On July 16, 2005, Jason Choy was killed in an early morning car accident in Berkeley, California. He was returning home from a Friday night out in San Francisco when his vehicle was struck by an oncoming truck that lost control and crossed the freeway median. Two of his friends also perished in the crash.

The fall of 2005 would have marked the beginning of Jason’s eighth year as a PhD student in the department of chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. Jason’s time at Berkeley was productive and broke down barriers in the science that he dedicated the last quarter of his life to. In July 2005, the world lost a gifted scientist who was intensely compassionate and cared deeply about people, even those he would never meet. Those that knew Jason lost a dear friend.

To honor his talent, intellect and charity, Jason’s friends and colleagues have come together to establish an academic scholarship fund in his name. Jason was an alumnus of Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, MD ('94) and the fund is intended to benefit a college-bound ERHS student for each of the next seven years. The first of these scholarships was awarded in June of 2006.

The Jason Choy Memorial Scholarship has been designed with Jason’s interests and convictions in mind. Though it is meant to commemorate the hard work that Jason put into his research, more importantly, this scholarship fund will help and support deserving high school students, just like Jason helped and supported so many of us, his friends.
To help fund this award, we seek donations from those who knew Jason - at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, at the College of William and Mary and at UC Berkeley - which is probably how you’ve been directed to this website. If you would like to honor Jason’s memory, or if you’d just like to give a deserving ERHS senior a helping hand with some college expenses next year, please consider making a donation.

The Criteria

To qualify, applicants must be Eleanor Roosevelt High School seniors that will attend a college or university. There is a minimum high school GPA of 2.7 required to apply. All applicants must complete a two-page application that can be downloaded here.

Winners are selected by a committee of Jason's friends. Applicants are judged on their response to two essay questions tailored to reflect Jason’s sense of humor and his interests in science and social justice. To find out more about the organizers and the selection committee, click here.