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UKIAH – Mendocino College Sophomore Xiao Hui Lau has been selected as a 2009 Coca-Cola National Finalist.
As a finalist, Lau will receive a check for $1,000 in August. Selection as a Coca-Cola finalist was based on scores earned in the All-USA Academic Team competition.
The program is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation and is administered by Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society.
“I'm honored to be one of the finalists for the Coca-Cola National Scholarship, mainly because I have been able to represent Mendocino College at a National level, which I think is most meaningful. The education I've received at Mendocino College definitely deserves to be recognized, and I'm proud to be, in a roundabout way, an indicator of that recognition,” Lau said.
Lau, who is from Malaysia, moved to Ukiah with her parents in 1994 to be close to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. She graduated from Developing Virtue Secondary School.
Presently a sophomore, Lau earned her associate of arts degree in music one year after attending Mendocino College and her associate of science degree in biological science last May. Currently, she is working on her lower division undergraduate requirements for transfer to a four-year institution.
Lau is heavily involved in activities at Mendocino College. She has been involved in student government and the Associated Students of Mendocino College (ASMC) since 2007.
She Lau also held two one-year terms as a student trustee on the board of Mendocino College.
Last August, Lau even founded her own club called the Arts Club Of Mendocino College.
According to Lau, she felt that the Mendocino College campus lacked a student art advocacy organization. Through her experience with arts and craft fairs, she decided to try organizing sales at the College on her own.
“It was originally the fundraiser for ASMC, but eventually evolved into started my own club. Our club’s main goal is to promote Mendocino College student artist works to the local community and to foster inter-club relations with other art-related clubs on campus,” she said.
The group plans to hold art sales events on at least a yearly basis, if not each semester, Lau said.
“We aspire to promote the talent of Mendocino-Lake counties and to inform our communities of the opportunities for art at Mendocino College. We also would like to develop an artist network, allowing fellow artists to get to know one another and their unique and individual art,” Lau said.
Lau is also a member of PTK, an honor society for two-year colleges. She was selected to the First California Academic Team for PTK.
To be a member in Phi Theta Kappa, individuals must be enrolled in a regionally accredited institution offering an associate degree program, have completed at least 12 hours of coursework that may be applied to an associate degree, have a 3.5 grade point average, receive an invitation to membership from the chapter at the college enrolled at and must adhere to the moral standards of the society.
She also participates in weekly math contests and is a tutor for biology in the Mendocino College Learning Center.
“Xiao Hui is an exceptional student. She is curious, motivated, independent and very bright. I have often found her explaining topics to other students in my class,” Mendocino College instructor Rachel Donham said.
Lau plans to transfer at the end of the semester. Although it remains to be seen where she will transfer, she has already been accepted to the University of California-Davis.
“My short term goal in school is to finish my bachelor’s of science degree and then apply for an internship with a major public health organization. After that, I hope to enter a PhD program somewhere for virology or a related subject,” Lau said.
According to Lau, she hopes to establish a career as a virology or disease researcher.
“My high school biology teacher had encouraged us to read more science related books in order to broaden our interest in science. The story of the researchers from the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) who battled Ebola kindled a desire within me to work with people like them and do the sort of work these researchers did,” Lau said.
The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has announced the establishment of the Coca-Cola All-State Community College Academic Team program, providing up to $450,000 in stipends. The top scoring student from each of the 50 states will be named a New Century Scholar and will receive a $2,000 stipend.
All scholars will also receive special medallions and will be listed in an April 6 issue of USA Today.
Further information on the awards can be found at http://www.ptk.org/schol/allstate/ or www.ptk.org/schol/aaat/announce.htm.
For additional information about Mendocino College, visit www.mendocino.edu.
