Profiles

By Jennie L. Ilustre Asian American Success (AASuccess) Founder and Executive Coach Dave Nguyen and his team of leaders, students and volunteers are known for always giving back to the community, and to society-at-large as well. Is it any wonder that they go from success to success? Grant givers, community and corporate partners keep beating a path to their door, …

Mix humility, intuition, and charisma and you get Duke Chung, the DMV’s homegrown entrepreneur who has sold a million dollar company to Microsoft at the age of 35. By Jenny Chen Although he didn’t know he was going to be an entrepreneur when he was a boy, Duke Chung always knew he wanted to solve problems. At 12 years old, …

  By Michelle Phipps-Evans Photos courtesy Grace Han Wolf City Councilmember Grace Han Wolf believes that her philosophy as a governmental leader on the Herndon Town Council is simple, yet impactful. “My job is to make sure our community is well run, that the community is safe, and that there’s economic development,” said Wolf, 49, a Korean-American, and one of …

By Derek Mong For many of us, we look at a chessboard and only see a few dozen figurines strewn upon a checkered black-and-white plank. For fashion designer Frank Huynh, that chessboard is the launching pad for an entire clothing line. Huynh is personifying individual chess pieces and using their bodies, their “personalities,” as inspiration for the garments in his …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Photos courtesy of AOF Born and raised in San Jose, Ca., Mineta and his family were among the Japanese Americans interned in camps during World War II. Since then, President Bill Clinton has appointed him the first Asian Pacific American (APA) Secretary of Commerce, President George W. Bush has named him Secretary of Commerce, and he …

By Jennie L. Ilustre The next time you ride in an airplane, whether for business or for pleasure, think of this as a matter of inspiration and well-placed pride: That a company, owned by an Asian American who triumphed against life’s adversities, helps improve safety and efficiency within the nation’s air traffic management system with its cutting-edge products and services.            …

By Devika Koppikar     Many 18-year-olds spend time snapping candid photos with their iPhones. But, that’s not the case with Saumil Bandyopadhyay. Instead, the only child of an electrical engineering professor (father, Supriyo) and math/reading teacher (mother, Anuradha) spends his days conducting research on the infrared photo detector.     What is an infrared photo detector?     “It is a sensor …

Asian American men have traditionally been emasculated and stereotyped in mainstream media. As Justin Chan writes in his PolicyMic article: “Despite iconic masculine Asian role models like Bruce Lee, Asian men are often portrayed as scrawny males who spend more time studying than lifting weights in the gym, appearing in popular culture as soft-spoken, reserved types who rarely take part …

By Tamara Treichel This month, Asian Fortune had the unique privilege of interviewing the internationally acclaimed Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid. Hamid is the author of the novels Moth Smoke (2000), The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (2013). His award-winning novels have become bestsellers, made into movies, translated into over 30 languages and shortlisted …

More Asian Americans than ever before are becoming pioneers in the sustainability movement. Because of this, we are running a series to recognize all the Asian American “Green Heroes” in our community. This month, we are recognizing Sonita Lontoh, an Asian American green tech executive who is passionate about encouraging a green economy between Asian and Western countries. Lontoh received …

Captain Kamran Afzal is the face of a changing police force in Arlington County. The soft-spoken, Pakistani American has been part of the police force for over 20 years. He started off as working with the US Capitol Police in the 1990s before moving to the Arlington County police department. But Afzal hadn’t started out in law enforcement. He studied …

Photos courtesy of Washington Performing Arts Society The first time you talk to Anna Lee you will be surprised that she is only 18 years old. Her wisdom and confidence seem way beyond her years…but then again, she’s had a very different life from most 18 year olds. Lee started playing violin at 4 years old and started performing at …

By Jennie L. Ilustre If you’re an avid iPod or iPhone user, a mom, in your 50s or older, or have a habit of cleaning your ears with Q-tips, Wendy Shiau has some sound advice for you. If you heed her advice–and it is expert advice based on years of formal learning and experience–you could avoid permanent hearing loss, ear …

More Asian Americans than ever before are becoming pioneers in the sustainability movement. Because of this, we are running a series to recognize all the Asian American “Green Heroes” in our community. First to be recognized is Danny Seo – a Korean American and a former Washington, DC resident who promotes the green lifestyle through books and TV shows. Seo …

By Devika Koppikar Alexandria resident Sue Okubo suffers from lung disease. Her lungs are not at full capacity, she said. Nevertheless, she uses her full personal capacity as an environmental activist—aiming to spawn clean air for Northern Virginia. Studies have shown that polluted air accelerates the onset of lung disease and many other health challenges, Okubo noted, which is a …

By Jane Chun Photo Credit: Jasmine Zhou DC Fashion Week (DCFW) featured many local designers at the Emerging Designer Showcase at the Washington Post Conference Center on Sep.28. Among the designers include the first Chinese-American designer Jasmine (Lingfei) Zhou, founder and CEO of Hudiefly. Hudiefly is a graphic and ready to wear brand founded in 2012. According to the Hudiefly …

          The Honorable Raymond T. Chen is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Judge Chen was appointed by President Obama in 2013, unanimously confirmed by the Senate on August 1, 2013, and assumed the duties of his office on August 5, 2013. Judge Chen previously served as Deputy General Counsel for Intellectual …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Etian Huang, 5, is just like any other kid. He likes running around the yard, barefoot, with friends. He rarely stands still. He likes to skip, hop and jump around guests. He has fun making faces at the camera, but doesn’t like interviews. Just like any kid. Except unlike other kids his age, he already has …

As a co-founder of The Brain Trust, Rohan Grover is the company’s “Model Minority Modeler,” harnessing technology to help AAPI organizations build savvy, data-driven campaigns for the digital age. Our writer, Derek Mong, is a social justice activist and has worked for non-profit organizations, political campaigns, the federal government, and national civil rights organizations to address issues of social justice, …

By Tamara Treichel When American-born Chinese (ABC) Rachel Chu is invited by her boyfriend Nick Young to visit his family in Singapore for the summer, Rachel is delighted, believing that rest and relaxation await her under the palm trees. However, little does Rachel know that Nick belongs to one of Asia’s richest families, “whose lives revolve around making money, spending …

By Michelle Phipps-Evans   Edward Wang is changing the face of the history of the National Football League (NFL). In the 93-year history of the professional football league, Wang has the enviable distinction of becoming the first Chinese player ever drafted in the NFL. He was drafted by New York’s Buffalo Bills, who snagged him in the fifth round of …

By Jennie L. Ilustre Mayor Allan W. Fung of Cranston, the third largest city in Rhode Island, made history in 2008 when he was elected Cranston’s first Asian American mayor. On meeting him, one is however struck at how humble he is. “That’s nice, to be sure, though if you ask me, it is an even greater honor to have …

By Suchi Rudra Fresh from four years at the University of Toronto, Daniel Yuta Nakayama stood at a crossroad in his life. He had plans to head to Japan on an ice hockey scholarship. But the young Japanese Canadian made a decision that changed everything. Daniel became DJ Baby Yu, and a musical hobby turned into what has become an …

By Michelle Phipps-Evans As a math teacher in Virginia’s Prince William County school system, Atif Qarni sees a lot of things that could be improved about the education system. Qarni recently announced his candidacy to represent the 13th District in the Virginia House of Delegates which is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. The General Assembly is the …