NAAAP Boston News
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Introducing SPIN: Successful Parents in NAAAP
With a mission to assist parents in balancing their family, personal and work lives, NAAAP Boston has officially launched SPIN (Successful Parents in NAAAP): a NAAAP national program that offers members the resources necessary to be successful parents and successful professionals.
Especially with so many taxing family demands expected of them constantly, parents must often sacrifice the quality of their work or personal lives. As NAAAP Boston’s Associate Director of SPIN Joanna Jung explained, “Parenting takes time, patience and planning. It is difficult to prioritize self, children and work each day.”
Through SPIN, however, NAAAP Boston plans to supply parents with advice on the most effective ways to support their children while supporting themselves. Specifically, with discussions on human development (such as bicultural identity, psychosocial development and cognition), parenting, fathering and family-work balance, parents can attain the information they need to make the most effective parenting decisions. The discussions would also focus on raising children in differing social, economic, political and cultural contexts.
Additionally, SPIN aims to collaborate with community organizations such as professional parenting coaches and tutoring services. SPIN hopes to encourage children to become involved in their community through service projects, outdoor trips (such as nature hikes, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing), STEM activities and a potential mentoring program where young adults work with teens.
NAAAP Boston will be hosting their first SPIN event titled “Tantrums! Prevention and Management” on June 25 at 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Faxon Park, Quincy, MA. Inspired by the television series Super Nanny, NAAAP Boston wanted to focus on supporting toddlers and preschool aged groups. Participants will have the opportunity to converse with one another on how to prevent or manage children’s tantrums. There will be an optional lunch at a restaurant in the area afterwards.
By offering SPIN and the resources that parents might not know about or have the time to reach, NAAAP Boston hopes that they can support parents in advancing their professional and personal goals.
Please contact joanna.jung@naaapboston.org for more information.
Photo from NAAAP RTP SPIN program.
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Spotlight: NAAAP President Vicky Liu
The president of the Boston chapter for NAAAP, Victoria (Vicky) Liu, moved to Boston four years ago from Windsor, Connecticut. This is now her third year with NAAAP. She received her Bachelor of Science and Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy. Her current day job is very different from her role in NAAAP. As an ambulatory clinical pharmacist, she works in a primary care clinic and directly works with patients to help them manage their chronic disease states, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. Liu also teaches pharmacy students, pharmacy residents, medical students and medical residents. When she was a child, she knew that she wanted to do something in healthcare; thus she pursued her dreams to become the leader she is now. Additionally, she enjoys embarking on new adventures by going scuba diving, zip-lining and even cave exploring. She has also traveled to Greece, where discovering their mythology and culture gave her a new outlook on life.
Liu first got in contact with NAAAP after attending a social event, where she met people that encouraged her to volunteer for the organization. Her first event was the Annual BBQ, where she got to meet many board members and leaders from NAAAP. She then got involved with the Training and Development Committee, which focuses on internal development for NAAAP Boston’s own executive team and leaders. In addition, she organized the internal retreat for the year. She enjoyed her first retreat and found that the NAAAP team really cared about each other.
After taking on the position as president of NAAAP, Liu developed a unique skillset. She believes that it is her role to empower and inspire her leadership team so that they can help NAAAP accomplish its goals in advancing professional development, leadership development and community engagement. Liu is involved with overseeing the strategic direction of NAAAP as well as actively engaging and supporting the NAAAP Boston leaders to help them become successful. As a result of her involvement, she meets a range of diverse people who help her expand her views and her thinking. She acquires skills and encounters specific experiences through NAAAP that her day job does not offer. This opportunity to grow as a leader is incredibly powerful and valuable to her.
Despite the fact that Liu initially joined NAAAP for the professional and leadership development, she stayed for the support and the NAAAP family. Thanks to Victoria, NAAAP Boston chapter has grown so much throughout the years she has been in this family.
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AAPI Heritage Month - Lucy Xu shares her story on how she fought the "Asian tag" and inspired herself to be an influential person!
Lucy Xu
NAAAP Boston Scholarship Awards Winner
When Peter Liang was tried for killing Akai Gurley, an unarmed black man, I saw for the first time in my life Asian Americans stand up as a whole community to fight for their rights and place in this country.
Growing up, I had always been plagued by the alienated feeling of not belonging to the America that I was born and raised in. When I saw my mom publically ridiculed on the train by obnoxious teenagers who thought it entertaining to make fun of a woman who could not understand their language, I found myself unable to retaliate in her place for fear of embarrassment and humiliation. When, as a child, I dreamed of becoming a pop star, I found myself dejected at the prospects of my own broken dreams because I thought that there was no way America would ever be interested in an Asian singer like me. So instead, I shut my mouth and told myself to study because I was Chinese and I was the model minority.
For a long time, I felt singled out by these insecurities in my identity. I felt as though I was alone in my struggle and decided to squash down my own unhappy feelings so as to forget I ever had them. Yet as I got older, I began to realize that my experiences have never been entirely my own. I see now that this misconception and marginalization of Asian Americans in America is a fundamental issue that faces every person of Asian descent in this country. And just as we stood up behind Peter Liang, I think that if the Asian community began to encourage others to speak up and speak out against injustices facing them, we can as a whole begin to tackle those misconceptions and marginalizations.
As a seventeen year old now, I find myself gravitating towards the STEM fields, and especially computer science, where I know that my voice will not be disregarded as they have been my entire life. In the future, I hope to become a leader in STEM who can help give Asian Americans like myself their voice. Throughout my own adolescence, I have let my self worth be dictated by what I thought my world expected from me. However, it is my wish that by entering and leading the field of computer science, I can inspire other Asian Americans and change the narrative about the lives of people like me. I sincerely believe that the country is now catalyzing the movement to bringing Asian Americans greater representation and I just hope that my actions can be a consequential part of that movement.
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Asian Heritage Month - NAAAP Boston scholarship awards winner Jason Dinh shares his thoughts on issues of race and ethnicity that Asian Americans face today
What issues of race and ethnicity do Asian Americans currently face today? What role should our community play in addressing these issues? (Or what would you do to address this issue?) Please provide specific examples.
The immediate response most people would have is “stereotypes.” I look further than that. There is a deeper issue within my community and the community around me that I see, or rather it is what I do not see. It is far and few between that you find someone of Asian descent in the media or heading companies. The few examples of Asians in media I can think of are typically minor roles, and stereotyped to be smart at math, super successful, heavy accents, or martial art masters. Asian Americans are only in the spotlight for being extraordinary and while that’s fine and great, Asian Americans are always pushed to the side for anything short of amazing. Mass media does not normalize Asians. It gives those growing up in America to expect geniuses, highly talented fighters, when really we’re just like everyone else. The notion that was brought up in the 1980’s is that Asians are the “model minority.” But there’s nothing to support us being “model minorities.” Asians are normal people, like anyone else. We all have our flaws.
Looking in the political spectrum one may find that the Asian population is vastly underrepresented, the majority of public office holders being white males. It’s extremely difficult to find Asians in positions of public leadership. It seems that we are being pushed aside into the tech rooms that are helping to fund and support these large organizations rather and institutions than ever being the face. The argument could be made that Asians are doing so well in America today, but what people have to realize is that for every Asian American with a degree, there’s just as many struggling and poverty stricken. The sample of people who are doing well in America is all that is looked it. There is no coverage on asians being poor and hungry and that’s an issue. There must be something to rectify that.
The solution is simple really, the execution is what’s difficult. Our community on the largest scale, our world, must recognize that we are one species. While there are numerous of differences in ethnicity and races, we are one species. Until we can act like it there’s no hope for our race long term. We must be willing to help each other out, not shut everyone down. It does not matter the background, as long as people are willing to put forth hard work, effort and make significant contributions to humanity. The world would be a much brighter place if everyone is able to collaborate together.
