Project Voice

In season 1, I have released an episode about what it means to be a part of the mixed Asian experience; this season, I wanted to add on to our discussion by exploring the intersection of Black and Asian identities as it is crucial to be aware of the fact that there is also a diversity of narratives of not just within the Asian/Asian American community but within the mixed Asian/Asian American community as well. Feeling inspired after watching Blasian Narratives, I invited Mieko Gavia to speak and share about her perspective and journey with self-identity as a Blasian American and the politics behind being labeled as mixed race, especially when it comes to mixed identities that don't center on whiteness. If there's anyone who would like to share their narrative as a non-white mixed Asian woman on Project Voice, please let me know! Mieko Gavia is a writer, actress, and all-around oddball from Indianapolis, Indiana. After graduating from Oberlin College with a degree in Theater, Mieko followed the classic scenar

Welcome to another episode of Project Voice! Today, we will be discussing about a topic that surprisingly, is not brought up as often as it should be and that is disability! In this episode, Maya Ghorpade, Doris Jung, and I will be sharing our personal, intersectional experiences on growing up as Asian women with disabilities. Whether they are physical, mental, or intellectual, disabilities deserve to be included in every platform of discussion for marginalized communities. Tune in to learn about how having a disability affects every aspect of our lives, why more attention needs to be put forth on disability support services, and what kinds of efforts we can make to engage others in discussions on disability. Maya is an 18 year old first generation Indian-American. She is a student at New York University's College of Nursing, and has plans to help revolutionize access to healthcare for People of Color. She enjoys making art, visiting museums, trying new foods, and taking naps. Her goal in life is to be a

***Content warning We can dedicate an entire mini series on mental health issues, but today, we'll be hearing Terra Hoy's personal hardships of mental health. This interview is the second episode of a 2 episode special on Project Voice. If you haven't listened to our first one, please check it out (we covered transgender identity issues, he-he)! Content warning: we will be diving into questions about anxiety, depression, and suicide. We will be listening to Terra's take on how mental health has played a role during her transition during the past couple years. Terra is a queer, transgender womxn of color who is passionate about intersectional feminism. She intends to tackle institutional oppression, primarily focusing on healthcare for minority populations, including the socially and economically displaced, those LGBTQ+, people of color, and many more who are mis- or underrepresented. She is excited to share a bit of her perspective on Project Voice and hopes to utilize this platform to inspire other womx

A womxn is not defined by her body. On this episode, I had the honor of inviting Terra Hoy to share with us her narratives of growing up as an Asian American and coming out as transgender. Key topics that we will be covering today will include trans-legitimacy, gender dysphoria, self biases and expectations from loved ones and society. This is the first interview of our 2 episode special - tune in in a couple of weeks for another episode with Terra! Next time, we will be refocusing on the importance of mental health. Terra is a queer, transgender womxn of color who is passionate about intersectional feminism. She intends to tackle institutional oppression, primarily focusing on healthcare for minority populations, including the socially and economically displaced, those LGBTQ+, people of color, and many more who are mis- or underrepresented. She is excited to share a bit of her perspective on Project Voice and hopes to utilize this platform to inspire other womxn and femme people of color. In time, she w

What does it mean to be an activist in this day and age? In today’s episode, my awesome friend, Jennifer Li, and I will be covering topics ranging from how you can be involved as an activist for your Asian/Asian American community - whether it’s through social media, on the ground protests, or something else, why it’s important to support the Black Lives Matter movement, what it means to be a “good white ally,” and what we should do as a community under the Trump presidency.  Besides listening to this Podcast episode, we’d greatly encourage others to take the time out to learn the history of Asian America so that we can better understand how we got here and where we can go from here. Jennifer Li is a digital advocacy strategist and social justice activist. She comes up with creative campaigns and tackles her projects with unparalleled passion and efficiency. Jennifer is currently the California State Director of Rise, multi-sector coalition of sexual assault survivors and allies working to empower all

Last year, I had a life crisis that threw me into a whirlwind of questions for me - and I have to say, subconsciously trying to live up to the model minority myth made the experience worse: What do I really want to do with my life? Am I really happy with sticking to this one path? Is the 9-5 city work lifestyle really for me? So, I sought out the advice of someone who I looked up to since I was a girl, my older cousin, Thanh Ho (she also goes by Jenny or Clementine). Her words actually changed my life since. In this week’s episode, you’ll have the opportunity to hear her story after her decision to quit Corporate America. This Podcast episode isn’t meant to criticize those who’ve chosen the traditional, stable 9 to 5 work life, but it’s more to critique our fears and our society and family’s perception of what success means. Screw the model minority. What other people think about you do not define you. Start living the life that YOU want. Thanh is a 1st generation, 27-year-old Vietnamese American - born in Vi

I didn’t think releasing one episode on the queer Asian American experience could be justified as having enough content that’s representative of the LGBTQIA Asian/Asian American community, so I’m making a return to share more of such narratives  - this time, the interview will be from perspectives of two fellow Smith College alumna friends of mine: Samantha and Shay. As you can tell from the title, we’ll be sharing our thoughts on why we need to break down heteronormative expectations from romantic relationships and and begin normalizing queerness instead. Sam is a 1.5 generation Taiwanese-American who recently made it to her third decade. She isn’t into labels which is why if she had to pick, it would be some all-encompassing one like “queer” or “depends on the day”. She’s currently a professional student working on her Ph.D. at Tufts University in neuroscience. Her hobbies include fantasy football, drinking bourbon and making lists. Her life goals include feeling like an adult one day. Shay is a Boston

On May 7th, 2017, I was invited to speak as a spring speaker for the Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) at Northwestern University. I'd like to thank everyone who had helped organize this event. Speakers included Olivia Park of Sad Asian Girls, Jessica Nguyen of Project Voice, and artist and writer Larissa Pham. "They will be discussing how they use art and media as outlets for political and social activism. Come through to meet these RAD ASIAN GIRLS." - APAC The Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) is a student-organization at Northwestern University that strives to raise Asian/Asian American awareness and community-building on campus. This recording was taken by a video recorded and edited by Northwestern University student Seri Lee. Olivia Park is a graphic designer and the co-founder of Sad Asian Girls, an alias used by her and Esther Fan to make social/political work that surrounds their identities as East-Asians who are living in western spaces. Olivia Park is a Korean-American woman born i

I’m starting off the season with a topic very close to my heart: growing up as a child of refugee immigrant parents. My friend, Saroeun, and I will be sharing our personal struggles growing up as first-born children of immigrant parents who moved because they didn’t have t choice - from overcoming barriers with the English language to helping our parents translate in day-to-day situations to guiding our younger siblings to a better life as Southeast Asian Americans. I hope that this 2-episode special will help people understand better where we’re coming from and why today’s immigration issue should hit close to everyone’s heart. Here is part 1. Look forward to next week for part 2! Here is part 2 of our 3rd season episode premiere. I made the conscious choice to not omit any parts of the conversation because I thought some of the emotional value would be lost if I had. I apologize for the length of the conversation but I do hope you understand why I’m leaving the conversation uncut. Saroeun Moungyiv is a 1st

SEASON 3 is FINALLY HERE! I’m starting off the season with a topic very close to my heart: growing up as a child of refugee immigrant parents. My friend, Saroeun, and I will be sharing our personal struggles growing up as first-born children of immigrant parents who moved because they didn’t have a choice - from overcoming barriers with the English language to helping our parents translate in day-to-day situations to guiding our younger siblings to a better life as Southeast Asian Americans. I hope that this 2-episode special will help people understand better where we’re coming from and why today’s immigration issue should hit close to everyone’s heart. Here is part 1. Look forward to next week for part 2! Saroeun Moungyiv is a 1st generation Cambodian American. She has a cosmetology license and is a nail technician at her mother's shop. Her ambition is simply to help her parents' dream of becoming business owners come true and hope to have people understand the value of true happiness in themselves and in l

We are going to end season 2 with a 2-in-1 bang! Fighting work discrimination and aspiring whiteness are some pretty heavy topics that my anonymous friend and I were able to discuss within less than an hour, amazingly enough - perfect for all of you individuals out there who just want the straight truths while you're on the get go. We've heard of how being seen as the model minority has hurt us a million times already, so why not put it into context while bringing up the flaws of our modern day American workplace system? For example, how do we combat microaggressions that we see day to day at work? Later on in the episode, we will touch upon some of us whose subconscious desire is to become white or like white and discuss how what it means to aspire whiteness is different from what it means to be labeled as "whitewashed." My speaker for this week's episode is a South Asian woman who is currently working at an business consulting firm in the U.S. Her areas of interest include labor economics, environ

Sibling rivalry doesn’t really pertain to only our community but like the topic of parenting, there are still cultural implications that exist and they affect our family dynamics. It didn’t occur to me that I could explore this topic until I began reflecting on my relationship with my own sister just a couple weeks ago. I am very proud and excited to showcase my best friend and younger sister, Joanne Nguyen, in this episode. Look forward to an hour’s worth of her words of advice and encouragement as she brings us back to what it’s like for us growing up together and what our relationship is like now in this week’s episode. Joanne Nguyen is an aspiring graphic designer and musician who finds solace in listening to Korean music (mainly R&B, her current obsession being DΞΔN) and watching dramas (currently watching Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, highly recommend if you’re looking for OTP cuteness). She’s currently a sophomore at Stanford University who thinks she wants to major in Communications and mi

The Asian American adoptee experience is an experience shared by thousands of voices of those I wished I had the opportunity of interviewing. Similar to narratives of mixed Asian Americans, narratives of Asian American adoptees need to be heard more. Luckily for this Podcast, I was able to speak with two of my amazing friends, Laurelin Haas and Andrea MacGown. The reason why I invited them specifically on this episode is to showcase the stark contrast between their responses to my questions regarding their life journey and changing self-perception, proving that once again, there is no such thing as a "standard Asian American adoptee experience." As the host of Project Voice, one of the biggest challenges I've faced is ensuring that I am not creating a spectacle out of my interviewees and it's especially tricky when one of main jobs is asking them questions. Tune in to listen to what they have to say about my concerns and much more! Laurelin Haas is a recent graduate of Iowa State University. She is an adoptee

Relationships and dating are topics that we just naturally gravitate towards because let’s be real, they can be pretty fun to talk about regardless of where you are in life. But on Project Voice, we can be both fun and serious at the same time - let’s talk about interracial dating, shall we! Once considered a taboo topic, the 101 of interracial dating has not been covered as often as it should be even now - online or offline. In this episode, I had the special opportunity to interview my friend Cleo Bergman and ask her about her thoughts on what it’s like to be with someone who grew up in a different world from her. We’re not going to lie, the dynamics of interracial dating can be tricky to navigate through but one key lesson that we've gained from exploring this topic is that communication will always be important, dating or no dating. Cleo is a biracial (Asian and white), straight woman living in NYC with a Japanese mother and an American father. She hopes to pursue a career in writing or work in a chocolat

Here’s the first Podcast episode in which I’m going to take a step aside and give space to those who are part of the mixed Asian American community to share their stories. It’s important to keep in mind of the rich diversity of voices within the community of Asian American women representing us. It was a huge privilege to be able to interview Chloe Lin and Hanako O'Leary for this episode, so I'm excited to share their narratives with you. For listeners who can relate to the experiences of my interviewees, I hope that our conversations - especially for this episode - can be a comforting experience for you to be a part of - you are not alone. Chloe Lin is, among other things, a first-generation, mixed-race, bisexual Asian-American woman. She was raised in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County by her Taiwanese-Chinese mother, and now resides in Boston, where she works as a guide and museum assistant for various historic sites. She graduated from Smith College in 2016 as a history major and museum stu

Oh, expectations. We can just never get tired of talking about them. That’s why we’ve decided to dedicate a whole episode on expectations! Got to love them. And as Ceci Kim, an awesome fellow classmate from my Asian American studies course has intended, our conversation will focus on expectations put upon us in contexts that are broader than just your average work or school environment. How have expectations from our family and society shaped us growing up? How have we reacted to them in the past? How have they informed us to make decisions in our life (from big to small)? Tune in for the answers! Ceci is a second generation Korean American currently in grad school in New York. She spends most of her time hanging out with her dog, watching Korean dramas, and searching for the perfect bowl of noodles. Read our transcript here!: https://www.projectvoicepod.com/blog/2018/8/15/episode-13-dealing-with-expectations 9.15.18: Project Voice has rebranded! Connect with us @projectvoicepod: Facebook: 

As Asian women, we have the misfortune to feel pressures to conform to society’s westernized beauty standards based on our gender and race. From the shade of our skin to the size of our eyes, we are scrutinized for having what we have instead of being told that we are beautiful and that we are enough. In this episode, I will be holding my largest group interview with my fellow Southeast Asian gals, Gift Inthaly, Danielle DeGuzman, and last but not least, Rosenna Moungyiv on their personal insights on what really matters (hint: #bodylove). Gift Inthaly is a second generation Thai-Laotian American who is currently pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing. After graduating college and becoming a nurse, she hopes to be able to someday travel all over the the world. Second generation and Filipino American, Danielle DeGuzman is currently in college pursuing a bachelor's degree in nursing. She hopes to experience all the world that it has to offer, so she can better understand herself and others. Rosenna Mou

Thank you for tuning in to listen to SEASON 2 of Project Voice! Let's kick off the new season with a topic that many of us constantly have to grapple with regardless of how old we are: interacting with our parents. I wouldn't say that all Asian parents are strict and conservative by nature, but I would like to open the floor to discuss the reasons why some of them are that way to their children. I think that it's more important to focus on how different our beliefs and values are to our parents as it is quite a unique experience growing up as an Asian in the U.S. in which you experience cultural clashes within your home everyday. In this episode, my friend Swati and I will share stories on how we cope with our differences and disagreements with our parents. Swati Sharma is a neuroscience research assistant at a pharmaceutical company who loves comedy and singing, and is passionate about learning new things and making the world a better place. I'm so excited to have her as my first guest of the season on

Before we dive into a new season of Project Voice, I wanted to share with you a bonus mini episode that was prepared for an interview I had stumbled upon from last summer. For the interview, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with Lisa Chin, a holistic mama to a happy two year old girl. We connected quickly over our love for creating content for communities that we care about and since then, have updated with each other on our current passion projects. I think I was lucky to have met Lisa because I don't think you can put her in a box when it comes to what she does. From blogging at Lisa for Real to hosting an online summit dedicated to supporting in mothers in their postpartum period called The Fourth Trimester Summit (www.fourthtrimestersummit.com), she is on a roll! In this episode,  Lisa shares her thoughts on how motherhood has changed her perception on self-identity and the significance of reconnecting with one's roots. Why is exploring your cultural identity so important? Bonus: If you're lo

We're 8 episodes in and there are plenty on the backend here ready to go! However, before I jump into releasing a preview of my next batch of episodes, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the work that I was able to create with my guest speakers so far. As unique and personal these narratives are, lot of the content in them are made to be relatable. Project Voice is and will always be led by voices of Asian women living the American experience BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN that this Podcast is made to be exclusive. If you identify as an Asian/Asian American man or non-binary, a non-Asian person of color, or a human being who's interested in exploring self-identity, you are more than welcome to listen. Just because you are not part of my group of speakers, doesn't mean you can't listen or relate to our stories. MISSION STATEMENT: Spearheaded by the voices of Asian/Asian American women, Project Voice is a podcast series dedicated to increasing visibility on issues that the Asian community has faced in the U.S