2011 The Donald Edward Bragg & Diane Sims Bragg Scholarship Recipient

Biography: Karen Chuang is a fourth year honors student at UCLA, double majoring in Business Economics and World Arts and Cultures. She is a Director for UCLA’s NSU Modern Hip-Hop Dance Team and a member of the sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. While attending UCLA, Karen pursued a professional dance career. Some of her most recent credits include Glee, Ellen, and Oprah. She was also a principal dancer for Willow Smith in such projects as the Whip My Hair video, Justin Bieber’s My World tour, and the White House Easter Egg Roll where she met President Obama. In addition to dancing, Karen hosts for the Disney Channel show, Disney 365. Currently, Karen is the VIP/PR Assistant at Versace USA, Inc. In her free time she enjoys yoga, going to farmer’s markets, and reading art blogs. Karen’s greatest inspirations in life are her friends, her older brother Vincent, and most importantly, her parents.

Future Plans: After graduating, Karen plans to continue living her dream of dancing and working in the entertainment industry. Eventually, she intends on attending business school in either the United States or Europe. Her ultimate goal is to combine her passion for dance and her education from UCLA into a career. Karen hopes to spearhead a dance lifestyle brand and organization to generate greater public appreciation for the art form.

What does the scholarship mean to me?: It is an incredible honor to be the 2011-2012 recipient of the Donald Edward Bragg and Diane Sims Bragg Scholarship. The Bragg family’s generosity allows me to continue pursuing my passions inside and outside the academic setting. This scholarship lessens the burden of financing both my education and my outside dance training. And more importantly, the award recognizes my scholastic and extracurricular achievements. It encourages me to remain dedicated to my varied commitments and future career goals. I want to sincerely thank the donors of this scholarship as well as the Bragg family for enriching my undergraduate experience.