Yearly Archives: 2024

December 21, 2024 | I recently went to the White House to see elaborate holiday decorations lining the halls, walls, and rooms. Each and every piece of decoration had a meaning to it, for example the first decoration, six stars stacked on top of each other, was meant to represent the six branches of the military. As we walked through the many hallways, there were frequent stops that had Christmas music playing that really set the mood. The Blue Room held the Official White House Tree. This tree had a carousel floating around that made it seem very peaceful and joyous. My favorite room was the East Wing, a room that seemed like all the ornaments were made of bubbles. Despite being the largest room in the White House, the hanging confetti made the room more friendly and welcoming. It surprised me when I walked into the State Dining Room because all the ornaments were self portraits of children. All those self portraits gave the room a relaxed, winter break energy. Even though the trees were roped off and gigantic, it still felt like a place where all the kids could take over and have a party. Another interesting thing to see while touring the White House was the collection of portraits. My favorite portrait was the one of Michelle Obama. I saw a lot of famous presidents and their families that I remembered learning about. The visit was really exciting and beautiful, it was even more incredible than I had hoped for.

November 16, 2024 | APALI Alumni and Fellows, celebrate the aloha spirit and holidays with your APALI family at our annual holiday mixer and greet the new 2024 BLA graduates.
Hawaiian cuisine & non-alcoholic beverages provided.

December 15, 2024 | I attended the WHIAANHPI (White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders) on Wednesday, December 11, 2024.

This community engagement event focused on small businesses and ERGs (employee resource groups). There were examples about how ERGs helped the AANHPI community, like when a speaker talked about how an ERG helped to provide housing for someone who was interning at a program. Speakers also talked about how many AANHPI community members are not at the top of companies. They talked about how a lot of AANHPI community members get passed up for promotions, which makes it so there are not a lot of Asians at the top of companies (most Asians get stuck in the middle of companies). This makes me upset because I think Asians should also get a shot to lead big companies, and I think that companies might lose talent by passing Asians for promotions. Another panel talked about small business funding. One panel member talked about lunches he does to help connect small business owners.

What made this event even more interesting was the amount of people. Going into the event, I expected to see a full room, but I was still surprised when I entered the room. I was lucky enough to find an empty seat, but many people had to stand. Towards the end of the event, I was able to meet with the event organizers who flew in from D.C.

Before this event, I did not realize how many community leaders there were. I had not heard from many leaders in my area, so I felt hopeful and happy after leaving.

December 4, 2024 | Commission on the State of Hate commissions want to hear from you! Meet commissioners and staff to talk about the views, needs, and concerns in the Fresno community.

December 4, 2024 | Dear United Against Hate Week Community, UAHW looks forward to hosting our their workshop, United Against Hate Week 2024 Community Recap and Reports, on Wednesday, December 4 at 3 PM PT. This is an opportunity to come together with other community members, partner organizations, and representatives from cities nationwide to reflect on our collective efforts this year and start planning for an impactful 2025.

November 4, 2024 | On October 26, 2024, Mina Fedor and Charlee Trenkle attended the OCA (Organization of Chinese Americans) San Mateo 2024 Asian American Achievement Awards. AAPI Youth Rising was awarded a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate for the 2024 Community Partner Award with OCA San Mateo. The event was held to honor four honorees: David Mineta, Abigail Hing Wen, Connie Young Yu, and Russell Jeung.

High Schoolers, we have something special just for you! A day specially crafted for our AAPI teens, our Youth Summit was conceived on the premise of paying it forward, having those that have lived and learned share their experiences with AAPI youths just emerging from their own educational journey and discovering their world beyond. ThemedContinue reading “TeachAAPI Youth Summit “Roots & Routes: Making Your Mark””