70th Annual Scholarship Awards and Appreciation Banquet

On June 2nd, the Chinese Professional Club hosted it’s 70th Annual Scholarship Awards and Appreciation Banquet at Ocean Palace Restauraunt. Since its inception, the organization has awarded nearly $1 million in scholarship to more than 500 students!

The awards ceremony was hosted by Mark Luo, Scholarship Chair and Secretary of CPC. Mark was a 2022 CPC scholar and has returned every year to assist in the scholarship process.

Philip Sun, President of the Chinese Professional Club Scholarship Fund Inc., and Jessica Li, President of the Chinese Professional Club, delivered welcome speeches and highlighted the tremendous occasion.

The organization was recognized with proclamations by Harris County Commissioners Tom Ramsey and Lesley Briones, respectively represented by their Chief of Staff’s Conrad Joe and Alice Lee. Texas State Representative Gene Wu also presented the CPC with certificates recognizing the impact the organization has had on Chinese-American students and the Chinese-American community as a whole.

The recipient of the 2024 Young Achievers Award was Chloe Nguyen, a 2020 CPC scholar and incoming Private Equity Analyst at Blackstone.

After dinner was served, the two speakers for the night – Jessica Dae, daughter of Judy Dae, and Jeanne-Mey Sun – delivered insightful addresses about the importance of education and perserverence.

Judy Dae is President of the Fort Bend Independent School Board and the first Chinese American elected to the board. Judy received her Bachelor’s degree from Beijing Sciences and Technology University and her Master’s degree in computer Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She has devoted herself to volunteering at schools for the past 20 years and was the 2024 Community Impact Award recipient.

Jeanne-Mey Sun was the Vice president and Chief Sustainability Officer at NRG Energy, Inc. Jeanne-Mey received her Bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Relations from the University of Toronto, Master’s degree in European Economic Studies from the College of Europe, and P.h.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago. Jeanne-Mey also served as Executive of Energy Transition and Clean Energy Solutions at Baker Hughes Company, Vice President of Strategy at Sysco Corporation, and Principal at A.T. Kearney. In 2023, she was named a “Top 10 Energy Sustainability Leader” by Energy Business Review and was the 2024 Corporate Impact Award recipient.

Jessica Dae (2nd from the left) and Jeanne-Mey Sun (1st on the right)

The night ended with the presentation of scholarships. The 19 scholarship recipients were chosen out of a highly competitive applicant field of students from all over the Greater Houston Area and demonstrated a remarkable commitment to their academics, passions, and their community. They are listed below:

Lydia Tong, the recipient of the Mitchell and Priscilla Lou Scholarship, is a senior at Bellaire High School and will be attending the University of Pennsylvania in the fall majoring in Economics.

Andy Wei, the recipient of the Charles F. Chien & Viola Chien and Family Memorial Scholarship, is a senior at Stephen F. Austin High School and will be attending the University of Pennsylvania in the fall majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Business.

Henry Liu, the recipient of the Sui S. and Pearl Tang Memorial Scholarship, is a senior at James E. Taylor High School and will be attending Yale University in the fall majoring in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology.

Kathleen Yu, the recipient of the Cecil and Betty Fong Community Services Scholarship, is a senior at Seven Lakes High School and will be attending the University of Pennsylvania in the fall majoring in Business.

Sara Shen, the recipient of the Peter C.K. and Theresa Kwan Memorial Scholarship, is a senior at Bellaire High School and will be attending Princeton University in the fall majoring in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Karis Chen, the recipient of the Patrick Pichi Sun & May-Lan Chew Sun Scholarship, is a senior at Bellaire High School and will be attending Stanford University in the fall majoring in Political Science and Economics.

Felix Li, the recipient of the C.C. and Elsie Huang Scholarship, is a senior at the Woodlands College Park High School and will be attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall majoring in Finance.

Helena Wang, the recipient of the Annabella Cheng Memorial Scholarship, is a senior at Bellaire High School and will be attending Rice University in the fall majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).

Timothy Lu, the recipient of the Henry Lau Memorial Scholarship, is a senior at the John Cooper School and will be attending Cornell University in the fall majoring in Physics.

Jade Kamoun, the recipient of the Dr. Shih Cheng Memorial Scholarship, is a senior at Jordan High School and will be attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall majoring in Biology.

Alina Dang, the recipient of the Harry and Antje Gee Scholarship, is a senior at Cinco Ranch High School and will be attending Duke University in the fall majoring in Biology.

Cindy Shen, the recipient of the Wally and Anne Joe Scholarship, is a senior at the Woodlands College Park High School and will be attending Rice University in the fall majoring in Chemistry.

Joseph Zhang, the recipient of the Hanan Chan Memorial Scholarship, is a senior at Clear Lake High School and will be attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall majoring in Biology.

Anthony Zhang, the recipient of the Professor Daisy Ho Memorial Scholarship, is a senior at Carnegie Vanguard High School and will be attending Rice University in the fall majoring in Electrical Engineering.

Acacia Zhang, the recipient of the CPC Scholarship, is a senior at the Woodlands College Park High School and will be attending Rice University in the fall majoring in Biochemistry.

Jeremy Tu, the recipient of the Yuen Ching Wong Memorial Scholarship, is a senior at Memorial High School and will be attending Brown University in the fall majoring in Applied Mathematics.

Xiwen Huang, the recipient of the CPC Scholarship, is a senior at William B. Travis High School and will be attending the University of Texas at Austin in the fall majoring in Mathematics.

Susan Tran, the recipient of the CPC Scholarship, is a senior at Alief Early College High School and will be attending Johns Hopkins University in the fall majoring in Economics and Political Science.