Category: ATG Artistic Scholarship

February 18, 2012

Against The Grain Productions Announces Additional Leadership Scholarship

Non-profit to Award Three Scholarships to Exemplary Asian American Students

DALLAS, TX – Dallas nonprofit ATG Against The Grain Productions proudly announced the addition of the Sunna Lee Leadership Scholarship to its already existing Artistic Scholarship, to be awarded to Asian American students who are breaking the mold through their work in the arts and/or leadership in the community. Last year’s Artistic Scholarship winners were Texas students Monika Hoang and Dorcas Leung. Both Hoang and Leung were awarded a $1,000 scholarship for their exceptional artistic ability, talent, community involvement, leadership and academics. The addition of the Sunna Lee Leadership scholarship is a $5,000 commitment from business executive Sunna Lee, a powerhouse in the business and fashion world who previously attended ATG’s Fashion for a Passion charity event as a guest and was moved to do her part by motivating and celebrating a young Asian American leader who is changing the stereotype of Asian Americans.

2011 ATG Artistic Scholarship Winner Dorcas Leung

2011 ATG Artistic Scholarship Winner Monika Hoang

ATG Founder/President Tammy Nguyen Lee is excited to include this Leadership Scholarship as an extension of the organization’s already strong commitment to community outreach. Nguyen Lee said, “We created the Artistic Scholarship as an extension of what our organization is already doing to promote and support Asian Americans in the arts, and we hope that the Leadership Scholarship continues to cultivate those in our community who are finding unique ways to express themselves and create stories for us to share.” Nguyen Lee continued, “ATG is very fortunate to partner with pioneers in the Asian American community like Sunna Lee and be the organization chosen to broaden our scope to select and promote a leader among the Asian American student population. It’s a huge honor and responsibility. Our hope is that that this will send an impactful message and continue to inspire others to affect change and leadership in others.”

Leadership Scholarship Founder Sunna Lee

Sunna Lee is a first-generation Korean American with 25 years as an executive in product development, which includes trends, design, marketing and sourcing for brands and retailers small to large, private and publicly traded companies with $7 million to $2.5 billion in revenues. She has served as Vice President of Marketing for Priss Prints and NoJo, Vice President of New Business Development for Crown Crafts Infant Products, Vice President of Merchandising for Riegel, Director of Fashion for Dorel Juvenile Group and is currently the Director of Product Development for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. At Cracker Barrel, she leads the women’s group, Woman’s Connect, as a member of the steering committee to develop future women leaders of the organization. She previously founded her own line of high-end handmade handbags, which were sold at Stanley Korshak and Neiman Marcus. Lee said, “Being a female Asian growing up in the Deep South, I have had to overcome double the challenges of prejudice and ignorance and have chosen to convert what others may perceive as a disadvantage to a competitive advantage.” Lee is passionate about empowering others to tap into their own potential. “Teach someone to fish instead of giving them fish. Fish can feed them for one meal. The skill to fish will feed them for a lifetime.”

Lily Yang, ATG’s Director of Community Outreach, spearheads the review process for both scholarships and highlights the principles of the funds. “The Artistic Scholarship embodies ATG’s mission of promoting awareness of art in all media and a commitment to the community. The scholarship program is not limited to only financial assistance, but also provides the winner with mentorship, exposure and a support group both within and outside of the art community.” Yang continues, “The addition of the Leadership Scholarship allows us to reach out to an even wider group of Asian American students who have demonstrated exemplary leadership skills and made a difference by challenging the conventional Asian American stereotype. We are looking for candidates who truly embody the spirit of “going against the grain.”

Both the Artistic and Sunna Lee Leadership Scholarship applications are online at www.AgainstTheGrainProductions.com/Scholarship, and the application deadline is April 15^th. Scholarship winners will be invited to attend ATG’s 4^th annual Fashion for a Passion charity event, to be held on Saturday, October 13, 2012, at the Dallas Contemporary in Dallas, TX, where they will be presented with their scholarship, as well as showcase their talent amongst other Asian American artists.

ATG Against The Grain Productions, a Dallas-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, promotes Asian-American cultural awareness through compelling media projects and raises funds for international orphanages and outreach. Their first project, Operation Babylift: The Lost Children of Vietnam, has received the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film at the Vietnamese International Film Festival and the Documentary Audience Choice Award from the Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival. For scholarship details, visit www.AgainstTheGrainProductions/scholarship. For more information, visit www.AgainstTheGrainProductions.com or www.TheBabylift.com.

June 8, 2011

Going Against The Grain: Dorcas Leung

Dorcas Leung recently graduated high school at the top of her class, during which she starred and participated in nine different theatre productions. She is actively involved in a variety of extra-curricular activities, including planning and hosting school functions through student council, performing as part of an improvisational comedy troop, and helping organize theatre activities for children as part of her local thespian society.

She was nominated for the Tommy Tune Awards’ Best Featured Performer twice. She is skilled in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, musical theatre and piano and will begin her college career studying musical theatre at the University of Oklahoma.

Full Name

Shuting Dorcas Leung

Hometown

Hong Kong, China

Current City

Houston, Texas

Ethnicity

Chinese

What does getting this scholarship mean to you?

Getting the ATG scholarship makes me feel very blessed. It is hard enough already to be an Asian American in a difficult field of study, but I feel that with this scholarship I could be an encourager to other Asian Americans wanting to pursue a career in the arts. I am very happy to be a representative of this scholarship, and I know it holds a lot of weight because I want to be a good example of “Going Against The Grain” and proving that I can do what I want to do, even if it is difficult.

What does it mean to you to “Go Against The Grain?”

To “Go Against The Grain” means to defy the norm. To me, I think it means to continue doing what I love and am passionate about, even if it’s not something that is always approved of or smiled upon.

What made you decide to pursue a career in the arts?

I first started doing theatre arts in middle school as a hobby but the more I was involved in productions, the more I loved the thrill of being on stage and performing. I think theatre is the most unique form of communication because with each production and each show, the actors are telling a story. It may not be your own story but somehow in a show, the message and thoughts of others are being communicated. I decided to pursue a career in the arts because I love how unique but direct communication is shown in theatre.

What have been some of the challenges you faced/lessons you learned as an Asian American student going into this field?

Physically, it is hard to be a musical theatre major because most shows are written as other races. It is a challenge because although I love to perform, I may not always get the right opportunity to. It’s not that I believe that I am not capable of doing certain roles, but the truth is, the roles were not written for my personality/character as an Asian American. Although this is difficult, I cannot change and would not change who I am.

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment, and why?

My biggest accomplishment, I think, is that I have convinced my parents to support me in my decision to major in the arts. It is hard and against the norm for an Asian American girl to have the passion to do theatre full time. At first, my parents were hesitant and saw my love for theatre just as a hobby that would pass. But now at this age, I am very blessed to be able to have my parents by my side and supportive of my decisions.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Hopefully, in the future I can use my decision to major in theatre to write, communicate, and show the need for Asian Americans to express themselves through art. By winning this scholarship, I am more than happy to represent “Against the Grain Productions” because I believe that my choices for majoring in theatre are most definitely going “against the grain.”

June 8, 2011

Going Against the Grain: Monika Hoang

2011 ATG Artistic Scholarship Winner Monika Hoang

Monika Hoang is a junior at Southern Methodist University, majoring in Creative Advertising and minoring in Psychology and Latin. She was recently awarded Best Art Director for her portfolio class and was chosen to participate in the One Show Student Exhibition in New York City.

She considers herself to be a relaxed, cheerful and sarcastic both as a person and an artist. Artists must always be pushing themselves creatively, and sometimes this can be achieved when you become one with who you are on a personal and artist level; you never know when the next amazing idea will hit you.

Full Name

Monika Hoang

Hometown

Mansfield, Texas

Current City

Dallas, Texas

Ethnicity

Vietnamese

What does getting this scholarship mean to you?

Receiving this scholarship shows me that support for the arts is out there in the community. In a way it gives hope to those who are hesitant to pursue the arts. This scholarship is like a gentle nudge and whisper telling me to keep doing what I love.

What does it mean to you to “Go Against The Grain?”

Defy stereotypes, try new things, don’t hold yourself back, break down mental barriers, scare some people in a good way, color outside the lines, wear mismatched socks, be free.

What made you decide to pursue a career in the arts?

I actually went back and forth in choosing potential career paths during my senior year of high school. All it took was reminding myself that wherever I would work in the future, I would be for at least 40 hours a week; the thought of doing something I didn’t love solidified my choice in pursuing the arts. Life has more meaning when you’re doing something you care about and makes you happy.

What have been some of the challenges you faced/lessons you learned as an Asian American student going into this field?

Initially, overcoming community expectations to pursue fields such as the sciences was a small hurdle to overcome, but once I began to immerse myself in my craft, those demands became insignificant. I did things for me, because I loved to, not because someone else wanted me to.

What do you feel is your biggest accomplishment, and why?

My biggest accomplishment would probably be getting the opportunity to showcase my work in the student exhibition at the annual “One Show” in New York. Being able to attend this conference and meet and network with notable people from within the industry was a truly valuable experience.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

More work! I plan on entering more advertising competitions next school year while honing my craft, so stay tuned!