The Yamashita Scholarship is named after Takuji Yamashita (1874–1959).  Mr. Yamashita was born in Japan and emigrated to the United States in the 1890s.  He graduated from Tacoma High School in two years, graduated with a law degree from the University of Washington as a part of its second-ever graduating class, and passed the state bar exam. However, in processing his bar application, the Washington State Supreme Court issued a decision that Mr. Yamashita was not eligible to be an American citizen and, therefore, could not practice law.  This decision was overturned, posthumously, nearly 100 years later on March 1, 2001.  

The Sharon A. Sakamoto President's Scholarship is named after Sharon Sakamoto, ABAW’s first President (and one if its founders) in 1988.  In law school, Ms. Sakamoto was a part of the legal team for Gordon Hirabayashi, a Japanese American convicted of civil disobedience during World War II. Ms. Sakamoto is now retired, but her prior law practice at Aoki Sakamoto Grant emphasized justice and equality and meeting the needs of clients in the areas of business, estate planning, immigration, and criminal defense. In addition to being active in local and minority bar associations, she has served on the board of Kawabe Memorial House and many other organizations.

The Kim Tran Scholarship is named after Kim Tran, ABAW’s 2006 President.  This Scholarship honors the remarkable legacy of Kim Tran. Born in Vietnam and arriving in the United States as a refugee from Saigon, Ms. Tran’s journey is a testament to resilience and purpose. She overcame formidable challenges to earn her law degree, become a shareholder at the firm formerly known as Stafford Frey Cooper, lead workplace investigations at Microsoft, and ultimately serve as Head of HR Legal at GitHub.  Beyond her professional accomplishments, Ms. Tran was a trailblazer in service and advocacy—breaking barriers as the first Asian president of the King County Bar Association and serving with distinction as president of the Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) and Board Chair of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC). This scholarship celebrates not only her extraordinary achievements, but also the tenacity, vision, and heart she brought to every role—as a leader, mentor, and unwavering advocate for others.

Application Process and Requirements 

To be eligible for a scholarship, you must be (i) a law student of Asian heritage and/or a law student who possesses a demonstrated commitment to improving the Asian-American community, (ii) currently enrolled in a law school in the State of Washington, and (iii) pursuing a J.D. degree.  The following materials are required to apply for the scholarships: 

• A copy of your résumé; 
• Evidence of your current enrollment at an American Bar Association accredited law school in the State of Washington (acceptable evidence includes an unofficial law school transcript or, for first year law students, a class schedule provided by the law school); 
• Two (2) references (their name, relationship to you, email, and phone number); and 
• Written responses to the following questions:  

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Applicants may use AI tools for brainstorming, grammar review, or editing assistance. However, the essays must reflect the applicant's own thoughts, experiences, perspectives, and writing. Essays that are determined, in the sole discretion of the scholarship committee, to have been substantially generated by AI or that do not authentically represent the applicant's original work may be disqualified from consideration. By submitting an application, applicants certify that the content is primarily their own and accurately reflects their personal views and experiences. 

All application materials must be e-mailed to Bernadette.Pena@vf-law.com no later than 5 p.m. Pacific on October 13, 2026. Applications must be in  .PDF format. Candidates in consideration for the next phase of the scholarship process will be contacted on or around October 18, 2026, to schedule an interview, which is likely to be held in the afternoon of October 19, 2026, by video conference and will last no more than 20 minutes each. 

The recipients of the 2026 ABAWSSF Scholarships will be notified on October 20, 2026.  A formal announcement of the selected recipients will be made on a later date at the Asian Bar Association of Washington (“ABAW”) and ABAWSSF Annual Gala and through the ABAW newsletter and website.  In preparation for the announcement, scholarship recipients will be required to submit a short one paragraph bio and may be required to work with ABAWSSF to record a short video introducing themselves and briefly describing what the scholarship means to them, along with their plans to contribute to the API community in the future. By applying for a scholarship, an applicant agrees to provide such bio and video and to permit the ABAWSSF and/or ABAW to publish any and all information contained in the applicant’s application materials. 

Please direct any questions to Bernadette Pena, ABAW Scholarship Chair, at Bernadette.Pena@vf-law.com. 

*ABAWSSF reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to change the number of scholarships awarded, the dollar amount of each scholarship, and/or to not award any scholarships.  

*Please note that past scholarship recipients and immediate family members of current ABAWSSF and ABAW voting board members are ineligible for this year’s ABAWSSF Scholarships. 

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