AAPI Joy

Samira Andaleeb Anwar

“I’m a Bangladeshi-American mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend - and advocate for thriving schools and organizations. My early years in the U.S. were filled with warm memories, as our family navigated a new world while keeping our own traditions alive. Moving to America was an exciting adventure through the lens of childhood, and only in adulthood did I truly understand the struggles my parents endured to build a bright future for us here.

I now live in San Carlos with my husband and two daughters who are in 1st and 4th grade. When I’m not spending time with my family or consulting, I enjoy getting involved in my community, particularly the San Carlos Education Foundation and the PTA.”

“The greatest joy to me comes from the small moments spent with loved ones. It’s sharing both cultures with our kids through celebrations and traditions throughout the year (e.g., Eid, Thanksgiving, New Years). Joy is having an opportunity to pursue meaningful work where I can make a difference. It’s being a part of something special, like this amazing community in San Carlos, where my ideas and contributions are valued. Finally, joy is seeing the hope and optimism with which my daughters view the world, their strong sense of fairness, and their inherent trust that we’re all here to do good. I hope we persevere everyday to create a world that resembles the one our children see.”

Teena Arora

“I am an Indian immigrant raised in America's Heartland, the Mid-West, where my parents started twice over from scratch to build a life for our family. My parents started a small steak house in the 70s despite it being sacrilegious because they felt it could be a profitable business which could give our family a lifeline, they worked 18hours /day, 7 days/week. Despite their struggles they ensured their children got a good education, they were powerful role models and 20+ years later, I became a mom and subsequently an entrepreneur and continued to face discrimination but this time a double whammy for my brown skin and for being a single mom.”

“To me, joy is finding peace within the core of my being which is an incredible place to arrive at. The ingredients that help me bring this recipe to fruition include accepting both my brown skin and people for who they are, which is very liberating, and appreciating and celebrating the diversity in the world around me. My mother, the rock of Gibraltar in my life is a constant source of joy, and similarly being a mother has been the hardest yet most joyful role I have played. Connecting with family and friends, exercise, healthy living, cooking for others, music, traveling and spirituality are essential parts of my joy-universe, being a member of a few incredible community groups and giving back is like fodder for my soul. I founded a small cooking school in 2016 with no outside capital, built it single-handedly from scratch, and designed it as a fun experience for my clients to bond and create memories over food, this felt like homecoming for my soul as it filled me with infinite joy. In the same year, I also embarked on being a host mom to an International Chinese student to whom I call my daughter, to this day.

“Inspired by my parents, I built multiple small businesses and founded a cooking school in 2016 where I was overjoyed and found my purpose. My business had to shut down due to the pandemic & overnight my income fell to zero, Instead of sitting on the pity pot, I explored how to pivot. It was a real struggle. I worked day and night and six months later, started to see a glimmer of hope and success.”

I invite you to follow me on Instagram @ Currysutra to continue to learn & be inspired by my food journey!”

Sheila Brar

“My name is Sheila Brar and I am a first generation South Asian American woman (specifically South Indian). I have three young children. My background is in public health but these days I spend a significant amount of my time volunteering in my community. I am an active volunteer in the San Carlos schools, with SCEF, and as a member of the San Mateo County Mental Health and Substance Abuse Recovery Commission.”

“Joy to me is representing our individual identities holistically. As the child of immigrants my childhood was punctuated with identifying as only one part of who I was. I was Indian with one group and American with others. It took me decades to learn and be accepted to fully represent all my identities. I am thankful to see my own children live and share all parts of their identities despite who they are interacting with. That type of acceptance isn't lost on me and I know isn't always the same for other marginalized identities and communities.”

Grace A. Chen

“I grew up in the suburbs of Houston, TX, and am a second-generation Chinese American. I have called San Carlos home for the past 12 years and love this community. My husband Alvin and I have two daughters, who are 3rd and 7th graders at San Carlos Charter. My Asian American identity is central to who I am, and I have worked toward social and racial justice as a student organizer, community activist, educator, and psychologist. I am currently a member of the Anti-Racist Parent Group at San Carlos Charter and am a member of the Psychology of Radical Healing Collective (with fellow psychologists of color).”

“Joy means spending time with my family – either hiking in the Bay Area or traveling to different parts of the world. We have fun trying new food, laughing at corny jokes, and embracing new experiences. I believe having meaningful connections with others is the foundation of joy and well-being. Joy is celebrating the preciousness of life, the humanity of others, and being in community with others.”

Connie Gong (龚智璇)

“Connie is a senior at Carlmont High School and a rising freshman at Princeton University. As the child of first generation immigrants from China, she often struggled with her cultural identity in elementary and middle school. But, these days, she finds immense joy and pride in being Chinese born American.”

“When I was younger, I always felt as if I wasn't "American" enough, that there was something inherently wrong with the fact that I was the child of people who didn't grow up in America. But, under my parents' painstaking and loving care, I slowly grew into my Chinese identity. These days, I find immense joy and pride in Chinese born American.”

Sajuti Haque

“I’m a first-generation Bangladeshi-American woman and first in my family to earn a Master’s Degree in the States. I’m the intersection of hamburgers and biriyani, denim jeans and saris. As an Urban Planner in the public sector, my passion is to work on long-range planning projects and policies that encourage healthy, walkable, and livable communities. Outside of work, I enjoy acrylic painting, walking through Main Streets and Downtowns, and creating meticulous itineraries for future travels.”

“There are two types of joy for me: deep-rooted and bursts. Deep-rooted joy comes from my South-Asian heritage, family, friends, community, painting, films, and traveling. After my father passed away from COVID-19 earlier this year, I have a new appreciation for the spontaneous bursts of joy I find in everyday life. Sometimes it surfaces while listening to a Bangla (my mother tongue) song or while floating down the Russian River or when spotting a local shared library box during my afternoon strolls. Whether static or fleeting, joy is vital!”

Rosie Jimenez

“I am a Filipino Chinese, born and raised in the Philippines, graduated from the University of the Philippines and taught Mathematics at Feati University where I met my husband Joe. We are first generation immigrants who who came in pursuit of a better future for our family in 1976 and currently live in San Carlos since 1989. I have a son, a daughter, and a very precious loving 5 year old granddaughter who keeps me busy while I devote my time to the community and our youths after I decided to retire early from HP to follow my passion in community service. I am part of the San Carlos Kiwanis and serve as the Kiwanis advisor to Key Clubs at Carlmont and Notre Dame since 2007.”

“Joy” knows no boundary, it is everywhere around me and it is for everyone. I feel joy when I read a book to my granddaughter, when I have a sip of coffee with my husband, when I bring my children to school. It means freedom to unleash my passion into action, giving back for all the blessings that I receive in my life, the opportunity to take our youth community in my journey to give back and serve the communities as a way of life, supporting each other through good time and bad time together, bridging gaps to create a caring environment benefitting everyone. At the end, everyone wins. It is about the choices that I make in life and the impact of these choices on others. This is the reason why I have a very strong commitment to Key Clubs, the youth leadership program of Kiwanis. They are our future generations.

Bea Kim

“Growing up as a 1st generation Korean-American, I have lived all over the US starting in Michigan, then Mississippi, Texas, Washington, and now California. I have considered San Carlos my home for the past 11 years along with my husband, Eric, and two kids - Owen (6yo) and Stella (2yo). I am a life and executive coach, a facilitator for Stanford GSB, and co-founder of Awaken, a diversity, equity, and inclusion education company. On the weekends, you’ll likely find my family and me at a local park or in Carlmont Village getting bagels from Doc’s Bagels and Jamba Juice in the mornings.”

“Joy for me means knowing my values and aligning to them. It means focusing on experiences over things, spending quality and quantity time with family, and freely expressing love. It means speaking my truth, resisting injustices, and deeply connecting with others in community. Joy means unabashedly celebrating my Korean-ness and instilling pride in my kids of who they are and where they come from. Lastly, joy also means spending evenings with my husband, drinking tea and watching the latest Korean drama together while texting friends about the latest plot twist!”

Dy Nguyen

“I identify as a first generation Vietnamese-American. A queer woman of color. A mother. An educator. A social activist. An idealist. I was born and raised in San Jose, CA in a very diverse community and value the collision of my many cultures. I currently live in San Francisco with my wife, two kids, and not-so-little cattle dog. I work at Sequoia High School as a Ed Specialist, an English teacher, the Gender and Sexuality Alliance advisor, union representative, and Equity and Diversity Committee Staffing subgroup facilitator. In my personal life, I run a Bay Area Queer Families group, love to travel, read, and play a bit of piano!”

“Joy to me is slowing down and taking in the little things. Whether that is the beauty of watching a bumble bee sip nectar from a flower, the laughter of my kids when they have an inside joke, the look of love in my wife's eyes, or the ah-ha moment that a student has in the middle of a great class discussion, we can always find joy in the ways that the world can be so small and huge at the same time. Joy for me is taking these moments in as moments of privilege and to be humbled by the luck and position that I am grateful to have in this life.”

Camellia Pham

“I am the daughter of Vietnamese refugees who arrived in the U.S. in the mid-1980s. I am the first of many things for my family of six children – the first to be born in the U.S., the first to attend a university, and the first to return/visit our home country after the war. In my professional life, I am a science program officer at a private family foundation in Los Altos, CA. I enjoy learning about new astronomy discoveries and technologies. I care deeply about the environment and about my community. I am on the board of directors for the San Francisco Education Fund and the San Carlos Community Foundation, and I also moonlight as an advisor at an investment firm. I love making pizza, eating pizza, and camping with pizza.”

“Joy means sharing experiences and ideas over a meal (or a freshly baked pizza). I love learning about other cultures and sharing the cultural traditions of my own family heritage – whether it be through food, music, dance, or film. I believe humanity is better when there is a shared understanding and appreciation towards diversity of cultures, history, and experiences. “

Aparna Ramakrishnan

“I am an Indian American of Tamil descent. My grandparents moved to NY in the 1950s, but our family’s story in the US wasn’t a linear one. They had children here, but chose to go back to India. My parents moved here after I was born. I was raised in metro Detroit, but spent lots of time visiting family in India. I came into my own in DC, where I learned and worked with diverse people from across the world to improve health and well-being in low resource countries. I deepened my critical thinking and social change skills as a doctoral student in Ann Arbor, where I shifted my focus from global to local. 

I now call San Carlos home, where I am grateful to live with my husband, daughter, and English lab. I give back to this wonderful community by serving on the board of the Community Foundation of San Carlos. I also work to help nonprofits cross San Mateo County in increasing their impact and support CDC’s COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force in building vaccine confidence. 

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, it was a blessing to grow up across countries and across cultures. While the push and pull of different values and expectations wasn’t always easy, it gave me so many opportunities to really think carefully about what I believed and what brought me joy. “ 

Joy is making a positive difference in the world around me – at whatever scale I can.

Joy is appreciating the many blessings I have in my life – big and small.

Joy is celebrating my hard-earned achievements – personally and professionally.  

Joy is sharing my culture, experiences, and perspective to add to the diversity of our community. 

Chris Tran

“I am a Vietnamese American woman, born in Hawai’i, raised in San Jose, who now calls San Carlos “home.” I have two sons, one is a 1st grader at Charter and the other is a 6 months old Aussiedoodle. Outside of work and spending time with my family and friends, I like to dedicate my time to the community. I am part of the Community Foundation of San Carlos (CFSC) Racial Justice Committee, the San Carlos Parents for Racial Equity (SCPFRE) Steering Committee, and the Anti-Racist Parent Group at San Carlos Charter Learning Center (SCCLC). ”

“Finding my voice. To finally come to a place in my life where I no longer feel compelled by society to remain silent, to no longer feel the need to hide parts of “me” due to fear of being judged and marginalized, to finally feel brave enough to speak my truth as an Asian American woman and to do it unapologetically - all of this, is what joy means to me. Even though it took me 40 years to get here, all that matters is that I am finally here, living authentically because the way I present myself brings representation and through this, it shows others like me that their voice matters and how important it is to share each of our narratives with the world.”

Tej Tummala

“My name is Tej and I am currently a senior at Carlmont High School. Outside of the classroom, I play basketball, produce music, write lyrics, and help foster community engagement. At college, I plan on majoring in chemistry and hope to attend medical school after that.”

“Joy to me means pursuing what I’m passionate about and getting better at the things I love doing.”

Sabine Won

“I am a biracial woman that identifies as Asian American because, although I’m half Chinese and half German, everyone sees me as Asian. I was raised in the Bay Area by immigrant parents and have lived, worked and raised my family (3 children aged 18-25) in San Carlos for the last 28 years. We enjoy an active lifestyle that includes hiking, cycling, playing tennis and skiing. I’ve had three careers so far (graphic designer, stay-at-home mom and substitute teacher) and am currently in activist mode. I’m serving on the Board of Session at Trinity Presbyterian Church and active in Moms Demand Action and Neighborhood Action Group. Last year, I helped launch a local chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice called SURJ San Mateo.”

Jennifer Xu

“I am a first generation Chinese American born in Seattle, WA. Both of my parents immigrated from Shanghai, China in the 90s. Apart from my parents and my older sister, my entire family lives in China so I have always felt connected to my cultural background. In middle school, I moved to the Bay Area where I found a home amidst the strong and diverse AAPI community. Throughout high school, I played volleyball and became involved in organizations like Key Club, Asante Africa Foundation, AMIGOS International, and OneWorld. Now, I am a senior at Carlmont High School going off to college where I plan on studying neuroscience and global health in hopes of one day having the privilege of strengthening mental healthcare systems in China and East Africa.”

“To me, “Joy” means being able to find the light in every situation. Whether it takes the form of belting your favorite song while you’re driving with the windows down, or getting an A on that test you studied all night for, joy is everywhere — you just have to take a second to appreciate it. Some of my favorite forms of joy include developing my photography skills, learning about my parents’ experiences growing up in China, painting, and going out to get coffee with my friends.”

Jessica Hsin-Yi Yang (楊心儀)

“I was “Made in Taiwan” and immigrated to the US with my family when I was 5 years old. When we became naturalized citizens several years later, I had the opportunity to choose my “American” name. I was educated in Chicago then lived/worked domestically and abroad until I met my partner during my second pass through the Bay Area. Like many, my immigrant experience has been to study hard, get good grades, secure good job(s) and make the family proud.  Now that I’ve checked those items off the list, I’m spending my time enjoying my little one, giving back to my community, making connections, and aspiring to uplift future generations as the founding president of the Community Foundation of San Carlos and Executive Board/Education committee member of Music at Kohl Mansion.”

“To me, “Joy” means resiliency in the face of adversity, making human connections through mutual appreciation, and creating memorable moments.  Prior to becoming a mom, I found joy externally through my work, measured by its global reach and impact.  Now, joy is much more personal.  Joy means celebrating life for all of its differences and working alongside partners with different gifts to create an even more joyful future.”

Salina Lam Zillmer

“I am a daughter of Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong and grew up in the East Bay, identifying as Chinese-American. I've lived in San Carlos for 10 years with my husband and we are raising our two kids (6 year old at Brittan Acres and a 3 year old). I've spent my entire life in California; I attended college in Santa Cruz before making my way to San Francisco where I directed out-of-school time programs for elementary aged children. Education and community are two things I am deeply passionate and dedicated to. Currently I am a Girl Scout Co-Troop Leader, a steering committee member of San Carlos Parents for Racial Equity, and will be a PTA Board member at Brittan Acres next year.”

“Joy means the ability to be my authentic self; to break free of the norms society has imposed on me and find confidence in my beliefs and viewpoints so that others may do the same. Joy is being bold and embodying growth mindset. Joy means seeing, being and loving my family and friends in a world that can often be daunting, cruel and oppressive. Joy comes from the relationships, movements and moments that bring empathy and light.”