Sacramento State student Lina Li applied for all four scholarships offered by Associated Students Inc. this semester to help pay for her semester tuition.

Li said she is ineligible to hold a job, apply for financial aid and has to pay an additional $339 non-resident fee per unit because of her international status. Her only option to ease the financial burden is to apply for scholarships.

Any eligible Sac State student can apply for the ASI scholarship and three $1,000 memorial scholarships that honor Sac State students who died during involvement with ASI.

ASI will accept applications until 5 p.m. Friday.

ASI receives a majority of its funding from the $125.50 student fee per semester. Tim Snyder, vice president of Finance for ASI, said this money contributes to the total $18,000 scholarship fund ASI is offering to students.

Snyder said the purpose of the scholarships is to recognize the efforts of students involved in co-curricular activities.ASI is looking for students involved in campus clubs and organizations and/or who support the community.

Applications, which include a 500-word essay that describes the student’s community involvement, can be downloaded off the ASI website: www.asi.csus.edu/government.

Li and her mother came to the United States when she was 16 years old to get medical treatment that China medical centers could not provide for burns resulting from a fire accident.

“I feel very blessed that I had a chance to come to this country for treatment, as well as for school,” Li said.

She was treated at the Shriners Hospital for Children, where she heard about the Firefighters Kids Camp provided by the Firefighter Burn Institute.

Li volunteered at the summer camp that allowed children with burn injuries to socialize with others who encountered similar experiences, engage in outdoor activities and have fun in the summertime.

Felix Barba, director of Arts and Letters for ASI, said ASI is looking for student applicants involved in addition to taking classes, such as working full time or taking care of children.

Barba applied for different scholarships and loans to help his financial situation. He said people think that applying for scholarships requires a financial need.

The Lara Memorial Scholarship is the only scholarship ASI offers with the eligibility requirement for financial need. Students may also apply for scholarships to include on résumés or to receive recognition.

“If you take the time to consider, even the fact that you’re considering and writing the essay, it makes you think and reflect on what am I doing in school and what are my plans?” Barba said.

Rita Tyk, board associate for ASI, said the memorial scholarships are not just about the money; they are about celebrating the life of the students honored.

Tyk has worked for ASI for about 20 years and said the deaths of all three Sac State students honored in the memorial scholarships deeply affected her and other members of ASI.

Sac State student Christopher Ramos served as the vice president of University Affairs for ASI during the 2006-07 academic year and vice president for the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

Curtis Grima, vice president of Academic Affairs, headed efforts to create the Christopher D. Ramos Memorial Scholarship after Ramos died in a motorcycle accident in August.

This is the first year the memorial scholarship is being offered. Grima said the purpose of the scholarship is to recognize the life of Ramos and assist students in pursuing education.

Grima created the scholarship because Ramos was a good friend to him both in and outside of ASI.

“Anytime a good friend dies, it’s always surprising; it was surreal. I just couldn’t believe it. Even now, it’s still kind of hard to believe,” Grima said.

Arnulfo Lara served on the ASI board during the 1995-96 academic year as director of Arts and Sciences.

Lara was a member of the Campus Assistance Migrant Program that tried to get first generation college students involved in the community, Tyk said.

She said Lara was a source of inspiration because of his passion and strong sense of history.

Tyk said Lara died in his sleep and there was no indication of anything that could have caused the death. The scholarship was created in memory of his participation in ASI.

The eligibility requirement for a financial need was part of this scholarship because Lara was on financial aid, she said.

Lara served on the ASI board that passed legislation to produce the Ron Tanton Memorial Scholarship.

Sac State student Ron Tanton was not on the ASI board, but Tyk said she remembers his attendance at every board meeting and vigilance to ASI’s actions.

The Ron Tanton Memorial Scholarship was created in 1996 after he died of cancer, leaving behind two daughters and a wife, Tyk said.

“Just because a student doesn’t serve on the board, it doesn’t mean we place any less value on their involvement,” Tyk said. “We can’t do this job by ourselves.”

Ashley Downton can be reached at [email protected].