“The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” By Lao-tzu
Tell us about your educational and professional path.
I grew up in a very ethnically diverse community in Hayward, California. To be totally honest I didn’t think about race and ethnicity growing up – everyone was different but we were all Americans was my perspective. When I went to UC Berkeley I was suddenly aware of the Asian “majority” and cultural divide amongst the many students from different backgrounds. I found the support of Asian friends during that time to be vital to my survival. Looking back I realize how much UC Berkeley lacked in terms of student support on any level. This lack of support had such a big impact on me that when my daughter got into UC Berkeley I didn’t encourage her to go there. She went to UC San Diego and was in the Eleanor Roosevelt College which stresses international understanding and global citizenship through courses and multicultural events. I know that this global perspective and the support provided by the ERC staff and faculty have been key to her success as an adult. Now as an instructor a really try to connect my students with SRJC and the learning environment so that whether formally or informally students feel supported at this college. I’m hoping that the APASS community will be a significant part of SRJC’s efforts to be all-inclusive and support student success inclusive of cultural differences.
What are you most passionate about professionally?
The human body and how to keep it healthy. Our bodies are amazingly complex yet when you think about it everything that makes up our body came from something that we ate or drank. Okay, perhaps a smidgen came from something our mom consumed way back when. I think if you take that perspective of the food you eat then you realize how important it is that you eat the healthiest foods possible in your life time. My goal is to help students to realize this amazing relationship between what they eat and what happens to their bodies and also, to have students understand food itself and how to prepare it in the most healthful manner.
What most excites you about your work with and contribution to APASS?
One never realizes how much your heritage and family affect your view of the world. It takes introspection and experience with others to realize how much our culture influences our actions, decisions and perspectives. I value the chance to discover more about the different Asian/Pacific Islander cultures and their influences on student’s live particularly in the area of education. The ultimate goal being to help Asians/Pacific Islanders succeed at SRJC and beyond.