#jacqueline mac

[nettculture]

Brilliant digital collages from digital collage artist Jacqueline Mak @jacquelinemak at http://jacqueline-mak.format.com/ "Don't bite the hand that feeds you", © Jacqueline Mak

[apiasfrepresent]

Reflections on APIASF'S Scholar Mentoring Access to Resources and Training (SMART) College-to-Career Transition Program

By Lucy Truong, APIASF Scholar

Last year, I applied for APIASF's SMART program at the last minute. I was over a year out of university and had a part-time contract job. I didn't think I needed any further career development, but I also didn't have any clear career goals. SMART was (and still is) a free program, so on the day before the deadline, I asked myself, why not apply?

A bit more about me -- during my childhood, my family members pulled enough money together to move out of our crowded rented townhouse and put a down payment on a more spacious home. However less than four years later, the dot com bubble collapsed and my parents were laid off from their jobs at a computer manufacturing warehouse. After a year of unemployment, my dad took a dead end job at a another warehouse. My mom worked as an in-home care provider for my grandparents until they passed away, and now she makes minimum wage as a restaurant server.

This is why I am so glad I was part of the SMART program last year. At home, I had no one to turn to for career advice. With SMART, Jacki from APIASF was assigned as my mentor. Gloria, who is part of the training team, was always happy to answer my questions -- even over the phone when necessary.

I learned a lot about applying for jobs during college, but the SMART trainings provided detailed advice on other job search strategies that I had never thought about. At the start of the e-mentorship sessions, I had no clue what I wanted from my career. Now, I can attach a name to the field I am pursuing (Communications and Marketing). I feel much more confident about progressing in my career, and I have a clearer idea of what my dream job looks like. Gloria and Jacki also connected me with other professionals during the program, so my network continues to grow!

Today, I still use the strategies I learned from SMART, so the program continues to help me immensely. I highly recommend it! Remember, SMART is free for APIASF scholars and newly-graduated alumni. The deadline is tomorrow, so apply ASAP!

To apply to SMART, visit http://bit.ly/2014Smart TODAY!

[apiasfrepresent]

favorite AANHPI program/organization

By Jacqueline Mac, APIASF Staff

My favorite program is the recently announced Southeast Asian American Young Men’s Collaborative – a collaboration between the Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC), Khmer Girls in Action (KGA), 1Love Movement, Stone Soup Fresno (SSF) and the Vietnamese Youth Development Center (VYDC).

I am thrilled to see a coalition-based program that empowers Southeast Asian American boys and young men to realize their full potential and remove barriers through policy work. This program is a fantastic reminder that (1) forming coalitions are key to achieving equity, (2) our AANHPI population encompasses a vast array of identities and histories, and (3) our work is motivated by the impact of the lived experiences of those within our community.

To read more about this program, visit bit.ly/BMA-UnderConstruction

What's your favorite AANHPI program and/or organization?

[apiasfrepresent]

A Tale of Anger, Shame, and Hope About Being Bilingual

By Jacqueline Mac, APIASF Staff

I love that I’m bilingual. But, I hated translating for my parents when I was growing up. As an 11-year-old trying to bargain with our phone company while my father was sitting next to me, I felt like I had more important places to be (because 11-year-olds have SO many important places to be, right?). 

Eventually, I began hating it less because there were some pretty important things for which I needed to serve as a cultural broker: negotiating with a collection agency for medical bills we racked up during my dad’s life-saving battle against liver cancer, interpreting all of the requirements for a Federal Parent PLUS loan so my parents can help me pay for college, and advocating for my mom at a store because an associate was speaking rudely to her.  When I went away for college and graduate school, I noticed I became less proficient in Cantonese and I had a harder time communicating with my parents. The more I lost touch with the language, the more I wanted to hold onto it.

Naturally, when I saw Coca-Cola’s “America Is Beautiful” commercial during the 2014 Super Bowl, I felt a sense of pride and hope. Because America is truly beautiful when we can all be our true selves by expressing our identities in the most honest and genuine way. If I was a kid, and I heard another kid sing “America Is Beautiful” in Cantonese, I would feel like the coolest kid on the block.  I re/present a cool kid still trying to learn Cantonese so I can converse more fully with my parents.  And, I love that.

[apiasfrepresent]

A Lesson from History for Today

By Jacqueline Mac, APIASF Staff

Twelve years ago, this day, I was in World History class during my first year of high school when I heard the news. Born and raised in the Midwest, what was happening in New York, Pennsylvania, and DC were so far away from what I knew. I learned new associations for words already in my vocabulary: terrorist, tragedy, American, hero. If I knew then what I know now, I would know that what I took away from these events and those that followed would set into motion a life devoted to being a part of the change.

Eight years after the 9/11 attacks, I found myself lost in the question: what do I want to do with my life? In between undergraduate and graduate school, I served as a Fellow with the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), with a specific focus on hate crimes. Every day, I reviewed media outlets, newspapers, breaking news posts to track hate crimes and biases against Asians and Asian Americans, and to follow the development of cases brought before the court system. Delving into the archives, I read about hate crimes and incidents against Arab and Muslim Americans spanning from days after the 9/11 attacks to the present day. During these moments, I understood that history repeats itself.

Chinese Exclusion Act.

Japanese American Internment.

Vincent Chin.

My heart ached. History would repeat itself unless we acted. Unless I acted. Unless we come together as a community to fight injustice. During these moments, I realized that my fate, the fate of my friends, and the fate of generations to come were inextricably connected as one. I learned new associations for the words: community, justice, American, hero. In those words, I also found my life path: mobilizing students to move and shake, and to dream and work towards a more socially just world.

Today, I come full circle: based in DC, I work towards social justice with students all over the country by encouraging all students to speak up and speak out against injustice, guiding students to own their stories and voices, and advocating for the access and success of our most underserved students.

I believe that the universe provides us with all the messages and signs we need for the answers we seek; it is up to us to listen. I listened when I was lost with my life path, and I became a part of the change I want to see in the world. How will you listen to the past and to the moment? How will you become a part of the change?