Editor’s Note

We’re all from somewhere

The Asian Pacific Islander Desi American community spans decades and generations across the history of America, and even longer when we consider our ancestral roots With so many years lived and so many places we might call home, our community is composed of stories as diverse, tragic, beautiful, and great as the people they belong to.

The settings and individuals who birthed us and our stories today have likely all played an integral role, whether good or bad, in our experiences and dreams. An old proverb says, “Those who drink the water must remember those who dug the well.” Many of the stories shared in this magazine highlight experiences as a consequence of the dreams chased by those that came before immigrants, children of immigrants, refugees, generations that came with nothing but a work ethic and hope. They, in a way, make up the roots of our stories that are continuously being shaped today.

But roots don’t make up the entire tree they are the first step in a cycle of growth that leads to the leaves that change color and flowers that bloom. So while this collection of art, media, and writing honors our metaphorical roots of the cultures and heritage of the APIDA community, it also honors the dreams, fears, victories, and battles of the APIDA community today and tomorrow.

We’re all from somewhere. But we’re all headed somewhere even greater.

Happy reading!

This is Dear Asian Youth USC’s literary magazine in honor of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Festival, an annual series of programming at the University of Southern California put on by the Asian Pacific American Student Assembly mag spread designed by: Peony Duong & Yi-Ann Li