For over thirty years, this program has encouraged Yale undergraduates and recent graduates to become involved in community service through summer internships. To learn more about the selected organizations, please click below.

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Our goal is to nurture the leadership development of students and lend support to nonprofit organizations around the country that provide critical services to poor and disenfranchised communities. In the early 2000s, members of AAAYA established the Tina E. Yeh Community Service Fellowship through the Asian Pacific Fund, a community foundation, in memory of Tina E. Yeh ’83.

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Who was Tina Yeh?

Tina Eugenia Yeh graduated from Yale University in 1983 and also received a master’s degree at Yale’s School of Organization and Management. Tina was a gentle and kind soul, and was dearly loved by the many people whose lives she touched and her grace, selflessness, and good humor. A hard worker, she nonetheless was dedicated to her family and devoted to her friends and especially their children. Tina served as a floating counselor during her senior year. Tina perished with her father and aunt on October 31, 2000 when the plane on which she was a passenger crashed on takeoff from Taipei’s Chiang Kaishek Airport in a severe storm. Remembrances can be read here.

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Application Details

Applicants are responsible for submitting all materials to nisreen.hasib@aaaya.org by 11.59 pm PT on April 3rd, 2026. The subject line should read “Tina Yeh Fellowship - [ORGANIZATION NAME].” Applicants have the opportunity to submit an application to work at either:

• SWOP Minneapolis (Minneapolis, MN)

• Advancing Justice – AAJC (Washington, D.C.)

A complete application includes:

• Resume

• Answers to the following questions (250 to 500 words each) What do you hope to learn or gain from your internship?

  • How will this internship enrich your personal or professional goals?

  • Tell us a little about yourself. What experiences (or individuals) have influenced you and your outlook on life?

  • Please use this opportunity to demonstrate to us how and why you would be an appropriate candidate for the Tina E. Yeh Community Service Fellowship.

  • Optional: Is there anything else you would like us to know, including any unusual family or personal circumstances that will impact your experience with your internship or have affected your achievement in school, work experience, or your participation in school activities?

• FAFSA Submission Summary (formerly Student Aid Report) ​

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Eligibility

Current undergraduates and graduate students of Yale University are eligible to apply. We seek applicants with and without experience at community organizations that serve the AAPI community. Priority will be given to undergraduates and students on financial aid, but all interested students are encouraged to apply.

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Funding Information
Winners of the fellowship will receive a $7,500 grants. The check will be made directly to the sponsoring organization by the Association of Asian American Yale Alumni (AAAYA). Fellowships are intended to help make up for summer earnings that students would lose by volunteering at nonprofit organizations instead of taking paying jobs. AAAYA will also consider applications for independent projects, provided that someone at a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization agrees to oversee the project.

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What are my post-fellowship obligations
After completing the fellowship, you will be required to submit a report documenting your experience. You will also be asked to serve as a resource to others interested in the fellowship.

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Interview Process
Select applicants will be interviewed by a member of AAAYA and members of the host organization during the week of March 30. Final decisions will be made by April 3, 2026, at which point fellowship recipients
will be notified of their selection. At the end of their internships, fellowship recipients will be required to submit a report on their experience to AAAYA.