Student winners from the 24th annual Growing Up Asian in America contest and honorees of AACI will participate in NBC Bay Area’s annual Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration on May 18th. The ceremony will honor local heroes and winners of this year’s contest.
The growing up Asian in America program celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month by giving voice to the varied experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander (API) youth throughout the Bay Area, and encouraging this next generation of leaders to take pride in their heritage through creative self-expression.
This year’s theme, “My Contribution to America,” brought in over 400 entries from K-12th grade Bay Area students of all backgrounds and ethnicities. Students submitted art, essays and videos sharing their personal contribution to our country and the contributions of API’s that came before them. This year’s best in class and honorable mention winners include remarkable students of Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Taiwanese and other ethnic backgrounds. Each best in class winner will have an opportunity to share about their entry and what inspired them to crate it.
Featured best in class artists, writers, and filmmakers from the 2019 Growing Up Asian in America contest include, Olivia Mai, Credye Lim, Sahana Hariharan, Catherine Wu, Audrey Shen, Aubrey Ilasco, Kayla Lam, Brandon Tran and Becky Tran.
Also to be honored are four Asian Pacific American Community Heroes. These honorees represent the impact and dedication that diverse API communities ring to the Bay Area local community.
Among these honorees are Leena V Khanzode MD, a board certified psychiatrist dedicated to providing quality, evidence based treatment to help individuals and families overcome difficulties and lead happier, more productive lives. June Tran, owner of Crema Coffee Roasting Company and specialist for the mentally ill. June wanted to help those who are deaf or heart of hearing find a way to smoothly integrate themselves into the work force. Dr. Stephanie Chao, a surgeon, profession and advocate for children’s health issues. Dr. Chao is also one of the growing numbers of physicians joining the national a conversation around gun violence and has completed the research in the area of gun legislation and child morality, as firearm-related injuries are the second leading cause of pediatric death in the US. And Channary Bill, a resilient survivor of the horrifying Khmer Rouge labor camps, forced to flee her home alone and ultimately settle in the US. Today, she serves as the as the President of the Cambodian Women’s Association where she seeks to empower women and families through providing community education workshops, while preserving Cambodian traditions.
The Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration will take place at NBC Bay Area studios.
For more information, click here.
WHEN: Saturday, May 18, 2019, 2:00PM
WHERE: 2450 North First Street, San Jose, CA 94107
