The University of California system is a model for diversity, with Asian Americans
making up nearly one-third of the student population at the flagship Los Angeles campuses. But Sue Ann Kim's experience as a graduate student in the late 1960s was one of alienation.

Kim, the first Korean-American student to receive a doctorate from UCLA, is doing
her part to support the 11,500 Asian Americans at the campus by establishing the Sue Ann Kim Endowed Scholarship, which will help fund the university's Asian-American Studies Center.

"We are tremendously honored by Dr. Kim's generosity and commitment to our center and to the support of UCLA students interested in Korean-American studies," said Don Nakanishi, director of the Asian-American Studies Center. "Her American dream has been to make it possible for others to reach their full potential in this society."

In addition to the center, the scholarship supports the Korea Times-Hankook Ilbo endowed chair in Korean-American studies.

Kim said she is proud of the center's accomplishments over the years and wants to
continue to help it grow. "I appreciate UCLA and will help in any way I can," she said.

Kim, 78, began her journey into academia in South Korea, where she worked as teacher and principal for more than 10 years.

After surviving the Korean war - a time when she said the country "was just ashes,
everything was just burned" - Kim won a Fulbright Fellowship to study in the United States.

Since earning her doctorate in 1970, Kim has worked for numerous community organizations, including the Pacific Consortium on Employment and the Korean Institute of Southern California.

Her myriad accolades include a Woman of the Year award from the Los Angeles City Human-Relations Commission.

"Dr. Kim has led a remarkable life of service and achievement," Nakanishi said.
"[She] has contributed immensely to enhancing the lives of children, families, women and immigrants in Southern California,'