Coalition of Asian American Leaders

Sang Dao Spring 2020

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Editor’s Note:

“Growing up in Orange County, I was surrounded by a large population of Asians. Growing up, I had an interest in pursuing different forms of work from the rest of my family members. While they pursued the STEM field, I sought out to become a police officer, fire fighter, and even a soldier of the Marine Corps. That thought led me to an interest in the number of Asian Americans pursuing leadership roles.”

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Introduction Throughout the decade, Asian Americans have been gaining more leverage in the workforce and have taken on many professions. They often have the stereotype of being “intelligent” and “naturally smart” thus categorized to fit jobs such as doctors, researchers, and lawyers.

Although these are respectable jobs, we are marginalized to the stigma of a white coat job where we support others. I have always thought of myself as a leader, and I wanted to explore the realm of Asian American Leadership. Throughout my article, I conducted interviews on two Asian Americans who hold different leadership positions: a police officer and the assistant dean of UCLA’s Law School. They will share their experience in their field of work, struggles and obstacles that they overcame to get to their current position, along with their opinions on the upcoming generation of Asians pursuing a leadership role. Today, there is a rising representation of Asian Americans in unorthodox fields such as law enforcement, but there is still a lack of representation in higher positions.

Interview #1 : Henry Tran Westminster PD “Don’t listen to stereotypes, if you want to pursue this career and have a positive impact on your community, why should you let a stigma stop you?” – Henry Tran

Officer Tran is the youngest officer at the department, joining the force at the age of twenty-two and now in his fourth year as an officer. Tran walked me through his experience of the police academy, from the day he enrolled to his graduation and first job at the Los Angeles Sheriffs. He spent two years working in Los Angeles before he transferred to The City of Westminster Police Department, where he became their youngest Asian American recruit. At his work, he is “put on a pedestal” for being a young successful recruit and faces no form of racism from his employers and coworkers. Prior to our interview, I came in expecting a horror story about how his race might provide a challenge in his work, but there seemed to zero signs of racism leading up to his upbringing. He informed me that this was the job he was dreaming of ever since he was a kid, and he finally got to live his dream. As an Asian American who holds a leadership position, Tran is doubted by civilians on whether he can perform his job. Even if you are doubted by peers and civilians, you just have to work harder and prove that you belong. Henry works 16 hour shifts multiple times a week, shifts where he has to put his emotions and feelings aside and apprehend criminals within jurisdiction of the justice system. Tran encourages Asian Americans to start stepping up and pursuing leadership roles in their community.

Without anyone to step up, we are unable to climb up the social hierarchy and progress in society if there is no one voicing our concerns. We are a minority class, so we have to take measures by stepping up and taking on higher positions in order to speak up about how we, people of color, feel and need.

“Don’t listen to the haters, At the end of the day, it’s not about the pay, but it’s about living out your dream.”– Henry Tran

Statistics 1994: Asian American Police Officers in America: A study looked at two counties (Los Angeles and Orange County) with over 70 departments to look for the number of Asian Americans who serve. Only 582 (2.56 percent) of the 22,748 officers in both counties are Asian Americans, in comparison to whites, who make up 71.2 percent of sworn officers.

2019: The City of New York Police Department (NYPD), the largest police force in the United States, has experienced significant rise in the number of Asian American officers. According to the latest statistics, there are now more than 3,000 officers of Asian descent in NYPD, representing nearly 9 percent of the department. On top of the rising number of officers in New York, there are 21 Asian American captains, 4 above the rank of captain, along with 13 lieutenants eligible to be promoted to captain.

Discussion Although there is a growing presence in Asian Americans in law enforcement, we as people are marginalized by our surrounding peers. People are shocked when Henry tells them that he works as a cop. Although people aren’t head over heels about the idea that Asian Americans want to take on more leadership roles in society, these decades have shown a steady rise in our numbers. Last words of advice from officer Tran to future generation: you have to make sure that you want it. Don’t just go thinking that you want to pursue a career in law enforcement because it “looks fun”. Do your research, know the commitment it takes and the emotions that you have to suppress on the job. As a leader, you have to lead by example.

“We're a growing breed, so we have a chip on our shoulder. Lead by example, and don’t be afraid to step up”-Henry Tran

Interview #2: Steve Yu Assistant Dean of Admissions to UCLA School of Law "There aren't many role models for Asian American leadership, become a part of this change." – Steve Yu

Steve Yu is a very proud Double Bruin, graduating from UCLA in 1995 with a BA, and later with an MA from UCLA Anderson School of Management in 2003. Steve is the current assistant dean of the UCLA School of Law. Steve walks me through the timeline of his success, starting off with his origin story. Steve is a Korean American who immigrated from Seoul. He moved to the U.S. in the 1970’s, where his family stayed at a small town in which they were the only Asians. He was often ridiculed and got into various fights due to disputes about his race. This was interesting to me, a well-rounded successful individual started off as a young rascal in a small town and had his “rags to riches” story. I found it funny that Henry, a police officer, had a more sheltered and typical origin versus Steve, a high ranked member of UCLA’s staff. Although Steve graduated with his Bachelor of Art from UCLA, his first job was a retail manager at the Target in Westwood. Over time, Steve acquired an entry level position in the school of law, where he was one of the lowest paid employees. Through years of work, networking, and the acquisition of his MA, Steve had finally climbed up to his current position today.

Steve credits a lot of his success to his associates and friends throughout his time at UCLA. Steve was involved in UCLA Greek Life, became the President of the Cheese & Wine club, and joined in on many other extracurricular clubs and activities on campus. He emphasized friendships and networking, because that is where a leader is born. A leader is created through experience, teaching, learning, and observing. He advises people to socialize and have fun, this is how they learn to communicate, adapt, and create connections.

“Advocate yourself, and surround yourself with a network of people who would advocate for you.

A great leader is only as good as his team, and cooperation is key.”– Steve Yu

During my interview, Steve expressed his concerns with the small number of Asian American leadership in our country.

He uses his job as an example, stating how there are extremely few Asian Americans in California, perhaps the entire United States, in the same kind of leadership role as his. Asian

Concerns for the future generation

Americans are almost viewed as a “model minority” on the basis of education, income, and competence. Yet we are still perceived as less ideal than Whites when it comes to attaining leadership roles. Steve talked about a concept called the “glass ceiling”, a metaphoric concept used to represent an invisible barrier that prevents a certain demographic from rising beyond a certain point in a hierarchy. Although that term was coined to represent feminists, it applies to all marginalized populations. Although the glass ceiling DOES exist, this does not mean we should accept it and give up on pursuing the careers we want.

“Do not buy into the idea of the ‘glass ceiling’, in some way it DOES exist, but do not use that as a crutch, don’t believe it. BELIEVE that you belong, you have to work harder, but it IS achievable”- Steve Yu.

Discussion “Steve’s story was literally a rags to riches story, where a boy who moved to the big city continued to work hard despite the odds, and eventually made it big. To me, this is an example of adversity and diligence, refusing to give up and always grinding. Not only was Steve very fun to interview, he was a great dude to socialize with on a personal level too. That made me really believe his quote on “having fun and being a person” because that person turned out to become one of UCLA’s leaders.

“You need to be a person, no one wants to hire a robot”- Steve Yu

Conclusion Throughout my interview with Henry and Steve, I managed to get an insight on two opposite professions, but I also got to see a glimpse of the future. As our society progresses, more and more Asian Americans are starting to step out of the stigma given to us, and start taking on more leadership roles in our communities.

"Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others."

-John Maxwell