AAPIHM 2024 - Leaders

Growing up, I’ve had a handful of positive influences in my life. You can say they’re unofficially my mentors, playing roles that has shaped my outlook and propelled me in my career as well. I realize that all these individuals were Asian Americans, as am I. I believe I was drawn to them because there were many traits of myself that I saw in them. Through them, I was able to open up and bring up things that I would consider vulnerable, that I may not approach my parents about. Having that mentorship in life is so important. Without them, I absolutely would not be who I am and I am grateful for their impact.

The conversations that were had partially took place in locations that shaped them into who they are.

Noelle Yang (she/her)
Chinese American
Program Manager for the Living Faith Community Development Corporation

”Mentorship is so important because when you’re a teen, the relationship with your parents might feel fraught. There might be different dynamics there that you feel like you can’t go to your parents to. That’s totally understandable. It’s really important to have another role model in your life that you can look up to that isn’t your peers and that has your best interests in heart. Especially in this day and age, there are a lot of influences that kids have online or on social media. It’s really important to have someone to help guide their direction, not make decisions for them, but to have a sounding board to talk things out.

It’s a big commitment, so just be ready to make that commitment. The rewards for the time and energy spent in that relationship is… you can’t even fathom the type of rewards you can get. Make sure you’re open minded and eager to listen. Being vulnerable is really important as well. Some people might be afraid to open up, but like in any relationship vulnerability brings out more vulnerability in the other person as well. It can really help in this type of situation. Just remember what the goal of the mentorship is. The more vulnerable you are, the more you’ll get out of the relationship.”

Tahima Begum (she/her)
Bangladeshi American
VP of Customer Success of the Americas at Emplifi

”Growing up, did I have any Asians that I looked up to? It’s a good question because I think about this often. And yes, I looked up to everyone I pretty much interacted with. I grew up in a neighborhood that was primarily a diverse mix of immigrant families. And all of those people are who I looked up to, including my parents. They worked so hard in a different country to give us a better life. When I initially thought of this question, my mind went to the professionals around me, which was primarily my teachers. None of my teachers were Asian, or diverse. But I realize, every single person outside of school was so diverse.

Having my dad to look up to, even though I couldn’t go to him for everything because Asian parents, you know how they are. They’re like “What do you mean you have a headache?” “What vacation?” I just saw how much of a hard worker he was and that’s what pushed me to be very hard working - getting those grades to get me to the next level pushed me to be a general manager at a store, pushed me to build a website, pushed me to get into this territory of working at a startup and being someone who can adapt in different environments. Knowing that he’s done this on his own, I thought he was really brave. I think everyone needs someone to look up to.

Even though for me, in my career, I didn’t have any Asian American mentors, nowadays I’m very impressed by the amount of Asian Americans there are who are really available - whether it be Asian American authors, creatives, actors, business professionals. It’s really awesome to see these groups of people be present because that opens up so many different mentors for the next generation. They are people that others can reach out to, myself included. Even with the power of social, there are so many different ways to communicate and achieve that mentorship. There’s a lot more opportunity now just to get that guidance and help. I’m glad to see we’re headed in that direction.”

Gary Wong (he/him)
Chinese American
Assistant Principal for the NYC Public System at a Pre-K Center in Park Slope, Brooklyn

”I know I met you when you began going to school in Ryan Middle School. However, I knew of you at your elementary school as a 5th grader at 173 because I student taught there. I was a student teacher, but not for your class. In middle school, when I was working for St. John’s, we ran a Saturday Academy and you were part of the 6th grade class. Every Saturday for about 12 weeks, you would go to Ryan Middle School, get on a bus, and come to St. John’s for about 3 hours. You came back as a monitor for 7th and 8th grade. Since then we just stayed in contact.

When I was teaching, I saw that alot. I saw how other Asian students would react to me. Their families were so ecstatic as well. Not knowing it at all, automatically I served as a role model. When you guys became monitors, the 4 of you together were young and impressionable. Every child craves attention. I could see that you guys were so happy to connect with me. To know that you all wanted to be part of this, it was really important to me because I knew that when I was your age, it was so neat to not just have the friends you would always hang out with but also an adult figure. At the same time, you all were accountable. You guys would ask what could we do, and you all would get it done.

I was helping, you could even say raising, kids of my own. This is how you do this and this is how you conduct yourself. It was neat knowing that people wanted to be around me. If they’re looking up to me, I clearly mean a lot to them and I want to give them that. And right now, I see that in my child. Yes, I’m tired but you want to play? Okay, let’s play.

It’s that youthfulness and growing mind that you want to expand and not stunt.

I know there were moments where my mom and dad were only capable of providing so much. It wasn’t their fault. It was something that I learned to get around and understand what I need to do so that I don’t have to give my child that experience. It was wonderful knowing that you guys just wanted to hang out. It’s crazy, 17 years and we still talk to each other.”

Devon Huang (he/him)
Chinese American
President of Chinese-American Parents Association and Stuyvesant High School Boys Ultimate Frisbee Coach

”Being an ultimate coach for the Stuy boys - it’s surprising I’d say. I didn’t necessarily go into coaching thinking I’d be doing this for 17 years now (since ‘07). I started doing it as a way to give back. I had just gone to national championships as a player. I was feeling pretty good about myself and I saw a post saying that the Stuyvesant team was looking for a coach. Long story short, the boy’s captain reached out and asked if I wanted to coach the team and the rest is history.

Over the years, the main reason I’ve continued to coach this long is because I’ve developed so many great relationships with many of the players. Along with other coaches, we’ve built a culture that for many players who joined the team, supported and added value to their lives. The times I’ve spoken to them, they remember those as very formidable years and they think about how much the team meant to them. It was genuine. You can see that at our alumni tournament with the number of people attending, the donations they give, and the support that we consistently get. Knowing that you can help make something like that happen and be a part of creating that environment, you can say hey I’ve brought some joy into some people’s lives. That’s been so incredibly rewarding on a personal level.

Even the young kids - the current players are very different from the first players I started coaching in ‘07. My relationships have definitely changed. I’m not quite as close to the current kids as I was when I started coaching because 1, the age gap has increased. And 2, I have my own kids now and my availability as a coach has changed. At some point, there will be a stage where I can’t do this anymore. But as long as I feel like the message is still there and the players on the team care and respect the culture we worked to create, then it’s hard to leave. I know that one day I’ll have to stop but hopefully the team will be in good hands with someone else who will perpetuate everything we’ve built.”

Lanna Apisukh (she/her)
Thai American
Freelance Photographer

”I think it’s important to have a mentor in this field because there’s lots of barriers in photography. The equipment is expensive, it’s very competitive and you’re out there all alone as a freelancer trying to navigate the industry. It’s daunting and to have someone to help guide you through all that can be really beneficial for a young person and their future in photography.

Being able to have a sense of community where you can share experiences and ask questions openly with a mentor is great and that definitely has helped me earlier in my photo career. People like Justin Lin, a great friend of mine, taught photo workshops when I was getting back into photography. He gave me the tools and showed me that there are easier ways to approach it rather than going to a fancy art school. He demystified all the scary technical stuff for me and made it very accessible. I really appreciate him being open, igniting creativity in me and sharing hands-on tutorials, exercises, and equipment like an older brother. When you’re first starting out, you also don’t have a lot of gear. He gave me my first medium format film camera for a very little amount of money since he knew I was eager to learn. I’ll always be really grateful for our relationship.

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Advice for you as a mentor in the future… Be you. You’re so great about sharing your experiences with others. That takes a lot – just showing vulnerability. Teach others that it’s okay that things aren’t perfect, whether it’s a photography shoot or any other project. Approach things with the sort of kindness and thoughtfulness that you already have. It’s so great for a young person to be able to lean on you, ask questions, and not feel intimidated about asking something. That’s all they need. You don’t need to have all the answers to the world.”