Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students make up an incredibly diverse segment of the U.S. college population, but AAPI students are often left out of conversations about students of color and are seldom recognized in academic research. Collectively, the AAPI umbrella represents over 50 different ethnic groups that vary greatly in terms of languages, English proficiency, colonial history, immigration patterns, and socioeconomic and first-generation college-going status.

The data that treats AAPIs as an aggregate group is concealing the unique challenges of subgroups. There are significant disparities in college preparation, degree attainment, even issues of access and utilization of services by different AAPI subgroups. There is big interest in issues of equity, access, and inclusion, but society is approaching that on the level of broad racial categories that hide what is actually happening.

UScellular's Asian American Network associate resource group is committing to help alleviate some of the challenges AAPI low-income students face when pursuing their higher education by establishing scholarships at AAPI Serving Institutions.