A Note From THE HEAD MONSTER To the Asian American Community
Founder, CEO & Head Monster Monster Products Inc. Noel Lee has revolutionized product categories in the high-end accessory business with premium speaker and interconnect cables, PowerCenters, and most recently, headphones and wireless speakers. But the real magic is how he taught CE retailers around the world that selling accessories is critical to profitability in an industry where the margins on hardware are disappearing. In 2008, Lee transformed the portable music industry with the creation and marketing of the Beats by Dre line of headphones. Using his knowledge of acoustics, manufacturing, and sound, he created headphones that delivered the bass and impact that urban and hip-hop music demanded. He then taught retails how to sell them and more than doubled the size of the industry. Noel has been awarded dozens of industry leadership and philanthropic awards including being inducted in the CTA Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the prestigious Plus X Awards in Berlin. With over three decades of business, Monster is the largest privately-held Asian-owned business in the Bay Area. It continues to lead in innovation, having been granted more than 500 patents with 100 more pending worldwide, offering more than 5,000 products in more than 160 countries. Lee is still running the show and designs and voices every product including headphones and Bluetooth speakers. Today millions of consumers are enjoying Monster designed or manufactured products.
2
I would like to extend my congratulations to Rose Chung and Vincent Ma on Asian America Foundation’s 35th Anniversary of the Miss Asian Global Pageant. Your organization has been providing the younger generation the opportunity to be recognized for their excellence in leadership, confidence and community service. In this time of Covid-19, the efforts to produce this competition have been challenging. We applaud you for your innovation in pivoting the operation. For more than two decades, we have been supporting the Miss Asian Global Pageant with scholarships and highly coveted Monster products to show our appreciation for these young women’s ambition and achievements. I commend each delegate for their platform to help others and bring awareness to meaningful causes. All of you have an incredible "Monster attitude". We are grateful for the efforts of Rose, Vince, the volunteer team and the delegates for helping us to deliver the Monster message. It's the attitude of never giving up and thinking of creative ways to grow in the face of adversity. Happy 35th Anniversary, and may you all be around for another 35 years empowering women. Monsterously,
Noel Lee, The Head Monster
ASIAN AMERICA FOUNDATION Presents THE THIRTY-FIFTH ANNUAL MISS ASIAN GLOBAL & MISS ASIAN AMERICA PAGEANT A Tradition Of Excellence. Dedication To Community Service. A Legacy For Tomorrow. Saturday, August 29, 2020
missasianglobal.com asianamericafoundation.org imaginetalks.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS Monster
2
Our Emcee | Kim Huynh
4
Pageant Committee
4
Message From President And Founder Vincent Ma | Rose Chung
5
Pageant Sponsors
7
Judges
8-9
Queen’s Farewell Message | Stephanie Kim
10-11
Queen’s Farewell Message | Melanie Wardhana
12-13
Delegates
14-19
Imagine Talks
20-21
Our Queens
24-25
3
Our Emcee | K I M H u y n h
K IM H U Y N H
graduated from Stanford University in 2014 with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing; Departmental Honors; and the Stanford Award of Excellence. After a yearand-a-half stint as an IP and patent litigation paralegal in Palo Alto, she segued into Tribe Dynamics, an influencer marketing software startup headquartered in San Francisco. As a member of the research and publications team for three years, she wrote about emerging digital trends in the beauty, fashion, and luxury spaces, as well as quarterly analytical reports for clients including Gucci, Saint Laurent, and Givenchy. Giving up the stress of always writing, Kim has recently transferred to Tribe’s sales and business development team and is studying at the Beverly Hills Playhouse while concurrently pursuing an acting career here in the Bay Area.
Our Pageant Committee
Kim had entered her first pageant, Junior Miss (now called Distinguished Young Women), at age 17 on a whim. It proved a pivotal experience, and after winning the local title and category awards in talent, self-expression, and scholastic achievement, she finished high school with a 4.40 GPA and enough scholarships and financial aid to fund her entire undergraduate education. In addition to becoming president of Sigma Psi Zeta and interning at the Stanford Law School magazine, she won first runner-up and the talent award at Miss Vietnam of Northern California Intercollegiate in 2013. In 2016, she won the title of Miss Silicon Valley under the Miss America Organization—as well as category awards in talent and interview—finished within Miss Asian Global’s Top 10 in 2018, and was selected as an Imagine Talks speaker in early 2019. PRODUCTION TEAM
Photography - David Yu, Jonathan Lee
President - Vincent Ma
Make-up Consultant - Ethel Reddy
Leadership Director - Dr. Francis Kong
Program Support - Amanda Lee, Brian Louie, Valerie Foo
Operations Director - Crystal Lee Media Production Director - Eranthe Mitome Creative Director - Thomas Li Program Book Director - Alex Fong Development Director - Jessica Xie Graphic Designer - Yoonah Lee Social Media Director - Sidney Siu Social Media Coordinator - Stephen Chan Me:Moirs Curator - Susie Lee Social Media Assistant - Melanie Wardhana
MAGineer - Darae Jun, Ernestine Siu, Kimberly Tom, Samantha Mui, Russell Fung, Ryan Fung LEGACY OFFICERS General Advisor - Edwin Hom Founder - Rose Chung Pageant Director - Janice Hom House Mother - Penny Wong Belleza Administrative Director - Julunda Gean Mendoza Administrative Assistant - Fernando Mendoza
We are grateful to the Miss Asian Global Family consisting of hundreds of dedicated volunteers who contributed to helping us reach our milestone. Your countless hours and team spirit enabled us to thrive and receive great joy in getting involved in the community.
4
Greetings! Welcome to the 35th Anniversary Miss Asian Global VIRTUAL Pageant. 18 intelligent and courageous women are competing for the distinguished titles of Miss Asian Global and Miss Asian America 2020. After working with each delegate for the past few months, we are truly inspired by their leadership, resilience and compassion to address our current challenges of the pandemic and civil unrest. This class of delegates is proactively moving to change our world. We envision our organization to be more than a pageant, reaching deep into our core values to help Asian women achieve their goals towards community coalitions, women empowerment, and mentorship. In 2014, we established the Asian America Foundation, and founded Imagine Talks by collaborating with Edge Interns, with guidance from Dr. Francis Kong. Imagine Talks continues to thrive and expand each year as we encourage women to move and evolve into leadership roles, most notably in technology, arts, business and innovation. We offer our delegates the opportunity to continue their journey with the Asian America Foundation by volunteering to coordinate the 7th Annual VIRTUAL Imagine Talks. We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to our LEGACY sponsors for their generosity and support that helped us reach 35 years. Sponsorships set the foundation for our organization's growth. Our Pageant Family is an amazing group of dedicated volunteers and the backbone of our organization. Their strong work ethic and tireless dedication reflect our grit and commitment to our mission, 35 years and counting. Special acknowledgement goes to our new generation of leaders who pivoted our traditional pageant to be presented in a virtual platform.
Message from Our President | V I N C E N T M A a n d F o u n d e r | R O S E C H U N G
WELCOME
Thank you to our 2019 Court for embracing your roles and crowns with honor, grace, and dignity throughout your reign. We are confident you will continue to serve as role models for the community. The future of Miss Asian Global Pageant has never looked brighter. We thank you for your support. Sincerely,
Vincent Ma President
RoseChung
Founder
5
6
7
judges Our Judges were selected for their record of outstanding achievements and integrity in diverse arenas of our community, including business, science, communications, civic leadership, and non-profits. As a judge, they are entrusted with the highest responsibility, and are intergral to the reputation of our pageant. With many talented and highly qualified applicants, the Applications Committee took great care in selecting delegates with outstanding character, high academic achievements, and community involvement. The Committee is confident that all our delegates are qualified to be Miss Asian Global or Miss Asian America, having already passed our stringent application process. The Asian America Foundation is proud and grateful to have the tabulation provided by Mah and Associates, CPA whose outstanding reputation for accuracy and reliability has made them trusted worldwide.
Minita Gandhi Is a critically acclaimed stage, TV & film actress. She is most known for her award-winning show, Muthaland (Indian slang for motherland). She is a healer and activist for women’s rights. She co-created a national mentorship program for women and non-binary artists. And currently works with the AGE bridging emerging Black Indigenous and People of Color artists with national theater leaders. Minita was Miss Asian America 1st runner-up, Miss Asian California, Miss Talent, and Miss Photogenic.
Simon Twu Is an International Award winning actor, singer, songwriter, and producer. He's been in 100-plus projects, including Super Bowl Commercials alongside John Legend and Chrissy Teigen. Mr. Twu’s latest release is the song, “We will Win” in honor of frontline workers battling the Coronavirus.
Fala Chen An internationally acclaimed actor, Fala Chen Is a four-time Pageant titleholder including Miss Asian America in 2002. She is the recipient of numerous awards including 16th Asian Television Award, and Huading Award and is best known for her leading roles in TVB dramas. Ms. Chen may be seen next in HBO’s drama mini-series this fall, The Undoing.
8
2 0 2 0 Afia Ofori-Mensa Is an educator, actor, writer and pageantry expert who works as Director of the Presidential Scholars Program at Princeton University where she designs and directs programs that encourages first-generation college students, low-income students and students of color to pursue PhDs. Dr. Ofori-Mensa served three years as a house sister for the Pageant as part of her research on pageantry.
Cynthia Gouw Is a 3-time Emmy award-winning journalist, model, and Actress. She is a rising social media star on TikTok and a former Miss Chinatown USA. She’s graced national magazine covers, walked the runway in Paris and New York and was named one of America’s top over-40 models. Star Trek fans recognize her as Caithlin Dar.
Miko Fogarty Is a UCSF brain cancer researcher who was formerly a ballerina with the Birmingham Royal Ballet. She received worldwide recognition for her dancing including the Gold Medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition and was featured in the award-winning documentary, "First Position". Miko decided to switch directions completely and pursue science, graduating with honors from UC Berkeley.
Cary Hokama Is a media host, author, speaker, and content creator, whose mission is to empower high-achievers to master their craft and propel their greatest work out into the world. As a certified executive coach, fitness expert and international speaker, he serves as Global Ambassador for the National College of Exercise Professions.
Suzan Nguyen Our lucky number eight judge is an author, happiness coach, instructor, TEDx speaker and entrepreneur. She was recently featured as Yahoo's Top Ten Most Influential People of 2020. Her mission is to help others turn adversity into advantages. Her philosophy is to empower others to be better, not bitter.
9
10
11
12
13
D E L E G AT E S
Marisa Chin
Vy Vo
Kimberly Huynh
Hercules, California Age: 24 · Chinese
Anaheim, California Age: 26 · Vietnamese
San Jose, California Age: 24 · Vietnamese
Personal Traits: Compassionate, Loyal, Open minded
Personal Traits: Compassion, Perseverance, Humility
Personal Traits: Empathetic, Optimistic, Imaginative
Motto: "Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.” – Booker T. Washington
Motto: "Tomorrow is another day."
Motto: Don't ever give up on yourself, you just have to try.
Quirky things: I am allergic to all fresh fruit, but I still eat them in small amounts. Platform: Inclusivity through Equal Opportunities
14
Quirky things: I can only use hypoallergenic sunscreen. I break out in hives when I use regular sunscreens! Platform: Health Equality For All
Quirky things: I like to do a various mix of talents, like, aerial dance, powerlift, bake, and garden. Platform: Raising Mental Health Awareness
2 0 2 0
Natalie Nguyen Megan Lo
Olivia Wong
Boston, Massachusetts Age: 28 · Vietnamese
El Cerrito, California Age: 22 · Chinese
Vancouver, Canada Age: 29 · Chinese
Personal Traits: Compassion, Courage, Curiosity
Personal Traits: Driven, Optimistic, Resilient
Personal Traits: Strong, Ambitious, Compassionate
Motto: "Every wall is a door." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Motto: There is no limit to growth if you keep challenging it. "
Quirky things: I listen to French news radio when I get tired because I love the sound of the language (not because I understand everything)
Quirky things: I find doing the dishes really cathartic. I use my Google calendar as a memory box.
Motto: "The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why." — Mark Twain
Platform: STEAM for Vietnam (STEM & Arts Education)
Platform: Inspiring Women to go into Engineering
Quirky things: I have mirror touch synesthesia (a rare ability to experience the emotions of others as if they were my own) Platform: Humanizing Homelessness in San Francisco
15
D E L E G AT E S
Chuting Liu
Julia Nguyen
Lily Li
Nanjing, China Age: 25 · Chinese
San Jose, California Age: 28 · Vietnamese
San Francisco, California Age: 26 · Cantonese Chinese
Personal Traits: Determined Empathetic Humble
Personal Traits: Empathetic, Humanitarianism, Resourceful
Personal Traits: Ambitious, Thoughtful, Elegant
Motto: "If you want to be successful, it's just this simple: Know what you're doing. Love what you're doing. And believe in what you're doing." — Will Rogers
Motto: "Greatness is measured by courage and heart."
Motto: We strive for excellence.
Quirky things: I love Japanese food show like The Lonely Gourmet and I eat along with it. Platform: Stray Dogs in China
16
Quirky things: Most of my clothes are custom made since it's rare to find anything in stores that fit perfectly Platform: Improving community health through medication safety and adherence
Quirky things: One of my side hustles is being a restaurant evaluator. Platform: Empower Immigrants through Education
2 0 2 0
Victoria Li
Y Phun
Lan Ho
Fremont, California Age: 17 · Taiwanese/Chinese
Sacramento, California Age: 24 · Chinese/Vietnamese
Chicago, Illinois Age: 30 · Vietnamese
Personal Traits: Focused, Responsible, Dedicated
Personal Traits: Active, Determined, and Empathetic
Personal Traits: Ambitious, Determined, Resilient
Motto: “We choose to go to the moon not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard.” — John F. Kennedy
Motto: When you feel like quitting, think about why you started
Motto: Why not me?
Quirky things: I am a super fan of Doraemon and Detective Conan, which have actually helped me to view things in creative ways. Platform: In Confidence We Find Courage
Quirky things: "I can't drink carbonated beverages but I can deadlift 275lbs." Platform: Raising Funds to Support Underprivileged Community of Cao Bang, Vietnam
Quirky things: My favorite food is sushi, but I hate raw salmon. Platform: Empowering Minority Representation through Selfdiscovery as a Model for Future Generations.
17
D E L E G AT E S
Tara Nash
Diamond Rypka Stella Rao
San Mateo, California Age: 22 · Chinese/Irish
Melbourne, Australia Age: 27 · Japanese
Cupertino, California Age: 19 · Indian
Personal Traits: Caring, Cheerful, Tenacious
Personal Traits: Caring, Honest, Currious
Personal Traits: Honest, Compassionate, Driven
Motto: It will all work out.
Motto: Every experience is a learning opportunity.
Motto: Just keep swimming.
Quirky things: I got kicked out of daycare for taking off everyone's socks because I really hated wearing socks (still not a fan but I can tolerate them now...) Platform: Healing Asian American Women’s Reproductive Healthcare
18
Quirky things: I can lick one of my elbows.
Quirky things: Coffee, green tea, and dark chocolate make me nauseous and dizzy.
Platform: Healthy Skin: Healthy Life
Platform: It’s OKAY not to be OKAY, so Let’s TALK
2 0 2 0
Cathie Pham
Emily Pi
Daisy Chung
San Jose, California Fremont, California Age: 25 · Vietnamese/Chinese/ Age: 20 · Taiwanese
Los Angeles, California Age: 28 · Chinese
Personal Traits: Determined, Bold, Thoughtful
Personal Traits: Empathetic, Creative, Driven
Personal Traits: Ambitious, Curious, Open-Minded
Motto: The amount of love you give yourself is the strength that will help you get through anything in life.
Motto: One step back, two steps forward.
Motto: Life is too short for what ifs.
African American/White
Quirky things: I used to wrestle, play softball, and do colorguard in Quirky things: I love to talk to my high school. plants and animals like they are my own kids! Platform: Promoting Racial Equity through Community Platform: Breaking barriers for Leadership petite women in fashion, beauty & entertainment
Quirky things: I am hyper sensitive to caffeine and will get jittery from eating too much green tea ice cream. Platform: Inspire Women to Sales and Leadership Roles
19
20
21
22
23
Our
Jeanette Chan
Mona Lee Locke
Delia Ma
Stacy Yamashita
Theresa Park
Cindy Chung
Christie Hirota
Ashley Yamada
Jane Park
Gwendoline Yeo
Esther Hwang
Erin Jung
Quyen Tran
Amy Truong
Caroline Nguyen
Fala Chen
Charlene Wang
Buachampoo “Sai” Varee
Kollyn Muangmaithong
Jennifer Field
1985-1986
1990-1991
1996-1997
2002-2003
24
1986-1987
1991-1992
1997-1998
2003-2004
1987-1988
1992-1994
1998-1999
2004-2005
1988-1989
1994-1995
1999-2001
2005-2006
1989-1990
1995-1996
2001-2002
2006-2007
q u e e n s
2008-2009
Amy Chanthaphavong
Sarah Liu 2010-2012
2012-2014 Miss Asian Global
Emily Tang
Emma Marriott
Jennifer Chung
Pamela Lagera
Stephanie Lin
Gina Su
Jessica Lim
Trisha Bantigue
Savannah Pham
Uchka Jimsee
Louise Wu
Louisa Liu
2007-2008
2009-2010
2014-2015 Miss Asian Global
2012-2014
2016-2017 Miss Asian Global
Sophia Ng 2018
2014-2015
2017-2018 Miss Asian Global
2016-2017
Darae Jun 2019
2015-2016 Miss Asian Global
Stephanie Kim 2019-2020 Miss Asian Global
2017-2018
Susie Lee
2015-2016
2018-2019 Miss Asian Global
Melanie Wardhana 2019-2020
25
REBONNE COSMETICS Professional Makeup Brushes
Instagram: rebonnecosmetics Highest Quality Brushes, Designed and Handcrafted for the Ultimate Make-Up Experience.