As a Southeast Asian creator, entrepreneur and Founder of API Curls, Rosie Chuong is leading empowered people of all ages around the globe looking to live beyond the straight hair standard by embracing their natural hair patterns and textures with confidence.
She is best known for her Teen Vogue article on the struggles of understanding her identity as an Asian woman living with curly hair. Since then, Chuong’s journey and perspective has received international attention and can be found featured in Dove, Braids & Jade, NaturallyCurly, and other media outlets.
Website: https://apicurls.com/
Krystal M. Chuon is a second generation Khmer/Krom-American writer and mixed media artist from and based in San Francisco, California. A daughter of former refugees, she often writes about history, stories, and knowledge passed down to her, including from her own experiences, memories, and research. She currently sells her artwork, zines, and is working on publishing more of her writing. Learn more about her at monyda.com and follow her work on Instagram: instagram.com/krystalchuon.arts
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This interview is part of a two-part series featuring Krystal and her sister Ratha. To read Ratha’s interview, please click here.
Cindy Meidinger was born and raised in Indiana. Her parents were refugees from Laos, who like most, came to the U.S. in hopes of a better future for themselves and their children.
Cindy studied informatics, art, and graphic design at Indiana University. Originally intending to become an art teacher, she eventually gravitated towards IT and graphic design. This combination of skills led her to a career in experiential graphic design.
Cindy regularly practices meditation and mindfulness. She is a lover of life and true believer that we exist to make this world a better place. This belief can be felt through her spirit and her work. She currently resides in Oakland, CA with her husband and three children.
You can follow Cindy on IG @cindymeidinger.
Brandon Tho Harris is an interdisciplinary artist based in Houston, Texas. His creative practice explores his identity as a child of war refugees by examining the Vietnamese diaspora and intergenerational trauma. Harris’ work incorporates self-portraiture, his family archives, and historical images portraying the Vietnam War. You can see more of Brandon’s work on his website: https://brandontharris.com
Founder and CEO of Faceted Beauty
She/Her/Hers
Former wrestler, dancer, violinist, flutist, and bass player with over a decade in the service industry
Established in 2019, Lisa Estrella “Liv” Yang launched Faceted Beauty from her lived experience of rarely fitting into molds as a second generation post-war woman of color.
Growing up in a society that was not inclusive of different folks, may it be race, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, or sexuality, she grew up falsely believing that beauty had boundaries and was one-sided. At a young age Lisa turned to nail art as an outlet to cope with bullying and depression, and discovered the pure joy of adorning her nails as a budding Nail Artist.
Embarking on a self-love journey while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison she created a grassroots movement called “pro-self-esteem” which attracted young women from all over campus to talk about various beauty standards over nail polish sessions. In 2014, Lisa was selected top four out of over 16K talented competitors in Sally Hansen’s nationwide “I Heart Nail Art” competition, thanks to her younger sister’s encouragement on submitting her nail art.
Her dedication to breaking beauty boundaries brought her to Boston, MA where she is actively researching solutions and top tier products in the market to make nail art manicures more accessible for multifaceted beauties from around the world in the comfort of their homes.
Limited edition, custom-fit, nail art press-ons for different facets of your life to celebrate your beauty, “because beauty goes beyond a one-size-fits-all.”
Sign up to be a part of the faceted experience and the first to know when new styles launch! #WeAreFaceted
My full name is Emily Somkhith (meaning I tend to overthink basically) Phonhsongkham. I am 20 years old and I attend Grossmont Community College in El Cajon, California. I am majoring in Psychology in hopes of graduating with an Associate’s Degree to continue my higher education at San Diego State University. I aspire to be either a high school counselor or psychologist all while continuing to manage Dok Kulap Sinlapakorn and the Lao New Year Princess Parade for Wat Lao Boubpharam. I have my mom to thank for guiding me in the right direction when it came to my community and performing arts. She helped me find my true passion and supported me all the way.
Katherina “Kat” Vang, under the pseudonym of "Maivab" (pronounced My-ah, which means baby in Hmong), is a Portrait Artist and Art Curator based from the Twin Cities (Mpls, St. Paul, MN) who graduated from Century College with an A.A.S. in Visual Communications Technologies with a Focus in Professional Photography.
She is currently Founder and President of CAIM Magazine, a magazine focused on promoting minority and underground artists, the Media and Technology Fellow at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and she also works at In Progress, a non-profit organization that immerses itself into breaking down barriers of geography, class, education, and culture.
Angela Nguyễn is a second year student in her M.S. Counseling program at California State University, Fullerton. She works two on-campus jobs: as a student assistant at the Office of Graduate Studies and as a research assistant at the Social Work department. She has experience with volunteering at Western Youth Services as a Vietnamese translator for psychiatric appointments. She initially became interested in the field of psychology when she took an Advanced Placement in Psychology as a senior in high school. Due to several events in her life, she realized getting a bachelor's in psychology was not enough; thus, she sought the counseling program to continue her studies. The population she wishes to work with once she is a licensed marriage & family therapist is adolescents who need guidance navigating their world through a bicultural lens. Fun fact: she really loves cats, but cannot have one as a pet at the moment.
Christie is a Laotian-American woman born and raised in Sacramento, California. Her work in education and the Lao community is rooted in her family’s legacy and history of organizing the Lao community in Sacramento.
Follow her journey in education and Crossing the Mekong on Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.
Kimberly Nguyễn is a Vietnamese-American poet originally from Omaha, Nebraska but currently living in New York City. Her poetry explores complications of language, home, and identity. She is a recent graduate of Vassar College where she was a groundbreaking investigative journalist for her college newspaper, The Miscellany News. Her articles have garnered widespread attention and have been the catalyst for policy changes from senior administration. You can stay up-to-date on her work at www.kimberlynguyenwrites.com.
Click here to read “my father writes from louisiana,” a recent Written Submission by Kimberly.
Maegan Houang is a writer/director based in Los Angeles. Born and raised in East Lansing, MI, she grew up watching Hong Kong movies with her father on repeat. She recently finished working on the Starz show Counterpart as a staff writer on Season Two for which she wrote episode 207 “No Strings Attached” and co-wrote the finale “Better Angels” with creator/showrunner Justin Marks. Maegan has also directed several acclaimed music videos for artists such as Mitski, Charly Bliss, Chastity Belt and Skylar Spence. Her video for Mitski’s “Happy” was featured as #3 on Fact Magazine’s Best of the Year List. Her video for Skylar Spence’s “I Can’t Be Your Superman” received a Vimeo Staff Pick and was nominated for a UKMVA. Her work has been featured in 1.4, Noisey, Videostatic, Promo TV News, Shots Magazine, Directors’ Notes and Fangoria among others. In 2018, she received a VSCO Voices Creator Grant to direct a short film she wrote entitled In Full Bloom starring Kieu Chinh (The Joy Luck Club).
Rachel is a queer Filipina-American award-winning filmmaker, actress, and writer based in LA. Notably, she won a student Emmy at the 2013 College Television Awards for the pilot web series, The Sub Club. Her short films, Maple’s Tree and Bicultural, were official selections in numerous film festivals around the world, including Outfest, BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+, Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay film festival, and many more. Recently, she was an interview finalist in the 2018 NBC Writers on the Verge program and advanced to the second round of the 2019 Sundance Episodic Lab.
As an actress, Rachel can be seen recurring in the new BET series, Games People Play and the upcoming season three of Atypical on Netflix.
Rachel is also the co-founder of Empowerhouse, a digital media company that aims to elevate the culture, embrace the future, and empower one another through creativity and community.
As an activist, Rachel strongly advocates for many social justice issues, such as LGBTQ+ equality and mental health. She made it her mission to break stigma, create a dialogue, and bring awareness to communities all over the world through art and activism.
Rachel's short films and YouTube videos have been featured in many prominent media outlets, such as HuffPost, VoyageLA, Adolescent, and PrettyThing. Her YouTube channel has amassed over 96K+ views with content that aims to raise awareness on many contemporary social issues.
Rozlind Silva is a spoken word artist and Fil-Am student organizer based in the San Gabriel Valley. First competing at Brave New Voices 2013 and 2015 with non-profit Say Word LA, Rozlind has continued her poetry endeavors by being an editor/contributor to two different online literary platforms, conducting research on Filipino poetry, and student-teaching poetry classes at local campuses. She has performed at various universities for events dedicated to Filipino culture and women empowerment. Obtaining her B.A. in Comparative Literature and Education, she now continues her activism with Anakbayan LA while working as an Instructor in the Education field.
Pajouablai Monica Lee is the middle of 5 children to two amazing Hmong refugee parents. She hails from St. Paul, Minnesota, where she received her bachelors of science in human resource development from the University of Minnesota. She is an experienced project manager, superb in cultivating relationships, and a fluent event planner. In her tenure at OCA, Monica managed several national programs to uplift the voices and increase the capacity of over several hundreds of AAPI students and leaders. She is passionate about effecting change on issues like education, leadership development, immigration, and girls’ & women's rights.
In her free time, Monica enjoys crafting, watching comedy shows and Bollywood movies, cooking, sports and weight lifting, and spending time with friends and family.
Sophia Long is a Southeast Asian American living in Minneapolis, MN. She is a child of refugees and is Chinese, Cambodian, and Thai. During her time at the University of Michigan, she was heavily involved in the Asian American community and advocated for social and cultural justice. She now works as a healthcare analyst and is passionate about reducing health disparities for vulnerable populations.
Over the last few years, actress Sydney Viengluang has quickly become “one to watch” in the entertainment industry, bringing dynamic, diverse, and powerful female characters to life on screen. This year, Viengluang will continue to star on SYFY’s hit, zombie apocalyptic series “Z Nation,” which debuted its fifth season in October 2018. Viengluang joined the cast during season three and instantly became a fan favorite as Dr. Sun Mei, a biological researcher in search of the zombie virus to save humanity. Aside from her work on “Z Nation,” Viengluang has worked on a handful of high profile television projects, including appearing on “Jane the Virgin,” “Scorpion,” and “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.” Viengluang also executive produced and starred in the award-winning short film, “The Letter,” which won the Flicks4Chicks 2016 Short Film Contest Grand Prize for Diversity and Best Drama Award.
Born in Vientiane, Laos in Southeast Asia, Viengluang spent the first two years of her life in refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines after her family escaped from insurgency and military conflict throughout the country. Once her family was sponsored, they landed in Wichita, Kansas where she was raised and went to high school and college. Upon graduating college, Viengluang moved to Los Angeles to start a career in accounting and finance at a movie studio. After sitting behind a desk for a year and learning more about the entertainment industry, she wanted to try her hand at acting, and started to take classes. As soon as she started auditioning, Viengluang started to book jobs leading up to her current role on “Z Nation.”
When not on set, Viengluang is involved with the advocacy group Laos Angeles, a community and movement that seeks to advocate and advance Lao identity and representation in mainstream media. She is also extremely passionate about diversity and Asian American representation, helping immigrants and refugees, and the LGBTQIA+ community. She also has a passion for the great outdoors and loves to spend time “off the grid” camping, adventuring, and taking in the nature around her.
You can learn more about Sydney on her website and her IMDB page, as well as follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Thuc was born in Vietnam and grew up in North Carolina and Southern Maryland. She went to UNC-Chapel Hill and then left for London where she worked for Saatchi & Saatchi's Cause Connection. After living in Europe, Thuc moved to New York City and was raised by a pack of wild drag queens. Thuc then moved to Los Angeles and became a writers' assistant for television and went back to school to learn screenwriting. She started The Bitch Pack to advocate for better dialogue for women and since has focused on roles for People of Color, especially Women of Color.
Sokho is a Cambodian-American born in Portland, Oregon. He has been involved in a variety of roles with IRCO Asian Family Center since 2012 when he joined the Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Institute. He began working for IRCO in 2013 as a policy analyst, researching refugee child welfare policies, and has since served as a community health worker, community organizer and coordinator in several community development programs. In addition to his work in community development, he is in his third year at Lewis and Clark Law School and is currently the law clerk for IRCO’s Immigration Legal Services. Sokho is president of the Cambodian American Community of Oregon (CACO). Most recently, Sokho was awarded 2018 IRCO Asian Family Center Employee of the Year. He holds a B.S. from Oregon State University.
Tracy Nanthavong is a Lao American nurse who works with oncology patients in the San Diego area, and is discovering her culture after growing up outside of the Lao community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She currently serves as Secretary on the Executive Board for the Lao Community Cultural Center of San Diego. You can find Tracy on Instagram @misslaonurse.
Vivien Ngô is a second generation Vietnamese American actor who is known for her role as Trinh Phan on Ava Duvernay's QUEEN SUGAR. The daughter of refugees, Vivien was raised in Orange County, CA — amidst the largest Vietnamese American community in the States. She attended the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program with initial aspirations to be a NY theater actor. There, she trained extensively in both classical and contemporary stage acting and eventually originated the role of Sthally/God in the world premiere of THE HIDDEN PEOPLE, Part 1 by Joe Waechter at the Guthrie Theater. She has also studied at and appeared on stages at the South Coast Repertory and Shakespeare’s Globe (in London, UK). Vivien ultimately returned to Southern California, hoping to join the ranks of Asian Americans and other women of color working to change media and mainstream entertainment in Hollywood. In addition to her appearances on television and stage, Vivien has worked on independent film projects that have played at Slamdance, SXSW, and Cannes. Her upcoming credits include a guest starring role in NCIS: New Orleans and an integral recurring role on an “Untitled Snapchat Project.” In her free time, she is developing her own narrative content and writing/recording her debut EP.
For more information about Vivien, check out her website and IMDB page, and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
Tony Aidan Vo is a Drama Desk Nominated musician and actor originally from Boulder, CO. He has worked extensively in the NYC theater scene with companies including Atlantic Theater Company, New York Stage & Film, Naked Angels, Pan Asian Repertory Theater, The Bushwick Starr, New York Theater Workshop, The Lark, The Lincoln Center, Ensemble Studio Theater, and New Dramatists. Television credits include QUEEN SUGAR and ALTERNATINO.
Tony is a founding member and musician of the folk band/theater collective, The Lobbyists. Within the group, he is a songwriter, actor and multi-instrumentalist. The Lobbyists have performed at some of NYC’s hottest venues including Joe’s Pub, 54 Below, Mercury Lounge, Ars Nova, The Bitter End, and Rockwood Music Hall. Alongside his bandmates, The Lobbyists were nominated for a 2016 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Musical, SeaWife.
For more information about Tony: www.tonyaidanvo.com
Peter Trinh is a Vietnamese American actor in the Denver, Colorado area. He wrote the one-man play Boat Person detailing his parents’ refugee story in the 1980’s. He is also a budding stand-up comedian. You can follow him on Twitter @Peter_Trinh.
Tony Nguyen made his directorial debut with Enforcing the Silence (2011), which the Los Angeles Times called “an uplifting portrait” of slain journalist Lam Duong, the first Vietnamese to be assassinated in America. His personal film, Giap’s Last Day at the Ironing Board Factory, winner of the 2015 CAAMFest Loni Ding Award for social issue documentary, streamed and broadcast nationally on PBS. His short film, Fresh Frozen, premiered at the California Film Institute's inaugural DocLands Documentary Film Festival in 2017. Tony lives in Oakland, California.
Jessi is a queer Hmong American artist creating Southeast Asian representation through animation. She has served as a co-leader for MassArt's Artists of Color Union, creating a safe space for artists of color to educate each other, connect, and collaborate on projects. Over the years she has progressed from rejecting her Hmong heritage, to treasuring it. Her favorite aspects about creating art are bringing characters and places to life, as well as leading her audience on an emotional journey.
*Note: Although it has been used more positively in recent times, the word "queer" originated as a slur, so only those who are a part of the LGBT community should reclaim it, and some people in the LGBT community do not reclaim it. Jessi uses the term for herself and would like it to be included in her description.
Website: https://www.jeiyex.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeiyex
Vanessa S. Na (Vanessa Teck) is a PhD student in Higher Education and a Research Associate for the National Institute for Transformation and Equity (NITE) at Indiana University. A daughter of Cambodian refugees, she has always felt a deep commitment to addressing issues of access, equity, and inclusion through actionable storytelling and narrative. As a scholar-activist, her work centers students of color; Asian American and Pacific Islander students; Southeast Asian American students; intergenerational resilience; and the role of student activism in transforming higher education. A community organizer at heart, Vanessa is invested in cultivating liberating and inclusive campus environments for historically marginalized communities. She has spoken at institutions across the country about student activism and radical love, and been featured on prominent Asian American media outlets, such as Angry Asian Man, Reappropriate, and NBC Asian America. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Project Ava, the Education and Advocacy Co-Chair for the Asian Pacific American Network (APAN) of ACPA, and the Special Projects Co-Chair for the Asian Pacific Islander Knowledge Community (APIKC) of NASPA. She spends her free time learning how to be a good puppy mom to Taro and consuming shows on Netflix.
Christina is a Vietnamese American residing in Hillsboro, Oregon. Her parents are Vietnamese immigrants and their experiences inspire her to fight for social justice. Christina is a resistance fighter at the ACLU of Oregon where she supports fundraising efforts and data management. Believing that food is a bridge that connects different generations and cultures, Christina is often found enjoying new restaurants or trying new new recipes in the kitchen.
When Bay Area native Jamie Balaoro graduated from SF State, equipped with a degree and experience in multimedia journalism, she was met with breaking news that many major publications across the nation laid off their staff photographers. Frustrated by the continuing belittling of her craft, Balaoro was determined to give visual storytelling the respect it deserved. With the grand vision of creating a platform dedicated solely to visual storytelling, coupled by the belief in its power and value, Balaoro founded The Golden Bullet Magazine. The name is inspired by "Balaoro," which means Golden Bullet in Spanish.
The Golden Bullet Magazine is a visual-driven lifestyle online magazine and creative storytelling space for the creative types. We at TGBM stand by the evolution of journalism. Photos, videos, illustrations, digital graphics and other creative outlets have allowed storytellers to bring every-day stories to new heights. We aim to take stories to a creative level to strengthen the connection between virtual experiences and reality. Creativity thrives on endless possibilities and here at TGBM, this is what we strive to capture. Life is full of many things; food, music, art, travel, people, culture and everything else in between – The Golden Bullet Magazine aims to cover it all through stunning visuals. We’re shooting photo & video around the world, telling one story at a time.
Teresa Tran is a Vietnamese American writer and feminist who tweets a lot about books, writing, Star Wars, Kelly Marie Tran, and Southeast Asian diaspora topics. When not tweeting about her passions, she is studying at the University of Georgia and writing in her spare time with hopes of being published one day!
Twitter: @teresatran__
Instagram: @teresatran._
Nancy Monteiro (maiden name Mongkhonvilay) was born and raised in Kansas City, MO. She is the oldest of three children. She lived her whole life in the Midwest until she got accepted at Marymount University, where she graduated as a honor student with a B.A. in Psychology. She started her career working for a Fortune 500 company in consulting, and it paid for her Masters in Human Resource Management at University of Maryland University College (UMUC). She is currently a small business owner and a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful children who are half-Laotian and half-Portuguese. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, volunteering at her children's school, and doing charity work in the community.
I am a daughter of Khmer refugees. I have inherited resilience, resistance, and resolve from my family. As a Khmer American emerging scholar, I am inspired to uplift the voices and stories of our Southeast Asian communities in academia. I aspire to use my positionality and platform to ensure that the stories of my family and community are never forgotten. Instead, our stories can empower change in our educational systems for the pursuit of a just and equitable society. We are here to stay and we have much to contribute.
I’m just your average college student living in beloved California. If I’m not outside with the trees or looking for food and fun, you can usually find me in my natural habitat: sleeping in bed with my laptop open from binge watching something--whether it be TV shows, anime, or Asian dramas. Occasionally, you’ll find me sticking my nose in a book, lost in another world. Other pastimes include listening to music and attempting to advance my amateur cooking :)
Follow @veggie_ventures on Instagram to see delicious vegan recipes and hotspots! https://www.instagram.com/veggie_ventures/
Tori Huynh is the creator of Hai Bà Trưng, a Vietnamese legend reimagined as a modern revenge bike gang drama. Inspired by the emotional intimacy and sleek cinematography of Wong Kar Wai and Barry Jenkins, her work combines her love of art house cinema and the Vietnamese American experience to discuss the heartbreak of diaspora.
Check out Hai Bà Trưng on Kickstarter, or say hi on Twitter.
Trung Nguyen is the Youth Coordinator for BPSOS, Boat People S.O.S., an organization that serves the needs of Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans. We sat down to interview Trung about his parents’ refugee experience, his childhood growing up as a Vietnamese-American, and his work at BPSOS. For more information about BPSOS, please check out their website: http://www.bpsos.org/
Rose Xiong (pronounced like “song”), known by her friends as Rosie, is an 18-year-old Hmong-American from Kansas. She plans to major in Public Relations while attending a local community college to save money. She loves to travel and learn about different cultures. Her passions include music, film, and getting to know people, and she is a strong believer and follower of Christ. We met Rosie by coming across her beautiful and poignant YouTube video, “I am Hmong.” You can see her videos and subscribe to her YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/wonderosie
Jenny Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American who is sprinkled with a bit of Caucasian on her mother’s side. Her parents are both Vietnamese Boat People who migrated to Virginia and have stayed there ever since.
HOT BOi CHILI OIL
We're just a bunch of food lovers passionate about everything food related - whether it's elevating flavors, combining different textures, experimenting with whatever is in the kitchen, and ~of course~ spicing up our plates with some good ol' chili oil. Since there wasn't a chili oil with crispy shallots and garlic nuggets with some good heat, we decided to take a leap at handcrafting chili oil
We also aim to use our platform to advocate for social justice because of where we come from: SF Bay Area (Oakland and San Jose). We can't wait to share our love for food and equity with you! So, are you down for a spicy time or nah?
Website: https://www.hotboichilioil.com/
Instagram: @hotboichilioil
