Tag Archives: q&a

By Jennie L. Ilustre One word describes Muriel Hom, recipient of the Organization of Chinese Americans’ 2014 Trailblazer Award at its gala night on November 2: Unique. Opera Internationals’ Producer Director Hom is Baldwin Artist, pianist and coach. She has performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and on PBS Television. An international artist, she has also performed …

By Jennie L. Ilustre University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) Professor Shuji Nakamura, who shares this year’s prestigious Nobel Prize for Physics with two Japanese researchers, has an inspiring message for Asian Americans. “I encourage higher education and hard work in order to achieve the American Dream and thrive,” Nakamura, 60, said in an interview days after the announcement of …

By Jenny Chen Anna Akana’s sister died at 13 years old. Kristina Akana was a victim of bullying at her California school and eventually took her life. This event has influenced much of Anna Akana’s work as a writer, actress, and short film producer. The Youtube star, who’s makeup video spoof “How To Put On Your Face,” has garnered 1.7 …

Award winning DC based comedian talks to Asian Fortune about playing tooth decay in a school play and the challenges of being a female comedian. By Suchi Rudra With three solos shows to her name—Woman on Top, McGoddess and Good Girls Don’t. But Indian Girls Do—and far-flung comedy festival appearances from Trinidad to England to South Africa, funny girlVijai Nathan …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Photos courtesy of AOF Born and raised in San Jose, Ca., Mineta and his family were among the Japanese Americans interned in camps during World War II. Since then, President Bill Clinton has appointed him the first Asian Pacific American (APA) Secretary of Commerce, President George W. Bush has named him Secretary of Commerce, and he …

By Tamara Treichel This month, Asian Fortune had the unique privilege of interviewing the internationally acclaimed Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid. Hamid is the author of the novels Moth Smoke (2000), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (2013). His award-winning novels have become bestsellers, made into movies, translated into over 30 languages and shortlisted …

More Asian Americans than ever before are becoming pioneers in the sustainability movement. Because of this, we are running a series to recognize all the Asian American “Green Heroes” in our community. This month, we are recognizing Sonita Lontoh, an Asian American green tech executive who is passionate about encouraging a green economy between Asian and Western countries. Lontoh received …

By Jenny Chen Andrew Lam, editor-in-chief of New America Media, a nonprofit organization that advocates 3,000 ethnic news organizations in the United States, was awarded the PEN/Oakland Award for his fictional collection of short stories Birds of Paradise Lost. The book is based on the Vietnamese refugee experience. Maxine Hong Kingston wrote about Lam: “…bask in his love of language, …

By Amanda Andrei In case you haven’t noticed, it’s been David Henry Hwang season in the D.C. metro area. Pinky Swear just pulled off a successful run of Bondage this November, Theater J is staging the regional premiere of Yellow Face this January and February, and the legendary playwright himself delivered an insightful and thought-provoking lecture at the Reston’s CenterStage …

More Asian Americans than ever before are becoming pioneers in the sustainability movement. Because of this, we are running a series to recognize all the Asian American “Green Heroes” in our community. First to be recognized is Danny Seo – a Korean American and a former Washington, DC resident who promotes the green lifestyle through books and TV shows. Seo …

By Devika Koppikar Alexandria resident Sue Okubo suffers from lung disease. Her lungs are not at full capacity, she said. Nevertheless, she uses her full personal capacity as an environmental activist—aiming to spawn clean air for Northern Virginia. Studies have shown that polluted air accelerates the onset of lung disease and many other health challenges, Okubo noted, which is a …

          The Honorable Raymond T. Chen is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Judge Chen was appointed by President Obama in 2013, unanimously confirmed by the Senate on August 1, 2013, and assumed the duties of his office on August 5, 2013. Judge Chen previously served as Deputy General Counsel for Intellectual …

As a co-founder of The Brain Trust, Rohan Grover is the company’s “Model Minority Modeler,” harnessing technology to help AAPI organizations build savvy, data-driven campaigns for the digital age. Our writer, Derek Mong, is a social justice activist and has worked for non-profit organizations, political campaigns, the federal government, and national civil rights organizations to address issues of social justice, …

By Tamara Treichel When American-born Chinese (ABC) Rachel Chu is invited by her boyfriend Nick Young to visit his family in Singapore for the summer, Rachel is delighted, believing that rest and relaxation await her under the palm trees. However, little does Rachel know that Nick belongs to one of Asia’s richest families, “whose lives revolve around making money, spending …

  Robert Sarvis isn’t sure whether he’s the first Asian American to run for Virginia governor, but if he wins this November, he’d be the first to hold the office. Sarvis, of Annandale, Va., is the third-party candidate in the Virginia governor’s race. Born and raised in Fairfax County, Sarvis, 37, is Chinese-American. His wife, Astrid, is a pediatrician who …

By Tamara Treichel   Think Frank Abagnale’s life in Catch Me If You Can is exciting, full of shape-shifting, danger, suspense and a sprinkling of romance? Then compare Wong Chin Foo’s life. Wong Chin Foo (1847-1898) was a real man with the flair of a Chinese American trickster hero, and he is brought back to life in Scott D. Seligman’s …

By Suchi Rudra   Since Sarah Shabbir became a U.S. Foreign Service Officer at the age of 23 back in 2005, she’s already been posted overseas twice, first based in Abu Dhabi for two years as Vice Consul at the American Embassy, and then 2 years in Hong Kong, where she was Consul at the U.S. Consulate General. Asian Fortune …

By Devika Koppikar Sam Mukherjee, a retired scientist, found a mole on his skin three days after a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2006. Though painful, he removed this mole, caused by a tick bite infected with Borrelia Burgdorferi. He had contracted Lyme disease, his doctor confirmed, and his skin displayed a round rash typical to the disease. …

Dr. Howard Koh’s title, and the responsibilities that go with it, are formidable. He is the Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health oversees 12 core public health offices,” he said in an email. “Our broad portfolio includes disease prevention and health promotion, health disparities, women’s …

By Jennie L. Ilustre This month, the Asian American Government Executives Network (AAGEN) is holding major events to celebrate its 20th year of promoting a diverse, quality workforce and career advancement for its members. Small wonder that as the new AAGEN executive director, Stanley Fujii’s email Inbox of late was constantly full, and that was true with the state of …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Surae Chinn once wrote for Asian Fortune. “It was my first job out of college,” she said. “I wrote about events in the community.” That was late in 1996 until 1997. Well, look at her now. She’s an award-winning reporter for WUSA-TV9. She also fills in as anchor on occasions. In 2004, she won the prestigious …