Immigrant's $2M Gift Supports Smith and Clark Students

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Kimmy Foundation Inc. has pledged $2 million to fund endowed and current-use scholarships for undergraduates in the University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering and Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Recipients of the Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong Scholarships will qualify by being State of Maryland high school graduates with current or past work experience and a minimum 3.0 GPA. For engineering students, preference goes to students majoring in electrical and computer engineering. Awards will go to entering freshmen or community college transfer students, and are renewable for up to four years.

"This gift of financial support for students who are working hard to realize their career aspirations will inspire future generations of leaders to remain devoted to their passions and fearlessly dedicated to their dreams," says Alex Triantis, dean of the Smith School.

Similarly, Kimmy Foundation President Kimmy Duong immigrated, alone, in 1975 from Vietnam to the United States. She fled Saigon and her position with IBM as the city was about to fall to North Vietnamese forces. Today she is vice chair and CFO of Pragmatics, a Reston, Va.-based information technology consulting firm. Long Nguyen, her husband, is the company’s founder and CEO. Many of the couple’s nieces and nephews have graduated from UMD.

Darryll Pines, Clark School dean and Farvardin Professor, says the scholarships will help recruit and retain talented students who couldn’t otherwise afford a UMD education. “We are incredibly grateful to the Kimmy Foundation for creating these scholarships, motivated by Ms. Duong’s appreciation for opportunities made possible by her immigration to the United States and her desire to help others to become self-reliant,” Pines says.

Awardees will receive $5,000 in the first year. “I want the scholarship recipients to grab this opportunity, then create their own opportunities later,” says Duong. “This should only be a first step for them in long and productive careers.”

Photo by John T. Consoli.