Building Bridges: Empowering Asian American Families in OC

The model minority myth is a powerful idea that has real-world effects, especially for students of the so-called “model” racial minority. In order to strengthen intergenerational communication and understanding, parents and students are welcome to learn together about the origins of the model minority myth, hear a firsthand case study about how it played out in the internal worlds and interpersonal environments of Asian American students, and engage in discussion.

What is the model minority myth?

How do our students experience the model minority myth at school?

What changes do Asian American students want to see?

Pressure to Perform: Addressing the Model Minority Myth

OCAPICA.org

Madyson Chung Lee is a first year at Scripps College in Claremont, CA. She plans on double majoring in anthropology and Asian studies. Madyson is currently a part of the Claremont Treble Choir and the Claremont College Consortium’s League of Women Voters. In her spare time, she loves to go to concerts, hang out with friends, and find yummy restaurants to eat at.

Arjit Singh is a Senior in high school with a strong math and science background. Arjit driven by his passion for leadership and service and hold leadership positions in the student body and extracurricular clubs. He has been deeply involved in Hope Squad and other school spirit activities since Freshman year.

Ellie Lian is a first year at Pomona College in Claremont, California. She is incredibly passionate about legislation and policy, especially in terms of educational equity and student engagement which she channels into a number of statewide to grassroots advocacy initiatives. She is currently interested in studying Asian studies and public policy analysis with a concentration in economics, but she is eager to continue exploring. Outside of her work in student organizing, you can find her thrifting, painting, reading, or watching movies!

Ryan Itchon is currently a School Counselor at Portola High School, and has served as a school counselor for 8 years. He has also served as a private college counselor and Admissions Reader for UC Irvine.

Building on a foundational understanding of the model minority myth and students’ experiences with it, this session will center parents’ experiences in education – both as students “back in the day” and as the caretakers of the next generation. Participants will engage in discussion about their school experiences in the hope of finding common ground and connecting through intergenerational difference. This session will feature a panel discussion from parents who will share their experiences as Asian American kids then and what’s changed for their kids now.

What was the student experience like for our parents? Were they concerned about the model minority myth?

What is the parent experience like now?

What changes do Asian American parents want to see?

Amy Capelle earned an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and holds a Graduate Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Public Leadership Credential from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. As the Board President of Journey School, she has led the school successfully through the pandemic. In 2015, Amy’s first children’s book, “From Manila with Love,” was published by Tahanan Books and is now in its second printing.

Dr. Priya J. Shah received her Ph.D. from UC Irvine in 2008. Since then, she has been teaching Gender and Sexuality Studies, Queer Studies, and Ethnic Studies at various community colleges, Cal States, and UCs. She has served on the board of Equality CA, Orange County Equality Coalition (OCEC), and Wayward Artists, and has worked closely with the Human Rights Campaign. She is an advocate for LGBTQ+ youth and racial in justice in K-12 schools.

Becky Nguyen, MPA, MPH has a passion for working with the communities and has dedicated herself to serving the needy populations in Orange County for several decades. She is currently the Executive Director at the VACF. Under her leadership, VACF has been developing numerous collaborations with multi-ethnic community agencies, increasing community visibility in academia through community-based participatory research, advancing community health efforts to be more inclusive, and addressing health disparities by involving multi-disciplinary entities and sectors.

Andrew Ji, Esq., is the current Managing Director of the Orange County branch office of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Southern California. He is also the interim Managing Director of AJ SoCal’s Immigration Project. Including his time at Advancing Justice, Andrew practiced immigration law in Orange County and Los Angeles for over 15 years, representing thousands of clients on complex removal, family-based, and employment-based immigration cases. Andrew has called Orange County home for 4 decades and is a proud graduate of UC Irvine.

As we’ve seen from both student and parent testimonials, many institutions like our schools were not built with Asian American communities in mind. Educators, administrators and school board members will discuss the importance of and pathways for Asian American engagement in school and school district meetings, which is a necessary part of improving the education and experiences of our community. Attendees will also learn about AB 101, California’s ethnic studies requirement for graduating high schoolers, and why it’s important to engage with OC schools and school districts as they consider how to implement the new requirement in the coming school year.

How can Asian American parents and students engage with their schools and districts?

Why is it important for Asian American parents and students to engage with their schools and districts?

How can an ethnic studies class that is inclusive of Asian American history help dispel anti-Asian racism?

Erica Aguirre is a History-Social Science educator of 16 years from Gahr High School. Her classroom is a unique space where history comes alive through engaging discussions, interactive projects, and a seamless integration of pop culture references. Erica’s innovative teaching methods have inspired others to think outside the box and transform their own pedagogical practices.

Debbie Chiong is an Early Childhood Special Educator in Ocean View School District. She is in her 19th year of teaching. She has mentored new and aspiring educators and has served as a master teacher. As a member of CTA’s Instructional Leadership Corps, she helps to provide teacher led professional developments. She is also a DonorsChoose Teacher Ambassador.

The series will culminate in a half-day, in-person summit for students, parents, and educators to speak, learn, and discuss ways to work together to dismantle the model minority myth in their relationships, classrooms, schools, and districts. This session will feature opening remarks from Dr. Caroline Lee, a licensed clinical child, adolescent, and adult psychologist who specializes in Asian American cultural issues. She will discuss ways to help our youth and families thrive and build resilience. Together with multi-lingual licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Tsai-Ling Fraher, there will be small group discussions and exercises to help foster intergenerational dialogue and build a community of care to support Asian American families.

Together, how can we create a supportive school environment?

Together, how can we create a supportive home environment?

Caroline C. Lee, PhD is a licensed clinical child, adolescent, and adult psychologist currently in private practice in Newport Beach, CA. Prior to private practice, Caroline worked at Kaiser Permanente’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department where she led the Intensive Outpatient Program and the Parents of Preschoolers program. She also served as the Co-director of the Post-doctoral Clinical Training program. Caroline graduated with her PhD in Educational Psychology from Stanford University where she taught a psychoeducational course called Culture and Coping: Asian American Approaches. She was also part of the Asian American Mental Health at Stanford Initiative that led to the creation of the current mental health programming. She received her MA in Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and taught kindergarten and 1st grade for several years. Her undergraduate degree was completed at the University of California, Berkeley where she majored in Psychology and minored in Education and Asian American Studies. Caroline is an Asian American mental health advocate and gives psychoeducational presentations to organizations and works to destigmatize mental health in the community.

Tsai-ling Fraher, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Supervisor, works primarily with Asian American professionals and immigrants in her Newport/Irvine based private practice. Tsai-ling received her Bachelor’s degree from UCLA and her Master’s degree from Cal state Fullerton. Prior to becoming a therapist, Tsai-ling spent several years in corporate America followed by more than 20 years in the FBI utilizing her Mandarin language expertise. In therapy, she leans on her diversified professional and life experiences with multicultural issues as well as her empathic problem-solving abilities to help her clients.

Michael Matsuda is a nationally recognized 21st century educational leader known for innovation, entrepreneurship, and compassion. Under his leadership, the Anaheim Union High School District has built a new educational model incorporating “reverse engineered” career pathways in partnership with higher education, private, and non-profit sectors, which have extended and transformed educational opportunities for all students.