They spent the weekend getting to know the history of APIs in the region, and the histories of each other, and what it means to be a community leader.  They exchanged stories and experiences, shared laughs and tears.  By the end of the retreat, a special bond has appeared, which will only grow stronger as they go through the rest of the program.

Please welcome the CLP Class of 2012!

Back row: Noah Jaffe, Stanley Wong, Kyle Gotchy, Phillip Bruan, Grant Wu, Kiwai Lai, Micah Bateman-Iino. Middle row: Melissa Atalig, Julie Kim, Jennifer Duong. Bottom row: Annia Yoshizumi, Kathy Nguyen

Julie Kim:

Julie Kim is a first generation American of Korean descent born in Seattle and raised in Mukilteo, Washington. She was the first in her family to attend college at the University of Washington and the first to earn her graduate degree from Seattle University School of Law. Julie loves to volunteer with Seattle Works and was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Washington State Coalition for Language Access. In her spare time, she reads up on business and fashion news in the New York Times, hits the gym, and occasionally admits in public that her favorite childhood television show is and always will be “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

Grant Wu:

Grant was born in Lexington, KY and raised in Troy, MI. The Midwest provided a unique experience for an Asian American but Grant didn’t wholly appreciate this until he started attending the University of Michigan. There, he became extremely involved with the campus community. Grant held officer positions in the Chinese Student Association, the United Asian American Organizations, and the Midwest Asian American Student Union.  He strove to educate his fellow Asian American students about the social and political issues that have affected Asian Americans throughout history and encouraged them to become more engaged and active within the A/PIA community.  Grant now holds a BSE in Computer Science and works for Microsoft as a software engineer. In his spare time, Grant, despite his parents’ best efforts, still plays a lot of video games. He also enjoys exercising and working on his various side projects.

Micah Bateman-Iino:

Micah Bateman-Iino was born and raised in Seattle, and is of Japanese and European descent.  Having received a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of Washington (UW) in 2011, he is returning to the UW in 2012 to pursue a law degree.  Micah was the 2012 Fellow with the Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and ACLF, working in Olympia during the legislative session.  In his spare time he enjoys exercise, the outdoors, music, and arts.

Annia Mieko Yoshizumi:

Annia Mieko Yoshizumi was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Her father is a 3rd generation Japanese and her mother 1.5 generation Filipino-Spanish. Being the oldest of 4 kids, Annia is the first in her family to attend college. She attends the University of Washington pursuing studies in American Ethnic Studies and Diversity. Annia also works at The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American experience as an interpretive lead and enjoys connecting with visitors who share their experiences and stories of Asian Pacific American history. In addition, she also works at the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity as a Diversity Advocate for Ethnic Cultural Center where she helps in creating programs dedicated to social justice and that advocate the underserved and marginalized communities on campus including students of color, LGBT, and student organizations. In her spare time she enjoys playing with her beloved puppy Momo.

Stanley Wong:

Stanley Wong was born in Seattle to a father from Hong Kong, and a mother from Guangzhou, China. He grew up in Kent where he graduated from Kentridge High School. Stanley then became heavily involved with student governance at Bellevue College when he worked as the Executive Director for the Office of Student Legislative Affairs. Following his second year at Bellevue College, Stanley transferred to the University of Washington, and is now expecting to graduate in the summer of 2013 with a B.A. in Political Science. He values truth and integrity. Stanley’s hobbies include basketball, chess, and video games.

Kiwai Lai:

Kiwai Lai is a person of mixed race, having a half Cherokee/half Scott-Irish mother and a Chinese father. Kiwai has a varied professional background having worked for three years as the Assistant Technical Director at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. He also has ten years of restaurant experience as a cook in many kitchens between here in Seattle and Helena, Montana, one of the places where he grew up. Kiwai is passionate about good times and great company. He has been a musician for nine years playing guitar and making dance electronica. Kiwai has volunteered for many events in the Delridge and Georgetown community, lending his skills as an Audio/Video Technician. He has also mentored youth from Evergreen High School as a Field Expert on senior projects involved with music production. Kiwai in his spare time enjoys being lazy, scheming, playing video games, reading music blogs, good food, and great company.

Kathy Nguyen:

Kathy Nguyen was born in Nha Trang, Vietnam and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of three. She is a recent grad from University of Washington majoring in Business Administration-marketing and management. Through her volunteer work with Asian Counseling Referral Service and Refugee Resettlement Office in college, she found passion in helping others and believes the CLP program will further help her commitment to help the community. In her spare time, she enjoys watching movies, baking, trying new restaurants, and running with her family dog, Lou.

Kyle Gotchy:

Kyle Gotchy is a mongrelized Northwest native son whose Nikkei family has tilled the Greater Seattle area for four generations. By training, he is an attorney who focuses on complex commercial litigation and health care regulatory affairs. By nature, he is interested in entrepreneurial ventures which identify and leverage existing community resources to provide social services. He also enjoys dark porters, used bookstores, and random feats of athleticism.

Jennifer Duong:

I was born in Vietnam, I have 11 living half siblings and I am the youngest child. I arrived to the United State with my mother, two sisters and one brother in the early 90s. I got my bachelors of arts in Social Works at the University of Washington and currently, I work for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Being the only one in the family to graduate high school and college meant that I have a lot of responsibilities and obligations to not just my family but also my community. I am passionate about immigration and refugee issues, social justice in general. Currently, I serve as a board member on the Vietnamese Friendship Association, a small non-profit organization that provides academic, leadership and advocacy programs. I like to consider myself as an optimistic person because I am a firm believer that things will get better. In my spare time, I like to experiment in the kitchen like baking and I enjoy outdoor activities.

Noah Shen Jaffe:

Noah Shen Jaffe was born and raised here in Seattle.  He is half Chinese.  He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College in Massachusetts and his Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law, and now works as a law clerk for a judge at the Washington State Court of Appeals.  Noah serves as a mentor to other minority law students and aspiring lawyers contemplating law school, and loves to play both soccer and basketball in his free time.

Phillip Angelo Bruan:

Phillip Angelo Bruan is currently a junior at Seattle University majoring in Political Science and minoring in Public Affairs & Administration. As he is of mixed heritage– his mother having been born in the Philippines and his father from Peru, Phillip is extremely passionate towards developing advocacy and leadership skills to help overlooked communities. Born and raised in Seattle’s Chinatown/International District, Phillip has a strong dedication to the neighborhood and is currently an economic development intern at the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation & Development Authority. Over the last few years, he has also been involved with several social justice organizations including Global Visionaries, WAPI Community Services, and was chosen as a research fellow to do poverty alleviation research in Ghana. He enjoys spending time with his family, being a rookie foodie with his friends, and playing with his mini-Daschund, Maechay.

Melissa Atalig:

Melissa Atalig was born and raised in Garner, Iowa to a German mother and Chamorro father. She attended the University of Iowa and received her B.A. in Political Science and M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning. Melissa’s passions for civic engagement, community service, and social justice are deeply rooted in growing up in a household with parents who were politically active, volunteered their time within the community and demonstrated a true compassion for humanity. Currently, her work focuses on creating stronger communities by educating, empowering and engaging community members, and building ongoing dialogue about how individual actions can lead to large collective impacts. In her free time, she enjoys running, backpacking, climbing, traveling, and exploring new places.

Many of you have probably received e-mails about Seattle Foundation’s GiveBig campaign for local non-profits on May 2nd where every dollar you give on this day will be partially matched.  Throughout the day, donors will also be randomly selected to receive a Golden Ticket which will add another $1,000 in your name to support an organization of your choice – ACLF!

We hope you keep ACLF in mind on this wonderful day of giving. Your donation will fund scholarships and training for our Community Leaders Program (CLP).  CLP is a unique program that works to debunk myths that Asian & Pacific Islanders are silent, apathetic, and will not “make waves”. We build on the power of the collective API community to provide connections and training for emerging Asian & Pacific Islander leaders so that they will to go on to influence the political landscape in our state with our communities in mind.

“I am very grateful for finding ACLF. I realized the Community Leaders Program is just the beginning for me and I now have an ACLF family who continues to provide me support, inspiration, and friendship.”  - Chanda Ishisaka, CLP 2011.

To make the deal even sweeter when you donate to ACLF, any gift of at least $25 made between 11 AM -1 PM will be matched dollar-for-dollar!  A random donor will also be selected to receive an ACLF t-shirt during this period.

We would like to thank everyone for joining us in making this event a success. A very special thanks to our hard working volunteers and the CLP ’11 Breakfast Committee: Randon Aea, Chris Batalon, Yin Chan, Aimee Decker,  Chanda Ishisaka, Jamie Stroble, Latana Thaviseth, and  Stephen Yao.

Finally, thanks again to our generous sponsors:

Monica Ghosh

Michael Lum

Erik Sund

See you next year at the 3rd ANNUAL ACLF FAMILY BREAKFAST!!!!!!

Calling ALL CLP alumni, past ACLF board members, CLP facilitators, future CLPers, families, and friends!

Join us for the 2^nd Annual ACLF Family Breakfast coordinated by CLP 2011! Come connect and reconnect with ACLF and the entire ACLF family. Enjoy a Hawaiian themed breakfast, children activities for all the new additions to the family (future CLPers),  great raffle prizes, and friends.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

SCIDpda Legacy Community Hall—409 Maynard Ave South

9am-12pm

Tickets: $12 adults, $9 children.  Get them…

- From ACLF board members, CLP 2011 alumni, or anyone with tickets in their hands!

- Online here (make a one-time donation for the ticket amount & please put ‘breakfast’ in the comment area)

- Call the ACLF office (206-625-3850) and stop by to purchase during office hours (9am-5pm)

- Buy your ticket at the door! RSVP to chevon@aclfnorthwest.org

Can’t wait to see you there!

Sponsored by

Friend:

Monica Ghosh

Community: 

Erik Sund

Patron:

*Interested in volunteering or sponsoring this event? Please contact chevon@aclfnorthwest.org*

Maria Koh, bottom left in red, at the 9th Annual ACLF Graduation Dinner with the CLP class of 2008.

Maria’s distinguished career at the University of Washington Medical Center as a hospital and clinic nutritionist led to the development of cutting-edge education for health providers and consumers. Early on, she began to extend the reach of her workplace into volunteer work and has made an important difference for children, elderly and new immigrants to this community. Maria has worked with organizations including the NW Kidney Center, Chinese Information Service Center, REACH, Kin-On Nursing Home and the American Diabetes Association. Her many contributions include but are not limited to coordinating other volunteers, advocating for appropriate and culturally relevant outreach in at risk communities, and raising money to build facilities and start or maintain underfunded programs. She has also developed special programs to reach Asian immigrants through her volunteer work with the Seattle School Board, and the Seattle Public Library. For more than 35 years, she has quietly but aggressively helped shape the Seattle community.  Her contributions have made a positive difference to the health and well-being of individuals and communities.

The 2012 Washington State Jefferson Awards winners will be featured on KING 5′s Evening Magazine on March 12. Be sure to tune in or stream online at KING5.com and vote for who you think should represent our state at the National Jefferson Awards. Washington State residents can vote online March 12-16 at KING5.com.

Aimee Decker

Stephen Yao is Chinese American, raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He came to the Pacific Northwest for graduate school at the University of Washington and holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering. He currently works for Genie Terex AWP in Redmond as a Design Engineer.  An ACLF CLP 2011 alumni, Steve stands in awe of, and in debt to, the deep history of Asian Americans in the Puget Sound. Today, he is interested in Asian American representation in leadership and the media, and the power they wield as mentors and role models to young APIs. When not working or volunteering through Seattle Works and the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP-Seattle provided Steve with a scholarship for the Community Leaders Program), Steve enjoys exploring Seattle’s extensive array of food and culture. He is fascinated with racing cars, innovation through user centered design practices, and giant robots.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation (ACLF) I want to thank you all for your continued support of the organization. ACLF is beginning its 13th year of training and supporting the leadership of Asian Pacific Islanders with a commitment to social justice, community empowerment and public service.

Last year our 12^th Community Leaders Program (CLP) class came together from a diverse range of ages, cultures, backgrounds, and education levels to complete a group project to help the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) create an arts revitalization strategy by researching city models, identifying stakeholders, analyzing the current environment or trends for arts/culture funding and conducting surveys, interviews and focus groups. The CLP class’ experience culminated in the Graduation Dinner and Auction on Oct. 29, 2011. The event drew more than 200 people to recognize and celebrate these new leaders in the community.

Also in 2011, alumni from ACLF’s 2010 CLP class hosted the first Family Breakfast at the Nisei Veterans Clubhouse. The event was an opportunity to reconnect with ACLF alumni and supporters and showcase what ACLF does for the community. The breakfast was also a very successful fundraising event that we plan to host again this spring so watch for a save the date in the coming weeks.

Last year we also welcomed Office Manager/Program Coordinator Bao Nguyen. While the board is responsible for keeping its eyes on the big picture and supporting ACLF’s work committees, Bao will be handling the day-to-day operations of ACLF and coordinating the Community Leaders Program.

The ACLF Board and staff are committed to continuing the legacy of our founders and continuing the organization’s mission to promote social, economic and political justice by training and supporting a strong, sustainable community of civically engaged leaders that reflect the diversity of local Asians and Pacific Islanders. We are able to do this because of support from the community. Thank you again for your support. It’s because of you that we are a strong, thriving organization going on 13 years.

If you would like to learn more about ACLF or to donate please visit our website at www.aclfnorthwest.org.

Please feel free to contact me at craig.kanaya@gmail.com or Bao at baon@aclfnorthwest.org with any questions.

Best regards,

Craig Kanaya

ACLF 2012 Board President

OLYMPIA – The Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs (CAPAA) and the Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation (ACLF) are pleased to announce the selection of the 2012 Fellow, Micah Bateman-Iino.

Micah Bateman-Iino is a recent graduate from the University of Washington (UW) where he was active in several Asian American and Pacific Islander community groups and projects. He is a 4th generation Japanese American from Shoreline, Washington. While in school, Micah worked with underprivileged high school students at the UW Dream Project and in bone marrow donor registration drives targeting Asian Pacific Islander donors. Most recently, Micah interned for the American Cultural Exchange Service. He plans to attend law school in Fall 2012.

Micah graduated with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.

###

Attend our Information Sessions to learn more about ACLF and the CLP!

CLP Info Sessions

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 – 6 – 7:30 PM

611 South Lane St Seattle, WA 98104

Please RSVP to Bao Nguyen at baon@aclfnorthwest.org