AAPI Heritage Month: Inspiration, Innovation, and Community
In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month and in continuation of the Mic Is Yours campaign, we highlighted the voices of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders leading the way to an inspired future. We selected four individuals each representing a background in entrepreneurship, innovative cuisine, the arts, and community support.
Our first trailblazer was Mylen Yamamoto, founder of Cropsticks and specialguest. She and her partner Michelle Hanabusa aimed to leverage their success and experience to uplift underrepresented small businesses. Following Mylen, we featured Viet Nguyen, founder of Kei Concepts. Chef Viet’s mission is to connect people by offering authentic yet progressive Asian cultural cuisines. His innovative mind is at the core of Kei Concepts, which he describes as a technology company choosing food as its delivery. Next was Evan Zhou, co-founder of Steezy Studio. Evan is a self-taught competitive dancer and he wanted to provide the same opportunity to future aspiring dancers through his online dance studio. He emphasized the key to improving is putting yourself out there and having fun. Last but certainly not least, was Johng Ho Song, executive director of Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC). Johng Ho has dedicated his entire professional career to improving the Koreatown youth community. Under his leadership, KYCC has made a positive impact on the community through its youth programs, environmental services, and many other initiatives.
We thank them for the amazing work they’ve done for the AAPI community and for sharing their inspiring messages.