Scholarship Fund

LAWA believes that education is the key to a bright future. In 2003, we established a Scholarship Fund for higher education. Interested applicants who meet the following criteron are encouraged to apply. To download scholarship application, click Here.

Students eligible should:

•   Be of Lao parentage
•   Reside in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area (VA, MD and D.C.)
•   Be a US citizen or legal resident
•   Graduate from high school in 2006 and plan to attend college the following Fall
•   Have a GPA of 2.8 or above

LAWA Scholarship Committee is comprised of individuals with high credentials in education and grant making. They correspond by email to confer their decision making.

We awarded our inaugural Scholarship at our annual Mother's Day fundraising banquet. In 2004, the recipient of our Scholarship Fund is Miss Parisa Souvannavong. The amounted awarded was $1,000.

To download application, click Here.

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2004 - Inaugural Recipient
LAWA Scholarship Award

Parisa Souvannavong

Parisa Souvannavong was born on September 25, 1986 and is the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Phokham Souvannavong. She resides in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Parisa attended Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Maryland. She is member of various varsity clubs like Tennis and Reading clubs to name a few. LAWA Scholarship Award will help Parissa in her settling to her new school: Virginia Commonwealth University (VACU).

Her Acceptance Speech:

I am very appreciative and honored to have been the first to receive the Lao American Women Association (LAWA) scholarship. I am most ecstatic when I have the chance to pave the way for others. I have been placed in a similar position where I am also a part of the first graduating class for four years at Charles H. Flowers High School in Springdale, Maryland. I am positive that, with time, the scholarship will gain more recognition and amount and I will be happy to contribute in the future.

With that in mind, I would like to share an inspirational quote given to me by my grandmother Na Bounchanh who is also part of the LAWA.

          It's okay to dream.
          It's okay to dream BIG.
          Because dreams come true someday!

Part of my dream has come true. I will be attending Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia in the fall of 2004. It is also my intent to obtain a tennis scholarship. It is with opportunities such as this where I can make someone else's dream come true. My parents hoped for the best and the best was received.