Mira Costa High Graduate Earns Hattori Medical Scholarship

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Kaycee Kyoko Ching, a graduate of Mira Costa High School and UC Berkeley, where she majored in psychology, was awarded the $3,500 Chiyo M. Hattori Memorial Scholarship, designated to an outstanding student pursuing an education in medicine. The scholarship was recently announced by the Venice-West Los Angeles chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League on its Facebook page.

Ching, a second-year medical student, chose to attend the Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit so that she would have an opportunity to work with an underserved community of various backgrounds and circumstances. She intends to specialize in internal medicine with a focus on geriatrics, said The Rafu Shimpo online.

The Chiyo M. Hattori Scholarship was "established by George N. Hattori in 2001, in loving memory of his wife, Chiyo M. Hattori, who passed away in August 2000 after a courageous battle with cancer. Although her own higher education goals were thwarted by the onset of World War II, Mrs. Hattori was a staunch believer in education being the key to success in life. This belief stemmed from the educational philosophies deeply rooted in her Japanese upbringing. The Hattori’s only son, now a prominent cardiologist, was the recipient of a West-LA JACL scholarship upon graduation from high school. Mrs. Hattori’s profound gratitude for this is an expression of the orei in reciprocation. This award fulfills one of Mrs. Hattori’s final wishes - the creation of a scholarship grant for eligible, deserving students entering or enrolled in medical school," according to the Venice-West Los Angeles JACL Chapter website.

To qualify for the scholarship, medical students must

• Be a current or entering medical student of an accredited U.S. medical school
• Have resided in Southern California within the past 5 years
• Be of Japanese descent or have ties to the Japanese American community
• A current Venice-West Los Angeles JACL Chapter member (applicants can join here).