US congressman fetes Pinoy UCLA alumni

Filipino alumni of the University of California in Los Angeles were feted by a United States lawmaker for their “leadership in raising and providing scholarship funds for deserving UCLA students." US Rep. Henry Waxman acknowledged the contributions of the 2010-2011 UCLA Pilipino Alumni Board of Directors for UCLA students, the Asian Journal reported. Despite difficult economic times and rising educational costs, the UCLA Pilipino Alumni was fortunate to award 10 scholarships, thanks to the generosity of private donors and the UCLA Pilipino Alumni Endowment Fund, which is at $60,000 and growing. Alumni event The largest UCLA Pilipino Alumni event this year was the 2011 Scholarship & Awards Benefit last April 16 at the Los Angeles North/Glendale Hilton, where the UCLA Pilipino Alumni Association also celebrated “20 Years: Service. Scholarship. Success." Among the highlights of the event were performances by Alyssa Marteja and UCLA Samahang Pilipino. Jean Martirez and Bob DeCastro of FOX 11 News/Good Day LA acted as the event’s emcees. Proceeds made at this event, which included a silent auction, benefited the UCLA Pilipino Alumni Endowment Fund. The UCLA Pilipino Alumni also celebrated awardees who have shown selfless contributions to the UCLA and Pilipino communities, such as:

• Helen Brown, B.A. ‘37, M.A. ‘38 – A Filipina-American community icon and founder of the Filipino American Library, who died in January 2011 at age 95. Affectionately known as “Auntie Helen," Brown was the first Filipina graduate of UCLA and a pioneer in preserving and promoting the history of the Filipino-American community.
• John Delloro, B.A. ‘94, M.A. ‘96 – He remains a beloved educator and role model to his students and colleagues. He served as president of the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance and a lecturer at the UCLA Asian American Studies Department. This posthumous honor will recognize Delloro’s passionate activism as a longtime labor leader, a community organizer, and a UCLA scholar.
• Dr. Augusto Espiritu, B.A. ‘90, M.A. ‘92, Ph.D. 2000 – Associate professor of History, Asian American Studies, and Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Espiritu is a distinguished scholar, having published a collection of books and journal articles on the Filipino-American struggle, including his acclaimed book “Five Faces of Exile: The Nation and Filipino American Intellectuals" in 2005.
• Chef Andre Guerrero, B.A. ‘78 – Respected in the culinary world, Guerrero has been named a “Top Chef" by the Los Angeles Times Magazine and currently runs the Oinkster Restaurant in the Eagle Rock area of Los Angeles.

Since 1995, the UCLA Pilipino Alumni has given out over 90 scholarships to deserving students and has gone on to become agents of change in their fields. In 2005, the UCLA Pilipino Alumni established a scholarship endowment with the UCLA Alumni Association. — JE, GMA News