an awards lunch – Saturday, May 4, 2024

Key Considerations

How does the applicant plan to give back to the education community?
What are the reasons the applicant wishes to pursue a career in the field of education?
What experiences has the applicant had in working with children with disabilities?
What experiences does the applicant demonstrate in working with children of color?
In what teaching field is the applicant specializing?

Required Documents

Application
Essay
Official transcript(s)
Work experience and/or extra-curricular activities summary. Please download and fill out this activities summary template.
Two recommendation forms: at least one recommendation must be submitted by a non-related teacher, counselor, school administrator, and/or employer; one recommendation can be submitted by a community leader.

The recommendation form can be downloaded here. Applicants are encouraged to download the form and send it to their recommenders.

Recommenders should submit the completed form on the Recommendation Form page: http://seattlejacl.org/letter-of-recommendation. Forms must be submitted by the application deadline.

Application

Step 1 of 2

Basic Information
Name*
First Last
Address*
Street Address Address Line 2 City State ZIP Code
Home Phone*
Cell
Email*
Education
Currently a student at:*
The teaching/graduate program I plan to attend in the fall:*
Your Current Grade Point Average:*
University curriculum that will be pursued or has been taken that meets the key considerations:*

Supplemental Documents
All documents are required, but if you have trouble uploading, please send them directly to mkuroserothman@gmail.com. Please make sure your name appears on the documents requested below.
Two Recommendation Forms
Two recommendation forms must also be submitted:
- At least one form must be submitted by a non-related teacher, counselor, school administrator, and/or employer
- One form can be submitted by a community leader
Please download the recommender form and instruct your recommenders to complete the form and submit it at http://seattlejacl.org/letter-of-recommendation/. Forms must be submitted by the application deadline.
Essay*
In 500 words or less, address the following question:
One of Elaine Reiko Akagi’s aspirations was to bring equity into the classroom, specifically special education classrooms. Historically, students of color have been overrepresented in special education classrooms, yet teachers of color are underrepresented in these classrooms. Studies have shown students of color are more successful when they have teachers who look like them. Elaine Akagi recognized these factors as key considerations when she established the Elaine Reiko Akagi scholarship. Describe your personal commitment to serving students from historically marginalized backgrounds. The experiences in your description could come from formal classroom teaching, volunteering in a school, or any other setting where you connected with school-age children and youth. Take note of any who may have an IEP (Individualized Education Program plan). If you have direct experience working with such students, please include those examples. If you describe specific students, please do not use any real names - a pseudonym will protect their identity. How did your similar/dissimilar backgrounds affect:
Essays are evaluated for persuasive writing, and tying in the scholarship's key considerations in a personal, detailed, and organized presentation.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to compose essays is strictly prohibited by the JACL Scholarship Committee. We reserve the right to feed portions of your submission through software to screen for use of AI writing tools and/or plagiarism. In doing so, we will omit any protected, personally identifiable, or sensitive information.
Official Transcript(s)
A copy of your official transcript(s).
Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf.
Activities Summary
Please download the Activities Summary form, fill it out, and submit it below.
Submit your activities summary
Please submit the completed activities summary here.
Drop files here or
Informational (Optional)
Where did you learn about the Seattle JACL Scholarships?
Are your willing to work on a Seattle JACL project or volunteer to help at events?
Your response to this question will not be used to evaluate your application.

If you have questions about the application process, contact Mika Rothman at mkuroserothman@gmail.com.

Step 1 of 2

Basic Information

Education

Supplemental Documents

Informational (Optional)