What is IMPACT AAPI?

IMPACT AAPI is currently a cohort-based program centered on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPIs) student success and support efforts. The acronym stands for Initiatives to Maximize Positive academic Achievement and Cultural Thriving focusing on Asian American and Pacific Islander students at De Anza College. 

If you are a student and interested in joining a tight-knit supportive community of fellow students with a curriculum that centers the experiences and cultures of AAPIs, contact Amy Wang to learn about participating in IMPACT AAPI.

What is AANAPISI?

IMPACT AAPI grew out of work that began in 2008, initiated by the Asian American Studies department when it applied for and received a U.S. Department of Education federal grant called the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions program (AANAPISI). This was the first time in U.S. history that federal recognition and funds were allocated to support colleges and universities that paid particular attention to the needs of AAPI students.

That inaugaral year, De Anza was one of only six colleges and universities in the country to receive an AANAPISI grant. Among the six grant recipients, De Anza was one of three community colleges, with South Seattle Community College and San Francisco City College as the other two.

De Anza's First AANAPISI Grant: 2008-2011

De Anza's first AANAPISI grant program lasted from 2008-2011. The grant program prioritized the goals of: 1) increasing student access to college services for AANAPI students from lower-income geographic areas and families; 2) improving overall student persistence among first-time De Anza students who plan to transfer/obtain a degree or are undecided; 3) improving student readiness for college-level courses among first-time De Anza students who enter the college at pre-collegiate course levels; and 4) improving the overall course success rate of AANAPI subgroups with rates below the college average. Details of the first grant's approach are included in IMPACT AAPI's first newsletter, 2008 and in the Final Report, 2011. The full 2008 grant proposal is here.

De Anza's Second AANAPISI Grant: 2011-2017

In 2011, De Anza's Asian American Studies department applied for and received a second AANAPISI grant, which lasted from 2011-2017. This second grant focused on the following three goals: 1) improving transfer pathways for AANAPI subgroups from lower income geographic areas and families; 2) improving student readiness for college-level courses among first-time De Anza students who enter the college at pre-collegiate course levels in English and Math; 3) increasing AANAPI student access to STEM majors and fields among AANAPI subgroups. Here are reports for Year 2: 2012 and Year 3: 2013 of the grant. The full 2011 grant proposal is here.

Since the conclusion of De Anza's AANAPISI federal funding in 2017, IMPACT AAPI has been funded by De Anza's Office of Equity.

As De Anza considers future AANAPISI applications, reflections on lessons learned with the aim of expanding the college's institutional capacity to serve AAPI students can be found in this presentation.

Learn more about AANAPISIs...

Minority Serving Institutions

AANAPISIs are the most recent addition to federally recognized Minority Serving Institutions, which include the following eight categories:

  • Alaska Native-Serving Institutions
  • Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions
  • Historically Black Colleges & Universities
  • Hispanic Serving Institutions
  • Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions
  • Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions
  • Predominantly Black Institutions
  • Tribal Colleges and Universities

Learn more about Minority Serving Institutions...


Partner Organizations

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