How Amplifying Asian Voices Led Me In My Career Path |

After these trying weeks, I was grateful for the opportunity to pause, connect, and share with students on how my work within the #AAPICommunity has led me on my career path. Thank you UCI Division of Career Pathways, for the opportunity to speak and reflect with utmost gratitude 🙏
For those of you who do not follow me on Instagram, I wanted to share what I had posted on #LunarNewYear:
/ clnabasd7jh
Make #WipeDownHate a #trend instead.
新年快乐! Wishing you all good health and prosperity in the #yearoftheox 🙌 As much as I wanted to leave it joyfully as that, I cannot pretend that I haven't been mentally affected or scarred by the spike in anti-Asian sentiment, racism, and #hatecrimes, especially towards our elderly. To attackers, our Asian elderly may be seen as our most vulnerable. But to our community, family, and culture, they are our MOST TREASURED. The video I posted working out with my grandma was the first time I've been able to safely see her since the start of this pandemic. I think of her EVERY TIME another grandparent is senselessly robbed, shoved, assaulted, or even MURDERED just for EXISTING in my HOMETOWN, and it fills me with so much rage. It saddens me that for a second year in a row on the ONE day that our culture is warranted any media attention (whether culturally appreciated or appropriated), that I'm having to address hate crimes that continue to go drastically UNREPORTED in #mainstreammedia...as if we don't matter.
It's sad that our community is battling not one, but TWO very different pandemics. But can we also find a cure for hatred? Let me just state (because it's been really disappointing seeing comments from those who have been brainwashed by what they DO see in media), that standing up, speaking out, and denouncing hate crimes towards Asians and ANYONE for that matter, DOES NOT mean you are anti- ANYBODY else! This is not a sick competition to see which group has it worse! I can stand for #BlackLivesMatter AND #StandForAsians AND... more. What I CAN'T STAND is how we're allowing White supremacy to win when minorities are pitted against each other. It is time to build strong #crosscultural bridges. It is time to have difficult conversations within our communities and families. It is time to watch out for one another. Because who will stand for you when there is no one left?
If you've read this far, can you please leave a comment of support? I know I'm not alone 🙏
Let's keep the conversation going. Speak OUT! It doesn't matter if you have 1 subscriber or 1 million. You exist and you matter, and I'm here with you!
See you more on the gram:
/ nickisun
#StandForAsians #HateIsAVirus #StopAAPIHate #wipeitdown #aapifamily #wipedownhatechallenge #wipeitdownchallenge #washthehate #myethnicityisnotavirus

[@TishaZapatero]

🙌🏻🤗☺️👏🏻👏🏻

[@nixed07]

I love this and seeing you represent. Love you sis

[@junny.4]

Miss you guys. Haha. 😬👍