1st gen Shidler alumna endows $100K scholarship to honor parents

Tim Dolan, Dao Pham, Hy So Duong, Cindy Doan, Linh Pham, Vance Roley (Photo credit: Scott Nishi)

Cindy Doan and Hy So Duong at their small Waikīkī gift shop in the 1980s. Photo courtesy: Linh Pham

Hy So Duong, Cindy Doan and Linh Pham (Photo credit: Scott Nishi)

A new scholarship for full-time undergraduate business students has been created at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business. The UH Foundation announced that Shidler alumna Linh Pham, BBA ‘00, and her husband Dao Pham have contributed $100,000 to establish the Cindy Doan and Hy So Duong Endowed Scholarship.

The gift was officially commemorated at a signing ceremony on May 26. Named in honor of Linh Pham’s parents, preference is given to individuals who are the first in their family to attend college.

“My parents’ bravery, love and sacrifices gave me the opportunity to pursue a higher education, which is something that was never available to them while they were in Vietnam,” said Linh Pham. “Despite the many challenges they faced—including 15-hour-plus workdays, and not speaking English—my parents worked relentlessly to provide for our family and future. From a young age, my parents instilled in me the importance of hard work, self-sufficiency and grit. As a Shidler alumna, it is a truly humbling experience to honor my parents by giving back and providing students the same opportunity they have to me.”

Linh Pham’s parents, Cindy Doan and Hy So Duong, arrived in Hawaiʻi in 1980 from a refugee camp in Vietnam. With nothing more than some clothing in a bag, the couple worked to learn English and eventually saved enough to start a small gift shop business at Duke’s Lane in Waikīkī. Their hard work and perseverance allowed them to fulfill their American dream and provide their children with the opportunity to pursue a higher education.

“It is truly inspiring to see how the story of this family has come full circle,” said Shidler College Dean Vance Roley. “We commend Cindy Doan and Hy So Duong for their tireless work to send their children to college. As we can see from their family’s journey, education can make a great impact on one’s life and we are extremely grateful that Linh and her parents are committed to helping to educate the next generation of students.”

Linh Pham earned her bachelor’s in finance from Shidler College. She and Dao Pham reside in Texas with their three children. Dao owns his own dental practice, which Linh manages.

For more information on how to support the Shidler College of Business, contact Kristi Bates, executive director of development at (808) 956-3597 or email Kristi.bates@uhfoundation.org.

About Shidler College of Business

The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa was established in 1949 as the College of Business Administration and named in 2006 after alumnus Jay H. Shidler, founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group. The Shidler College of Business is renowned for its expertise in international management education and is consistently ranked among the nation's top business schools for international business by U.S. News & World Report. Long recognized for its Asia Pacific focus, the college offers a wide variety of degree, certificate and executive programs. The college offers the only graduate program in the state of Hawai‘i and Vietnam accredited by AACSB International. http://www.shidler.hawaii.edu/

About UH Mānoa

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa serves approximately 20,000 students pursuing more than 225 different degrees. Coming from every Hawaiian island, every state in the nation, and more than 100 countries, UH Mānoa students thrive in an enriching environment for the global exchange of ideas. For more information, visit manoa.hawaii.edu. Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/uhmanoa and Twitter www.twitter.com/UHManoaNews.

About UH Foundation

The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. The mission of the University of Hawai‘i Foundation is to unite donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawai‘i and our future generations. Visit us at uhfoundation.org