AAPI Heritage Month At Stanford: Amplifying Asian Success To Combat Hate

Megan Ruan: ‘AAPI Heritage Month is important not only to recognize the achievements of the AAPI community, but also to realize the vast and growing role we play socioeconomically as the second-fastest growing minority demographic in the country.’ Courtesy photo

MEGAN RUAN, MBA ‘23: WHY REPRESENTATION MATTERS

When asked to reflect on AAPI Heritage Month, Megan Ruan points out that Asians are the least likely to be promoted to management, and Asian women are the least likely demographic to work in the C-suite. This is true despite the fact that Asian Americans are more highly educated than any other racial group and make up 12% of the professional workforce while making up less than 6% of the U.S. population, according to this article from the Harvard Business Review.

“Simultaneously, we see that 6 of the top 10 Midas List investors are AAPI, and a quarter of unicorn startups in the last two decades have at least one AAPI co-founder. Observing this discrepancy shows the need for more equitable representation at the top — one that accurately reflects audiences across the country, both inside and outside the business world,” says Ruan, co-president of Stanford GSB’s Asian Business Student Association.

“AAPI Heritage Month is important not only to recognize the achievements of the AAPI community, but also to realize the vast and growing role we play socioeconomically as the second-fastest growing minority demographic in the country. This month gives us the chance to celebrate how much we’ve contributed positively to the communities around us.”

Ruan is concentrating her MBA study on entrepreneurship and venture capital. In her post graduate career, she hopes to fund and help scale promising AAPI founders–and to be an entrepreneur herself.

“I believe entrepreneurship is one of the best ways to foster representation and change, and I felt an MBA would be a good way to find and build new opportunities for that audience,” she says.

“Being AAPI at the GSB means recognizing that I am part of a diaspora that spans dozens of languages, cultures, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds and leaning into this identity to show others like me what’s possible.”

KEVIN LIANG, MBA ‘23: EMBRACING YOUR FULL IDENTITY

Kevin Liang: ‘When I think about AAPI Month, it’s both looking backward and forward. It’s about reflecting on our history and learning the lessons from our past. It’s also a reminder of the immense progress we’ve made and to celebrate that progress.’ Courtesy photo

Kevin Liang is an “East Coast boy,” born and raised in Boston. As an undergraduate, he studied economics at Harvard University, and then worked in investment banking and then as a consultant at Boston Consulting Group. He’s now studying entrepreneurship as an MBA at Stanford.

As an Asian who grew up in the states, he has at times struggled to come to terms with his identity, a journey he believes is common for first, second, and even third generation Asian Americans.

“There were moments when I was incredibly proud of my cultural heritage and there were moments when I really struggled to find a strong sense of community and belonging. While it was a journey throughout my adolescence to come to terms with my ethnic background, I’m now in a place where I deeply cherish and celebrate the two halves that make up my identity – I’m both Asian and American,” Liang says.

 “This month is an opportunity to reflect upon my personal journey, but it’s also about celebrating the accomplishments and achievements of the broader Asian/Asian American community in America, as well as the contributions and influences we’ve had on American history and culture.”

Being on the Stanford campus doesn’t isolate Asian students from the outside world. It doesn’t unplug them from their friends and family who have their own stories of discrimination, or the horrific headlines.

“Recently, my sister called me to let me know that she was harassed the other day while walking down the street. A man lunged at her while holding a metal pipe, and called her a racial slur. What’s incredibly sad to me is that my sister didn’t even sound fazed — these types of interactions have become commonplace to her,” he says.

“It shouldn’t be this way. We read headlines in the news about women being shoved onto subway tracks in New York, and fathers pushing baby strollers getting assaulted in San Francisco. While I’m sure these incidents were commonplace long before March of 2020, it seems like the pandemic has dramatically increased the number of incidents. And frankly, it’s horrifying.

“However, I suppose the one tiny silver lining is that there seems to be more media attention on this issue of Asian hate crimes now.”

With the attention, comes a chance to galvanize support for change. That can be as macro as President Biden signing of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in May 2021, or as micro as hosting forums and events on the Stanford campus, or within any other number of smaller communities.

“When I think about AAPI Month, it’s an opportunity to look both backward and forward. It’s about reflecting on our history and learning the lessons from our past,” Liang says. “It’s a reminder of the immense progress we’ve made and to celebrate that progress. But it’s also about recognizing that there is still an enormous amount of progress to be had, and that there is still so much work we need to do as a nation.”

“Personally, I’m a glass half full kind of guy. At the GSB, we’re taught to not let formal structures confine us and to think independently, outside the box. I can apply that line of thought not only to my professional life, but to my personal life as well, and start thinking about how I can make a meaningful impact not just at work, but in the communities I belong to as well.” he says.

“What the spike in Asian hate crimes in the last couple of years has shown me is the importance of raising your voice. Now more than ever, I feel compelled to be a vocal advocate for the AAPI community and to be a champion of positive change. Nonetheless, I remain hopeful. Despite the challenges that our community continues to face, this month serves as a reminder of the progress we made so far, and a commitment to making more.”

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