American But Asian

Madeline Fong, an Asian American Civic Scholar, interviews Matt Foster, who is a St. Louis entrepreneur and business professional. Matt Foster is the General Manager of Century Coffee Co., a coffee company based in St. Louis, and has built his career around his passion for coffee and entrepreneurship. He is also the founder of Sol Luna Coffee Whiskey, combining specialty coffee with liquor. Foster’s work reflects his interest in creating innovative businesses while contributing to St. Louis’s growing coffee culture.

Manu McDowell, an Asian American Civic Scholar, interviews Dr. Sabnam Ghosh, who oversees the Asian American Studies minor at WashU's American Culture Studies department. Dr. Ghosh has a PHD in comparative literature and intercultural studies, an MSC in comparative and general literature, and a BA in comparative literature.

Paige Tsai, an Asian American Civic Scholar, interviews Mimi Vo, the CEO and founder of Mia Vida Wellness and Aesthetics. We learn more about Dr. Vo's journey, challenges, and navigation as an Asian American woman in the business industry.

Jackie Tung has broken significant barriers in the corporate world, demonstrating exemplary leadership and creating opportunities for others. As co-founder of STL OCA, she has played a key role in advancing the organization’s mission to promote civic engagement, civil rights, and cultural preservation for Asian Americans. Through her work, she has empowered the community by offering mentorship, organizing events, and advocating for equal opportunities.

Cal Wang and Max Zeng of the AACS History team sat down with Dr. Mitch Maki of the GoForBroke National Education Center to learn about the legacy of Japanese American veterans of WW2, and to share the history team's research about two St. Louis Japanese American families with extensive military service.   Go For Broke, GFBNEC, is a nonprofit organization based in downtown Los Angeles’s historic Little Tokyo district that is committed to maintaining and contemporarily applying the legacy of the Japanese American veterans of WWII. Dr. Mitchell Maki is one of the premiere scholars on the Japanese American redress movement and the lead author of the award-winning book, "Achieving the Impossible Dream: How Japanese Americans Obtained Redress.”

Asian American Civic Scholars interviews JoAnn Lam, a disabled 3rd generation Chinese American. Tune in as Brendan Yn has a thoughtful discussion about JoAnn’s personal life and thoughts on the importance of AAPI voting.

Asian American Civic Scholars presents a sit-down interview with Ed Shew, the author, journalist, political candidate, and activist for Asian Americans. Learn about his amazing story and beliefs in this episode of American but Asian!

Sit down with Laura and Kate Calys, a mother-daughter pair from the STL area, as they discuss their experiences growing up as Japanese-Americans in the US and their civic engagement in the STL community. We examine racial disparities both in and out of the Asian community, the comparisons growing up in different periods, and why people of all backgrounds must be civically engaged.

Story Kummer, an Asian American Civic Scholar, interviews Nancy Sato. They speak about Ms. Sato's journey to understand and appreciate her Asian identity, her diving experience fighting sexism at Harvard, and her work in Chinatown to connect many Asian identities. 

Asian American Civic Fellows came across the opportunity to talk with Simon Huang, the Chief Technology Officer for the City of St. Louis. Listen as Ethan Chuc engages in an insightful conversation about Simon’s experiences as an Asian American and Huang’s voice on the importance of voting.

Asian American Civic Scholars was fortunate to get a chance to speak with Grace Lee, the current Dean of Faculty at MICDS. Listen as Mimi Zhou thoughtfully interviews Lee on her journey through public education and administration as an East Asian woman.

Asian American Civic Scholars was fortunate to get a chance to speak with Shayn Prapaisilp, a prominent figure in the food and grocery industries. Listen as Leo Zhu thoughtfully interviews Prapaisilp on growing up in the Midwest, facing adversity as an Asian American, as well as his vision for the future.

Asian American Civic Scholars recently received the opportunity to sit down with Aisha Sultan, a nationally awarded journalist, a filmmaker, and columnist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch. In this interview led by Mimi Zhou, Sultan speaks about her childhood and finding belonging, her life's journey with journalism, and the power of one's voice!

This is AACS' series featuring AAPI educators in St. Louis.  In this episode, sophomore Leo Zhu interviews Dr. Nisha Patel, superintendent of the school district of Clayton. She speaks about her childhood, her career, and how being an AAPI member has impacted her. 

Are all Asians the same? Have we all played piano or violin? Hear about how Asians fit into their stereotypes and how they stray from parental expectations.

We asked Asian Americans both young and old, immigrant and American-born, East,  South, and Southeast, the same three questions.