During my senior year of high school, I applied to over 40 scholarships. Filling out applications was stressful enough, but so was waiting to hear back from the organizations. Day after day, I kept receiving letters that read: “We are sorry to inform you…” As if the college rejections weren’t bad enough.

Courtesy Piotr Lewandowski/SXC

Then one day, I got the letter that changed my life forever. I had received a $25,000 scholarship from the Asian American Journalists Association and CNN for being an aspiring broadcast journalist. This was the one scholarship that I had taken a chance on and applied for on a whim. I remember being so happy that I started crying—the stress and hard work had been totally worth it.

Many people ignore scholarships because they think it’s a waste of time to apply—all that preparing, essay-writing and form-filling, for the slight possibility of receiving some money towards college. However, those who are qualified should absolutely apply. It only takes a few good hours to put together a scholarship application. Even if you only receive a couple hundred dollars, that could buy a semester’s worth of textbooks. As the saying goes, every little bit helps.

Since I went through the arduous process not long ago, I am hoping to pass on some good karma to Mochi readers. We’ve cut the research half of the work with our list of scholarships, so you can focus your energies on your application. The best part? These scholarships are all geared toward Asian Americans, so you’re already at an advantage. Good luck!

For fitness buffs:

CanFit

Deadline: March 31, 2010

Amount: Not specified.

For Chinese Americans:

Organization of Chinese Americans

Deadline: April 1, 2010

Amount: $2,000

For aspiring journalists:

Asian American Journalists Association.

Deadline: April 23, 2010

Amount: From $1,500 – $2,500

For budding West Coast news anchors:

Fisher Communication

Deadline: April 30th, 2010

Amount: Not specified.

For Korean Americans:

Korean American Scholarship Foundation

Deadline: May, June, or August (depending on your region)

Amount: $2,000+

For Vietnamese Americans:

Vietnamese American Armed Forces Association.

Deadline: June 1st, 2010

Amount: $1,000

For entrepreneurial types:

Asian Women In Business

Deadline: August 1, 2010

Amount: $2,500

Also, try looking up specific colleges you want to apply to see if they offer scholarships for minorities, but work fast because deadlines are quickly approaching. If you end up receiving one of these scholarships, drop us a line at info@mochimag.com. We would love to feature your story in an upcoming issue of Mochi.

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3. Asian Clubs Link Students Across the Nation
4. From the Mochi Test Kitchen: Dorm-style Asian Food
5. How I Broke Free of the Asian Stereotype in College