Asian Pacific Voices Radio

Born and raised in South Korea, Ms. Welch immigrated to the US in 1971 and became a citizen in 1974 in a special circumstance. She was the first Korean American woman to be elected on a municipal water board in the history of the Water District and the San Diego County. She has a real estate broker license from the State of California Bureau of Real Estate since 1994 to present.  She serves as Pre...

Recognized on the 2020 & 2021 Black List, Tricia Lee is an AAPI female filmmaker who creates heart-breaking and heart-warming features with a sense of uplifting humor. Growing up in Toronto and fighting for her Green Card in order to step-up her career in Los Angeles, she tells stories from a Canadian perspective looking in at the American Dream and loves to explore ideas around belonging, voicele...

Eunsoo Jeong known as Koreangry is a South Korean who immigrated to the US in 2001. She’s currently comics artist and color designer in animation based in Los Angeles, California. Her zine series “Koreangry” addresses issues of racism, sexism, xenophobia, immigration and mental health as a Korean American immigrant living in the US.

South Korean born, Asian American Olympian, Yul Moldauer, breaks barriers and stereotypes and expresses body type in sports, specifically men's artistic gymnastics.  In this episode, Yul talks about his early days growing up as a Korean adoptee, and how he started gymnastics as a child.  He also talks about his training and his mindset for keeping himself motivated, as well as his experiences on t...

Hayslip is a highly-regarded film producer known for his involvement in some of the biggest blockbuster films in recent history. His significant contributions to the film industry through his technical roles for major motion pictures include serving as Unit Production Manager for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation, and Guardians of the Galaxy, among others. Hayslip ha...

Jason Chu speaks hope and healing in a hurting world, blending high energy performances with thoughtfully crafted lyricism. As an Asian American kid in suburban Delaware, he found a vocabulary for racial identity and liberation in rap music and hip-hop culture. Starting out freestyling with friends at school, he began recording and performing music in college.

Stephanie KyeongSeon Drenka is a Korean adoptee writer and co-founder of the Dallas Asian American Historical Society, whose mission is to research, preserve, and amplify the legacy of Asian Americans in the Dallas area. In this episode, Stephanie talks about her life as a transracial adoptee and her relationship with Korea and the Korean culture of her biological family. She shares her experience...

Jing’s love of storytelling began on the floor of the library. The only child of immigrants, reading stories was his way of feeling less lonely and learning the ways of America. This love eventually transferred to filmmaking which he saw as a means to not only entertain others but also to free those hard to express thoughts and feelings within himself.

Journey of a Thousand Miles is a 90 minute feature documentary film written, shot, directed and produced by Zhu Shen, a multiple award-winning filmmaker who was formally trained in biomedical research and business. She is best known for producing two Oscar-qualified, critically acclaimed animated documentary shorts: Changyou’s Journey about her late husband’s life, written and directed by her son...

Jessica Chen, a Choreographer and Dancer, who uses movement as a vehicle to heal wounds, share stories and better understand our human existence. Jessica believes that the visceral experience of witnessing a moving body can elicit a profound sense of empathy and that empathy is vital in navigating today's cultural landscape. Jessica is the Artistic Director of a contemporary dance company based in...

Nghiep “Ke” Lam is the Program and Facility Manager for Asian Prisoner Support Committee and a former juvenile lifer. He was incarcerated at the age of seventeen and served 23 years. He assists formerly incarcerated, i.e. API and "Stranded Deportees" with accessing resources (ID, Work Permit, Mentorship, etc.) in their transition back into society. He is also the Facility Manager to oversee the ma...

An actress, director, writer and comedian, Veronica was born in Pennsylvania to a large family who escaped Saigon alongside the last U.S. troops in Vietnam. Veronica is a rising star featured in various television shows, ranging from hipster who finds a dead body on Law & Order: SVU, to representing sweatshop workers on Saturday Night Live.  Veronica has also starred in independent films and Off-B...

A woman of many talents, Robin is the President and CEO of San Diego Music Studio since 1994. She’s also the founder of the Phillipines Ukulele Project that connects donors to children at risk in impoverished areas internationally, brining music education and inspiration to a global level. Additionally, she is a licensed attorney with a private practice and serves on the board of Storix, an AIX an...

Gingerlily Lowe is one of the founding producers of the Asian Story Theater/Chinese Story Theater in which she also serves as the educational director, using live theater as a medium for education as well as truly exciting entertainment and bringing multi-cultural theater experiences to thousands of young audience members every year. Gingerlily has served on various community boards such as the Sa...

Grace teaches the Tisch Scholars foundation course "Civic Identity, Reflection, and Action," and in the 1+4 Bridge Year Program and Civic Action Gap Semester for the Tufts First-Year Global Programs. She taught writing for many years at Tufts University and Grub Street, and is currently the Fannie Hurst Writer-in-Residence at Brandeis University. Grace is the author of THE BODY PAPERS, which won t...

Eric Nguyen has been a staple of the comic book industry for over 20 years, working for Marvel, DC, and every other major publication, drawing classics such as X-men, Batman, Hulk, Old Man Logan, Quicksilver, Sandman, Fables, and many more. A graduate from the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Pasadena with a degree in entertainment/transportation design, Eric got his start in comics par...

Ysa began her art activism with VAALA in 2000, serving as VAALA’s Board as President from 2004-2008, and then as Executive Director from 2008 until now. She is one of the original co-founders of Viet Film Fest. We get to learn more about her background as a radio host for the Viet Nam California Radio (VNCR), from 1995 to 2010. Where she would interview a lot of different local artists and talk ab...

Jason Cheny, born and raised in Taiwan, re-raised in America with a cross-cultural perspective, and a goofy personality. Along with Sasha Foo discuss how Asian families expect their children to follow the traditional paths of doctor, lawyer and engineer. How Jason’s parents reacted to his choice to become a comedian as well as how everyone should choose a path which allows for expression. How he o...

Erica is a fifth-generation Chinese American director based out of Los Angeles. Her film “Americanized” based on her experiences playing high school basketball has taken home 25 awards including Palm Springs International ShortFest, Bentonville Film Festival, and the Oscar-qualifying award at Cinequest. Erica’s love for film started at a young age with her love for TV and cartoons blossoming into...

Teen fashion designer, Ashlyn So, and her architect momager, Angela Wu, talk about the journey of discovering and cultivating talent, the importance of inspiration and representation, and more! It all started the day Ashlyn came back from her sewing camp at 6 years old. She was obsessed! She loves designing then draping, pinning and sewing. She has always wanted to dress like her mom and be with h...

Film is a scary venture, but Dan Chen embraces the challenge of centering AAPI stories rather than keeping them in the periphery. Filmmakers like him and companies like Jubilee Media are changing the direction of film as AAPI representation has increased on screen and behind the scenes. Dan Chen developed his love of film as a Chinese American teenager growing up in small town Kansas. He picked up...

Much has changed from the 1990s to now in the film industry for the AANHPI community. Chris Chan Lee is a key proponent that has inspired many Asian Americans to pursue filmmaking since his groundbreaking feature, "Yellow." On this episode, Chris and Rasha talk about his journey, how the film landscape has changed, and how it can still be improved.   Chris is a Korean-American filmmaker based in L...

San-Diego born and raised, Navy veteran Harley Pasiderio is a Southwest Airlines First Officer and Gold Seal Flight Instructor. He is also President and Founding Member of a nonprofit called Professional Asian Pilots Association . Also known as PAPA, it isdedicated to inspiring individuals to look past the barriers and encourage the pursuit of a career they wouldn’t otherwise consider. As a kid wi...

From a dumpster baby in China to TikTok comedy queen in Hollywood, Jiaoying Summers is one of the hottest rising comedians today. She is also one of the most popular comedians on TikTok with more than 1.2 million followers, 23.2 million likes and over 400 million views. She is a regular headliner at The Laugh Factory and also performs at The Comedy Store and The Hollywood Improv, where she has her...

Sami Khan is an Oscar-nominated independent filmmaker whose work has been supported by the Sundance and Tribeca Film Institutes, the Impact Partners’ Producer’s Fellowship, Rooftop Films, IFP, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and the NBC/Universal’s Directors Fellowship. His films have screened at leading festivals including Tribeca, Toronto, Hot Docs, and Mumbai. In this episode, Sami and Rasha...