asian avenuemagazine

Connecting CulturesLinking Lives

July 2014Volume 9 Issue 7

Miss AsiAn AMericAn colorAdo special edition2014 program inside

Find inFluences oF asia in

europe

Thuy TrAngreFlects on her year as Miss aaco

ready to pass the torch

restaurant peek tofu house

Brewery peek comrade Brewery company

anna christysings soprano for central city opera

ManualBilingual medical glossary (available in 18 languages)Guide to common medicationsCerti�cate upon successful completion

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staff & supportPublisher & Founder: Christina Yutai Guo

President: Annie GuoSenior Designer: C.G. Yao Designer: Jonathan Nguyen

Staff Writer: Patricia KaowthumrongStaff Writer: Mary Jeneverre Schultz

Staff Writer: Sarah ShiraziStaff Writer: Brenda Velasquez

Photographer: Trang LuongIntern: Monica Lin

Intern: Akemi Tsutsui Intern: Mai Choua Lee

advisors group

General Counsel: Michael C. Song

Patty Coutts, Donna LaVigne, Nestor J. Mercado,Sum C. Nguyen, Alok Sarwal, Peter Warren,

John Yee, Nai-Li Yee, George N. Yoshida

contributing writers Wayne Chan, Alok Sarwal, Shelley Migaki,

Harrison Tu, Paolo Dizon

on the cover2013 Miss Asian American Colorado Thuy Trang finished a year of her title and win crown the 2014

winner on Saturday, July 12. See the special edition of the 2014 Miss Asian American Colorado Leadership

Program on page 24. subscriptions To subscribe, e-mail marketing@asianavenuemag azine.com. A one-year subscription is $25 for 12 issues, a two-year subscription is 40 for 24 issues. Please make checks or money orders payable to Asian Avenue magazine. For details about special corporate or group rates, please call during business hours: Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm. Shipping and handling included. advertisingAsian Avenue magazine offers businesses the most cost-effective way to reach consumers in the Denver/Boulder metro areas and beyond. For more information, call during business hours or e-mail us at marketing@asianavenuemagazine.com for our media kit and ad rates. editorialTo submit story ideas, letters to the editor or event calendar listings, e-mail editor@asianavenuemagazine.com. Asian Avenue magazine (ISSN 1932-1449) reserves all copyrights to this issue. No parts of this edition can be reproduced in any manner without written permission. The views expressed in articles are the authors’ and not necessarily those of Asian Avenue magazine. Authors may have consulting or other business relationships with the companies they discuss.

Published by Asian Avenue Magazine, Inc.P.O. Box 221748 Denver, CO 80222-1748

Tel: 303.937.6888 Fax: 303.750.8488

www.asianavenuemagazine.com Asian Avenue magazine is in association with the Colorado Asian Culture and Education Network.

Dear Asian Avenue readers,

This issue is our special edition highlighting the Miss Asian American Colorado Leadership Program, beginning on page 24. Congratulations to the program’s committee members and this year’s candidates for its seventh year! I would like to recognize the 2013 Miss Asian Ameri-can Colorado, Thuy Trang, for her amazing dedication and commitment to the program this year. She is a gracious and compassionate leader! Please see her farewell letter and words of advice to the 2014 Miss AACO. The finale show will be held on Saturday, July 12 at the Tivoli Turnhalle and we invite all of you to join and support the leadership and talents of Colorado’s young Asian American women.

This month, we feature Anna Christy, soprano singer at the Central City Opera. For our Rising Star, Dollar Lee shares his personal experiences of growing up in a Hmong-American family and hoping to make an impact on young people. In addition to his involvement with Asian Pacific Development Center’s Youth Leadership Academy, he also plans to pursue a Masters degree in public health to improve health disparities he sees in underrepresented communities. He undoubtedly has a bright future ahead of him!

If you are traveling this summer, read about these stories to get you warmed up! Our staff writer Mary Schultz visits Europe and shares a glimpse of her sightings of Asian influence. From city to city, she documents aspects of Asian culture seen in the ambiance, the cuisine, and more. Paolo Dizon also depicts his travels to El Nido, where he spent much of his trip scuba diving.

Two new spots in the southeast Denver/Aurora area are gaining popularity—#trending! Comrade Brewing Company, owned by David Lin, opened in April and welcomes you to stop in for a beer. Tofu House celebrated its grand open-ing last month. The restaurant originates from Seoul, South Korea with its first location founded in 1962. This world famous restaurant is a must-try for its traditional tofu soup.

I would like to thank Lee Sun Hee Photography for this new photo and working with me on a lifestyle photoshoot. Please see her fantastic photos at www.leesunhee.net. We hope to have her shoot for the magazine in the near future!

July 2014 celebrates the eighth year of Asian Avenue magazine, which began in July of 2006. Thank you for your con-tinued encouragement and support for the magazine. We see the impact we are making and the important role we play for Colorado’s Asian-American community. We always welcome your input, ideas and contributions. Please e-mail us at editor@asianavenuemagazine.com. Here’s to eight more years!

Thank you, Xie Xie, for all your support!

Annie Guo, PresidentAsian Avenue magazine

40

asian avenuemagazine

20 July 2014 | President’s Note 2

Find Inside >> Table of Contents

20 July 2014 | Table of Contents 4

78

6 Event Calendar

7 Spotlight Anna Christy, soprano singer, performs in Central City Opera

8 Rising Star Dollar Lee shares his outlook to help others through public health and mentorship

9 Comedy Column Fútbol or Football? That is the Question

10 Inside Story How the Health Care Law Benefits You

11 Travel Scuba Diving in El Nido

12 Feature Story Finding Asian influences in Europe

15 Legal Column: Minimum Wage Debate Beneficial or detrimental to the country?

16 Brewery Peek: Comrade Brewing Company

17 Restaurant Peek: Tofu House

On Scene

18 Two students won scholarship sponsored by Allstate

13th Chinese Executive Media Management Program

19 James Hada receives Japan Imperial Decoration

FACC celebrated its 19th annual Filipino festival

20 National News

21 Chinese Idiom “A Futile Attempt”

24 SPecIAL eDITIOn 2014 Miss Asian American Colorado Leadership Program

161112 19

William Schoolcraft, MD • Eric Surrey, MD • Debra Minjarez, MD Robert Gustofson, MD • Jennifer Brown, MD

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Aurora Summer Concerts:Phat Daddy

Thursday, July 10, 6:30 to 8pmUtah Park, 1800 S. Peoria St. Aurora, CO

For more information, call the Aurora Chamber of Commerce at 303-344-1500. In case of in-

clement weather, call after 3 p.m. on the day of the concert for information on cancellations.

Bring a blanket and find a spot on the lawn for the city of Aurora’s 28th annual Aurora Summer Concerts (formerly known as Banks in Harmo-ny). Great food is available for sale on site from Legends of Aurora Sports Grill and Cold Stone Creamery. The high energy sounds of Phat

Daddy will rock the night! This band boasts of some of Denver’s top nightclub and showroom performers. Drawing upon the unique flexibility of its five members, Phat Daddy has the ability to provide outstanding entertainment, from R&

B to contemporary hits. Phat Daddy’s music electrifies audiences of all ages.

Asian Chamber LuncheonFriday, July 11, 11:30am to 1pmDenver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Conference RoomCost: Members $10, Non-members $15

For more information, visit www.asianchambercommerce.org.

Selling for Non-Sales Professionals acknowl-edges that many entrepreneurs and service/trade profes-sionals are “accidental salespeople” that find themselves in a client development role where they must bal-ance their area of pro-fessional expertise with their new customer generation goals.

This session examines some of the issues that create frustration due to the natural tension

between those two roles and ways to overcome them with a new and fresh look at the selling process.This information will be most relevant to individuals that own their own business or

have a strong business development role in their business and are involved in direct selling where two humans are interacting in the selling process

either over the phone or in-person.

Colorado Dragon Boat FestivalWeekend of July 19-20

Sloan’s Lake ParkAdmission: Free

Parking available at Sports Authority Field for $5For more information, visit www.cdbf.org.

The Opening Ceremony awakens the spirit of the dragon within the boats and blesses all the athletes who will compete. It’s a great way to

start off the weekend’s athletic competition, and a big draw for spectators each year. During the pageantry of the Opening Ceremony, the race

teams take part in a parade that is similar to the Olympics, only each team is encouraged to show as much spirit as possible, and represent their

communities and sponsoring organizations. Learn more about the races, the vendors, the perfor-

mances and all that’s new for 2014!

Japan America Society of Colorado Annual Charity Golf

TournamentMonday, July 21Castle Pines Ridge

1414 Castle Pines Pkwy, Castle Pines, COFor more information, visit www.jascolorado.org/26th-annual-japan-colorado-charity-golf-

tournament.

All proceeds from this tournament benefit Japanese education programs of JASC and JFA – including the annual Japan Cup competition for

Japanese language students in middle school, high school, and college; a JASC scholarship awarded to one Colorado college student to help offset

costs of studying abroad in Japan; Japan In The Schools K-8 outreach program; and the Japanese

School of Denver. Join for this great cause!

upcoming

July 2014 | Event Calendar 6

events

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© 2014 Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Must be 21 or older. Isle and Lady Luck are registered trademarks of Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Promotions subject to change or cancellation without notice. Reservations required and based on availability. Call 1-800-THE-ISLE (843-4753) and have your credit card available. Please mention package and request the Isle or Lady Luck® Tower at time of booking. Please present this advertisement at check-in. Not valid with any other offer. Credit card required to make reservation and also upon check-in. Must call to cancel your reservation 24 hours prior to arrival to avoid a $40.00 cancellation fee. Arrival time is 4:00pm. Blackout dates may apply. Valid through 8/3/14. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.

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With an impressive repertoire, soprano Anna Christy is shar-ing her talented voice at Central City Opera in Susanna: The

Marriage of Figaro.Resident of Greenwood Village, Christy, commutes to Central City

for rehearsal on this opera, scheduled to begin June 28 and lasting until July 26. After her long commutes, Christy asks herself, “What was I thinking?” Then, she begins to relax when she realizes she gets to sleep in her bed, and she is grateful.

She also shares how lucky she is to be able to enjoy what she loves—singing.

“For the last 15 years, I’m really lucky to work professionally, trav-eling around the world, married to a supportive husband and raising a 5-year-old daughter,” she said.

The 38-year-old Japanese-American opera soprano considers her-self as half Japanese, sharing she is fluent in her native language and adding her mom required her to speak at home to practice her skills. She also shares Japan is her second home and with a tight schedule tries to visit her homeland every two years.

“I love the food, the culture and the language,” she said.After living in Connecticut, she and her family decided to settle in

Greenwood Village, Colorado two years ago, adding that the Rocky Mountain state is situated close to Pasadena, California, her home-town.

Since she graduated from Rice University and the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music at age 24, Christy has landed challenging roles as a soprano opera singer. Because of her impressive repertoire, she looks for two definite requirements in se-lecting a role.

“There needs to be a strong musical connection to the piece,” she said. “And I love it.”

She also needs to see a dramatic connection to the producer and be able to trust the director.

Since grade school, Christy always knew she was going to pur-

sue a career in music. “I was hooked since the beginning,” she said. “There’s nothing cooler than that.”

Since graduate school, she was ready than most of her peers. She also shared her peers, who have graduated 15 years ago, are just beginning to get roles now after waiting for their voices to mature for the appropriate roles. She credits her success to strong dramatic training and believes this is how she stayed ahead of her peers.

“It was a perfect storm of timing,” Christy said.Her passion is transparent when she talks about her craft. Can-

didly, she feels confuse when she receives a paycheck because she just can’t believe she gets paid for something she loves deeply and passionately.

While she makes it so easy, she pointed out that she pursued a dif-ficult career and discourages others to pursue this path if they don’t absolutely love it.

“If there is anything that will make you happy, do it,” she said. “You really, really want it badly.”

● Hometown: Pasadena, California● School: Rice University and the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music● Hobbies/Interest: Singing and raising her daughter● For more information or to pur-chase tickets, visit www.centralcity-opera.org/event/the-marriage-of-figaro.● Learn more about Anna Christy at www.annachristy.com.

About Anna Christy

Anna Christy flourishes as a soprano opera singer within

the world stage

7Spotlight | asian avenue magazine

Mary Jeneverre SchultzAsian Avenue magazine

Born in Denver, Dollar Lee was named after the perseverance and hope of his parents as Hmong refugees. His brother, who is five years older, is named Silver.

“I guess my parents thought that their kids would be their fortune after years of struggle in the States,” he says.

His mother is full Lao, but was adopted by Hmong parents when she was an orphan.

“I was culturally raised Hmong and have identified as Hmong ever since I was born.”

Lee, who is active both at school and in the Asian-American community, says he loved growing up in Colorado and has no intention of leaving the state.

He attended Westminster High School’s In-ternational Baccalaureate Program, where he was “able to academically challenge himself and be part of the IB family with his graduating class.” Aside from academics, Lee was athletic, playing soccer and running track.

“As I participated in these sports, I’ve learned more about self-discipline and how important it was to balance my time with aca-demics,” he says.

In high school, Lee also joined the Asian Pacific Development Center’s youth program. First, he was a member, then became a del-egate and is now a junior counselor for the Youth Leadership Academy.

Lee says, “I’ve always gained something from the Youth Leadership Academy in my journey to explore my leadership style and my own character. My leadership skills that I have attained, I owe it all to them. They’ve done such a great job in helping me mold myself to being who I am today.”

Lee believes his greatest achievement was in college when he communicated to his dad that he did not want to become a doctor.

“My dad has always wanted me to become

a doctor and nothing else. During my sopho-more year of college, I figured that the path of becoming a doctor was just not for me. I wanted my father to understand that there are more ways of being successful in life than just becoming a doctor. So, I told him that I wanted to switch majors to public health.”

After much reasoning, his dad interrupted him by saying he would support Lee as much as he could.

“Right then, I felt the weight I carried for so many years crumble to the ground. Since then I’ve been a lot happier and my grades have been a lot better after I changed majors.”

Lee is passionate about pursuing a masters degree in public health after attending a con-ference called “Free bodies, Free minds, Edu-cation for Liberation” in Chicago. He believes there are so many social injustices in under-represented communities.Lee is involved with the AAPI community because he wants to share his experiences with the younger youth and relate to them to be a bridge for them and help them achieve their life and/or educational goals.

“As an Ethnic Studies minor, I;ve found how important it is to educate the young about em-bracing your culture and how important it is to know your history.

I feel that in order to know where you are going in the future, you must understand where you’ve come from.”

RISING STAR: Dollar Lee was born to bring good fortune

“As an Ethnic Studies minor, I’ve found how important it is to educate the young about embracing your culture and

how important it is to know your history.

Dollar Lee (right) with his mom Chanthaly Thao, dad Ge Lee, and brother Silver Lee.

8 July 2014 | Rising Star

By Annie Guo | Asian Avenue magazine

CU-Denver dragon boat team

Asian Pacific Development Center Youth Leadership Academy retreat at Estes Park

School: University of Colorado Denver

Hometown: Denver, CO

Involvements: Asian Pacific Development Center Youth Leadership Academy, TRIO

Student Support Services Program,Educational Opportunities Program,

CU-Denver Dragon Boat Team

Quote Dollar lives by: “Money doesn’t make the man, the man

makes the money.” - Dollar Lee

Dollar in three words: motivated, patient, trustworthy

Hobbies: rock climbing, sports (soccer, volleyball,

basketball, football), hiking, physical fitness

9Comedy Column | asian avenue magazine

I admit it – I’m an ignorant American. As hard as it is to admit, I’m afraid it’s true.

Last week, for the first time in my life, I watched an entire game, start to finish, of the World Cup. I watched the U.S. against Portugal, which ended up in a tie.

Far be it for me to make fun of fútbol. I’m well aware that it is the world’s most popular sport. Just watching the passion of the fans watching in the sta-dium, it’s obvious that people really do care about this game. This is a game that demands respect, which I am doing by referring to the game by the correct name of “fútbol” instead of “soccer”, which shows my deep respect for the game since it took me five minutes to figure out how to put the “ú” in fútbol.

Watching that U.S./Portugal game, there were as-pects of the game I could definitely appreciate. I can see how effective ball passing and strategy are integral parts of the game. I can also see how you can invest yourself into rooting for your own coun-try. That’s all well and good.

But coming from a U.S. sports perspective, there are a few things I just don’t get.

First of all, when a player scores a goal, the player usually turns around and runs towards his fellow teammates and they…hug? A hug? Seri-ously? Having watched American football, my ex-pectations are for the player to turn around, face his teammates, while one of them rushes up and head butts him as a way of saying, “Nice job, Bill!” As far as I’m concerned, a celebration isn’t a celebra-tion without a moderately severe traumatic head concussion.

And before the well-placed head butt, how can any self respecting fútbol player who just scored a goal not at least run around the field without show-

boating for the audience, doing a little mini dance and maniacally gyrating his heiney in front of a global audience as if to say, “Hi Mom! Look at me! This is my victory twerk!”

As I said, I totally understand the allure of rooting for your own country in a fútbol game, but with the sports I’m accustomed to, that also means rooting against the other team. That’s half the fun!

With football, basketball, and baseball, I can root against the Dodgers, Raiders, or the Heat, and find a lot of reasons why I’m rooting against them. Maybe a Dodger player said something disparaging against someone on my team, or maybe a player my team really wanted to draft ended up going to another team in the end. Either way, that’s a perfect rea-son for me to hate that other team. Let me correct that, because “hate” is a harsh word and I’ve tried to teach my kids never to say that word.

So, instead I’ll say, I vehemently despise that team with every fiber of my body. See? Much better.

But with fútbol, it’s much harder. Yes, I can root on the U.S. team, but how do I root against Portugal?

Going through Wikipedia, I tried my best to find something about Portugal to root against, just the slightest bit of acrimony I could use to help bolster my fútbol cheering credentials.

Let’s see…they were a founding member of the United Nations…that’s a good thing, I guess. I once had a box of grapes go bad and I think they were imported from Portugal…probably not their fault. They have both a president and a prime minister – a little confusing but not really offensive. Hmm…

Wait a minute! Port wine comes from Portugal! I like Cabernet! That’s it! Down with Portugal!

That wasn’t easy. If the U.S. ever plays Switzer-land in the World Cup, I think I’ll be in real trouble.

Fútbol or Football? That is the Question

Wayne ChanAuthor, The Problem with Perfect

10 July 2014 | Inside Story

The Affordable Care Act will help make health insurance cover-age more affordable and accessible for millions of Americans.

For Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, like other racial and eth-nic minorities, the law addresses inequities in access to quality, af-fordable health coverage. The Affordable Care Act invests in preven-tion and wellness, and gives individuals and families more control over their health care care.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are impacted by health and health care differently than the general population. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders tend to be less affected than other groups by certain cancers, but also are less likely to get screened for cancer. For example, in 2010, Asian American women over 18 years of age were least likely to have had a Pap test (68.0 percent) compared with oth-er women: non-Hispanic white (72.8 percent), non-Hispanic black (77.4 percent), Hispanic/Latino (73.6 percent), American Indian/Alaska Native (73.4 percent). Additionally in 2008, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders ages 19 through 24 were 1.6 times more likely to have Hepatitis B than non-Hispanic whites. Expanding opportuni-ties for coverage can improve health outcomes for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, nationwide, nearly 2 million uninsured Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have new oppor-tunities for affordable health insurance coverage. The majority, or 8 out of 10 (1.9 million out of 2 million), of eligible uninsured Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders may qualify for Medicaid, the Chil-dren’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or lower costs on monthly premiums through the Marketplace. Although the annual enroll-ment period to get private coverage in the Marketplace is closed for 2014, enrollment in Medicaid and the CHIP is open year round.

In Colorado 125,402 individuals selected a Marketplace plan be-tween October 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014. An additional 229,524 Coloradans enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP through the end of March 2014, compared to enrollment before the Marketplace opened Oc-tober 1, 2013. Under the health care law, if your plan covers chil-dren, you can now add or keep your children on your health insur-ance policy until they turn 26 years old. Thanks to this provision, over 50,000 young adults have insurance in Colorado. As many as 2,250,003 non-elderly Coloradans have some type of pre-existing health condition, including 291,351 children. Today, most insurers can no longer deny coverage to anyone because of a pre-existing condition under the health care law. The health care law requires many insurance plans to provide coverage without cost sharing to enrollees for a variety of preventive health services, such as colo-noscopy screening for colon cancer, Pap smears and mammograms for women, well-child visits, and flu shots for all children and adults.

Thus this program will ensure that:• 80 Cents Out of Every Premium Dollar Goes to Your Care• Increased transparency in Health Insurance Rates• Stronger Consumer Protections

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We welcome all immigrants and ethnic communities!

How the Health Care Law Benefits You• No More Denials Because of Pre-Existing Conditions• Keep Young Adults on Their Parents’ Plans. • Access to Quality, Affordable Coverage, and Medicaid ex-

pansion in Colorado• Health Coverage Guides and Assistance Networks ensure

all people have access to insurance

Due to the complex household composition, immigration status, and potential for dual eligibility caused by residency restrictions for public insurance programs, the enrollment process has been espe-cially cumbersome for immigrant and refugee families in Colorado. CAHEP has been able to identify these enrollment challenges and address the barriers with culturally responsive education and ap-plication assistance provided to ethnically diverse populations. By tailoring their enrollment services to prepare for these complexities, the Colorado Alliance for Health Equity and Practice has leveraged their expertise to streamline the enrollment processes for these hard-to-reach populations.

11Travel | asian avenue magazine

This past January, I took an amazing and very memorable vacation in El

Nido; a different world. El Nido is a town located at the northern tip of Palawan, Phil-ippines. It’s a 5 hour mini bus shuttle from Puerto Princesa Airport to the El Nido depot. It’s noteworthy to mention that approx. 10 years ago, the same route took 15-18 hours because the area and roads were not devel-oped and paved. Today, the mini bus shuttle is air conditioned, usually seats 12-13 pas-sengers and costs between Php 550 to 700 ($13-$16) per person one way; depend-ing on your negotiation skills at the airport desk. The shuttle makes a couple stops for bathroom breaks and lunch. Make sure you have local currency for lunch and snacks Php 60 to 100.

Upon arriving at the El Nido depot, you will need to hop on a motorized tricycle. It’s the local mode of transportation. Depend-ing on your negotiation skills, the cost for the motorized tricycle starts at Php 50, for a 3-5 km ride. In town, there are many Bed and Breakfast places or Pensions to choose from. Many European tourists will walk from place to place searching for vacancies and negotiating accommodation prices. Keep in mind that many Europeans take holiday for 3-6 months, so they typically negotiate and find inexpensive accommodations to stretch

their budget. If you are the typical 1-2 week American vacationer, splurge and research for resorts to your liking online. Personally, I booked my room for 3 nights online; so that I had peace of mind when I arrived into town. My online reservation included an air condi-tioned room, a double bed and breakfast for $40 a night; free Wifi onsite too. My room was clean and comfortable.

There are 4 island hopping tours to choose from; tour A to Tour C. Each tour takes a full day and includes a very filling and delicious lunch. The cost for each tour ranges from Php 1200 to 1400 per person ($27-$31) and includes your snorkeling gear. Have your water proof camera ready and invest in those water proof carry cases for your money and/or cell phone. Because some of the island hopping includes stops with corals, bring water shoes with you. Flip flops are not practical when hopping on and off the boats.

If you have the time, doing each island hopping tour would be ideal. However, if you have a limited stay, the recommended order would be C, A, B and then D. Check with the local booking desk (in town or at your ho-tel) to find out which tours are taking place due to the tide conditions. Depending on the time of year, high tide and rough waters will prevent some tours from happening.

After your day of island hopping or what-ever, make sure to take advantage of the massage services. One hour full body Swed-ish/Shiatsu massage ranges from Php 400 to 600 ($9-$13)

Other things to do include● Kayak rentals for the whole day is Php

800 ($16).● Scuba Fun Dives: 2X Php 2800 ($63), 3X

Php 3600 ($80), Night dive Php 2200 ($49), Sunset Php 4300 ($96)

● Scuba Courses: D.S.D. 2X Php 3800 ($85), D.S.D. 3X Php 4600 ($103), Open Water Course Php 19,500 ($434), Advance Course Php 18500 ($412)

● Happy Hour specials (4pm to 8pm) at many watering holes include 3 San Miguel or Red Horse beers for Php 100 ($2)

Things you should know1. El Nido collects Eco-Tourism Develop-

ment Fee (Php 200 – valid for 10 days)2. Swimming attire is not allowed in the

town streets3. Taking shells and sands from the beach

is prohibited4. Electricity runs from 2pm to 6am5. Curfew hours for minors (17 yrs and

below) is 10pm to 5am6. Visit www.elnidotourism.com for more

information

By Aurelia Grinstead

El NidoBy Paulo Dizon

July 2014 | Feature Story 12

In numerous cities throughout Europe, a little Asia is found throughout the conti-

nent. Influences are found in hotels, restau-rants and even shopping.

According to the China Tourism Academy, some 200 million Chinese could be travel-ling abroad annually by 2020, up from 82 million in 2012.

Even Asian influences are obvious in Eu-ropean’s transportation vehicles, including rail. Historians, anthropologists and social scientists are calling this century the “birth of Eurasian.”

Rail travelRail transportation is evolving into an eco-

nomic boom for both Asia and Europe. While Europe’s rail infrastructure is an affordable method for traveling between countries through networks such as Eurail, Asia is see-ing the rapid increase of bullet trains in Japan and China. These rail options may become a possibility as Beijing proposes an exten-sion of the railway that in only 12 days links Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan to Lutz in Poland, crossing Kazakhstan, Russia and Be-larus, a rail route that may become the most important commercial route in the world.

PerceptionsFilipino-American Grace Quan shared it’s

a different perception between the 1980s

and today. “ I saw a huge different in the way Asians are treated – back then there weren’t too many Asians traveling in Europe and Europeans seemed to label Asians as only Chinese,” she said. “During this trip, we saw tourists from different Asian cultures.”

In addition, back in the 1980s, Quan re-ceived longer stares from other Europe-ans. “They probably were trying to figure out where I was from,” she said. However, that perception has changed today with many Asians and Asian Americans ventur-ing to smaller, popular destinations such as Lourdes, Fatima and Turin.

Asian CuisinesWith the onset of Dutch colonies in India

back in 1600s, Indian restaurants are part of the landscape in Amsterdam. May Chang, resident of Aurora, visited Amsterdam with her husband Salim in 2006. “That surprised me when we were there,” she said. The story of colonization plays a big part in the role of the rise of Indian and curry restaurants.

Difficult to find Asian ingredients, Jenima Invencion Jerge regrets not paying attention to her mom’s Filipino cooking. Since she moved to Switzerland earlier this year, her husband Mark and her frequent a “handful” of Asian restaurants, which are predomi-nantly Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Vietnam-ese, located five minutes of each other.

Trying to resort to homemade Filipino food in their Switzerland residence, Jerge has attempted to locate ingredients in Swiss markets. “The local grocery stores carry a few Chinese, Japanese and Indian ingredi-ents but most people eat fondue, pasta or salad,” she said.

Despite the continuing growth of Asian influences, Maria Sison misses “authentic” cuisines of the east. She has frequented Asian smorgasbord buffets and pre-cooked Vietnamese or Thai food but not sit-in res-taurants where chefs can stir fry entrees. “I miss the the variety and competition of Asian restaurants and supermakets visible in communities with different culture,” Si-son said.

She also feels paying $4 for a small bottle of soy sauce is a crime but would pay dearly for a glass of Boba tea or fruit drinks.

Chinatowns in EuropeThe most obvious attractions are the Chi-

natowns throughout Europe. Chinatowns in Europe include several urban Chinatowns that exist in major European capital cities. Chinatowns include:

• London, England• Manchester• Birmingham• LiverpoolIn Paris, two Chinatowns exist within the

Finding a little Asia in EuropeMary Jeneverre Schultz

Asian Avenue magazine

Little Asia in Europe | asian avenue magazine 13

Finding a little Asia in Europe

Quartier Chinois de Paris, 13th arrondissement of Paris Chinatown London, London’s West End

Served in banana leaves, Koh Samet of Paris showcases Vietnamese flavors, using authentic Asian ingredients.

Pinoy Supermarket is situated in the neighborhood of Kensington, near London.

city’s quarters. They include:• Quartier chinois located in the 13th ar-

rondissment of Paris• Belleville situated in the northeast of

Paris.Maria Sison, a Filipino-American, visited

Paris Chinatown. She described the China-town as filled with more east-Asian influ-ences with a touch of African restaurants filtering throughout this area.

LondonTucked away in a suburb just outside

of London in Kensington, a Manila town is prominent through restaurants, markets and remittance businesses with names such as Pinoy Restaurants or Bank of Ma-nila. Within the same neighborhood, Think Apartments employs Asian workers to wel-come international guests from Asia. The sleek and elegant rooms offer additional amenities outside of regular hotel suites, showcasing a minimalist space.

Rita Bugarin Masinsin, a Filipino-Ameri-can, who lived in London for several years, tried to find a home next to London’s Chi-natown so she and her husband could get some “Asian influences.”

“The Brits loved us because we were Asian Americans,” Bugarin Masinsin said. “They felt like we were so worldly because we had

our Asian cultures and heritage within us but we grew up in the States.”

London restaurant owner Nancy Lam of Enak Enak shares Asian influences is visible in the pagodas and restaurants in Chinatown, adding it is small but beautiful. “There are always festivals and of course Chinese New Year,” she said. “There is a major foodie scene all over London with many Asian cuisines to be found around ...Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian and many more.”

Tour guide Kevin of Rabbies Tour Com-pany agrees the Asian restaurants are a fa-miliar sight throughout the countryside of England, including the towns of Henley and Marlow, alongside the Thames River. But Bugarin Masinsin shared the small Filipino market was situated too far from their resi-dence in London so frequent visits did not occur much.

However, tourists doubted Kevin’s com-ment of Asian restaurants a “familiar sight.”

“In London, I didn’t really see any Chi-nese restaurants outside of Chinatown,” said Grace Quan, a Filipino-American, who traveled with her 80-year-old mom, Dolores Guadalupe.

ParisEven the Louis Vuitton fashionable bags

showcase influences from old Shanghai,

while Givenchy featured its spring fashion through Asian-European models.

Obviously, Asian food, particularly Chi-nese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Indian food is beginning to be very popular, according to Maria Sison, who moved her family to Britta-ny, France. “I see these kinds of ethnic food competing with other types of pre-prepared foods at French markets,” Sison said.

At Le 114 Faubourg, this Michelin-rated restaurant offers the most intense culinary experience with seafood plated with an Asian twist. Ask for the daily specials, fish platter seasoned with soy and fish sauce will lure diners to the epitome of French cuisine, with a touch of Asian flavors.

Swanky hotels beckon even the affluent Asian travelers through the small touches of décor. At the Hotel Pont Royal, an upscale boutique with views of the Eiffel Tower and the views of Montmartre, the breakfast din-ing area provides a beautiful view of a min-iature Japanese garden in the atrium, some-thing so unexpected as diners relax to the beautiful hues of greens.

For ex-pats such as Maria Sison, assimila-tion into the European culture was an easy transition for her and her family. She cred-ited it to the French affinity to family. “They like to do things “en familie,” things we may do less in the U.S.,” Sison said. “French cul-

ture is very traditional and family oriented. I guess it’s a lot like Asian cultures.”

As for her language skills, Sison shared learning French was much easier than talk-ing Tagalog, her native language of the Philip-pines. Even when living in the Philippines on and off for five years, she felt at ease speaking French in Brittany, a coastal city of France.

As of 2011, the south Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs tabulated more than 12,5000 Koreans living in France, making them the third largest Korean diaspora community in Western Europe, the majority lives in the 15th arrondissement.

LourdesRated as the third visited Catholic pil-

grimages in the world, Lourdes, France lures six million tourists to this world-renowned shrine. Visitors will hear all kinds of lan-guages through mass service, confessions and rosary processions. The multiculturism is visible when Vietnamese/Chinese/Kore-an priests, monks and nuns speak in Italian or French with their Asian accents.

TurinTurin or (known as Torino) is known for its

banking industry. As a result, Japanese busi-nessmen and their families have immigrated to this Italian city back in the 1970s, accord-ing to Sara, a tour guide of Local Guiding. En-trepreneurs, capitalizing on this immigrant population, established Sushi and noodle restaurants throughout the downtown area and locations close to train stations.

About 90 percent of the Chinese popula-tion of 4,000 comes from Zhejian, according to the University of Turin. Milan is ranked as the highest concentration of Chinese, then the city of Prato follows second.

Rome“In the eternal city, there are no Asian

influences in Rome from an artistic point of view, in Rome,” said Loredana, partner relations executive of Walks of Italy. “How-ever, there is a strong Asian presence in the quarter “Esquilino” of Rome (nearby the

stazione termini).”But the population of Asians tells anoth-

er story. More than 50 Chinese restaurants in Rome compete for the dining dollars of tourists and locals. Archaeological digs have revealed the skeletal remains of an East Asian, living during the Roman times 2,000 years ago.

Today, the Chinese population is tallied at more than 140,000 living in Italy, accord-ing to recent census counts. This popula-tion count does not account for illegal im-migrants, former Chinese citizens who have acquired Italian nationality or Italian-born people of Chinese descent.

Back in 2013, the Japanese Cultural In-stitute in Rome celebrated its 50th anni-versary in Italy. The anniversary showcased extensive programs of events designed to in-crease the appreciation of Japanese culture in Italy. Situated on Via Antonio Gramsci, above the British School facing Villa Bor-ghese, the institute was designed by Tokyo architect Isoya Yoshida.

Rome is home to five Japanese-owned in-dustries:

1. Suzuki Manufacturing2. Neaton Rome3. NIFAST Corp.4. F & P Georgia5. Advance Steel TechnologyAsian businessmen are visible in hotels

such as the Hilton Garden Rome Airport. A major-ity of our international tourists are coming from Japan and China. Man-agement recognizes the deep pockets Asians bring when they visit Europe. One of the desk agents speak Chinese fluently, ac-cording to Simone Iovac-chini, director of opera-tions of the Hilton Garden Rome Airport.

VaticanThe attraction of religious

life lures devout Christians to this interna-tional city. Asia shows considerable figures of those entering vocations and religious life. By nature, Asians are religious.

Back in May, Pope Francis ordained 13 priests, including a Pakistani and a Vietnam-ese, on World Day of Prayer for Vocations. The Pakistani priest was a member of the Order of Discalced Augustinians from Paki-stan while the Vietnamese Seminarian came from the diocese of Vinh.

DublinIndian restaurants filtered throughout

downtown and country side of Ireland. Cur-ry houses are popular but surprising estab-lishments.

The Filipino community is visible throughout their restaurants and mini mar-kets. Healthcare workers and hospitality employees from the Philippines comprise of about 200,000 Filipinos living in the capitol of Ireland.

Multiculturalism is definitely a plus in exchanging cultural discoveries. In inter-national cities, it shows a melting pot of di-versity with multiple languages, numerous shades of skin colors and an affinity of cul-tural sensitivities.

Mary Jeneverre Schultz explored Europe with her mom last spring. To follow her ad-ventures, Tweet her @Jeneverre.

July 2014 | Feature Story 14

This Filipino Restaurant is located in the heart of Dublin, Ireland.

Hotel Pont Royal Paris calms its diners through a Japanese garden in the atrium of the hotel.

At the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Estrellita Herreria and Jeannette Schultz share an adventure of a lifetime in Europe.

This month, I will talk about the debate over minimum wage. This is a debate that is raging across the country. Seattle made headlines recently for increasing its minimum wage to $15 per hour, which is the highest rate in the country. The legislatures in Hawaii, Maryland, Connecticut, and Massachusetts have voted to increase the mini-mum wage in their respective states. Meanwhile, the United States Senate defeated a bill that would have raised the federal minimum wage to $10.10 from its current rate of $7.25 per hour.

In Colorado, the state minimum wage is $8 per hour. This is an increase from last year because Article XVIII, Section 15, of the Colo-rado Constitution requires the Colorado minimum wage to be ad-justed annually for inflation.

One of the main arguments against raising the minimum wage is that employers will eliminate jobs or reduce workers’ hours in response to the increased cost of doing business. Conversely, one of the main arguments for raising the minimum wage is that the cost increase will be more than offset by increased sales because low-income workers now have greater spending power.

This debate is so complicated that even economists cannot agree on the answer. In January 2014, seven Nobel prize-winning econo-mists and eight former presidents of the American Economic As-sociation signed a letter supporting President Obama’s proposal to raise the federal minimum wage. However, in April 2014, three Nobel-prize winning economists and over 500 economic experts signed a letter urging Congress to not raise the federal minimum wage because it will hurt the economy.

To further complicate the debate, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (“CBO”) released a report in February 2014 regarding President Obama’s proposal to raise the minimum wage. Repub-licans pounced on the report’s prediction that raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 will result in 500,000 job loss, or about 0.3 percent of the labor force. Democrats countered by pointing out that the report also predicted that 16.5 million low-wage workers would get a raise and 900,000 families would be lifted above the poverty line.

Ultimately, there is no clear answer over whether a minimum wage increase will be beneficial or detrimental to the economy. I urge all of you to do your own research instead of relying on sound bites from the Republicans or the Democrats.

15

About HARRY BUDISIDHARTAHarry received his law degree

from the University of Colorado Law School. He has his own law firm and is the current president of the Mile High chapter of the Japanese American Citi-zens League, the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organiza-tion in the United States. Contact him at harry@denverfirm.com.

Legal Column: Minimum Wage Debate

Legal Column | asian avenue magazine

July 2014 | Brewery Peek 16

The craft beer business has boomed in Colo-rado over the last ten years and the state is now home to over 232 breweries. I went

to check out the new kid on the block in Southeast Denver, Comrade Brewing Company.

Comrade converted a garage in the shopping center off of Iliff and Trenton into a spacious brewery complete with a bar that lines the perimeter, plenty of seating, and a large screen TV that was showing a World Cup game when I visited on a sunny mile-high day. This is one of the most spacious brewer-ies I’ve been to in Colorado, with 120 seats and the capacity to accommodate 174 people.

The décor is clean and bright, with red accent walls. The open windows let in enough sun-shine and air to fill the room. Young couples, groups of friends, and lone patrons filled the space enjoying Comrade’s wide selection of beers. A small food truck sits outside serving patrons but you can also bring in food to enjoy at the brewery.

Offering nine beers at a time with four house beers, and as many seasonal as they can carry, Comrade offers a variety of beers to appeal to any-one. My favorite part is that their motto is “welcome to the party.” The brewery can currently produce 1,200 bar-rels a year and will work up to producing 3,000 barrels in the next few years. Thursday’s are “Firkin Thursday’s” at Comrade, and I might have to stop in just to try their Apple Pie malt brew on Independence Day.

The Superpower IPA is one of the most popular brews at Comrade, a West coast style IPA with loads of Pacific Northwest hops. They were sold out at the time so I had to take home a growler of Money Penny, English summer ale with me instead. Their blonde ale Yellow Card was delightfully crisp and refreshing, so much that it made me think twice about getting another growler to go.

If you look closely at Comrade’s logo you will pick up on the subtle reference to owner David Lin’s Chinese heritage. Lin is one of the few Asian Americans that have entered the predominately white male dominated

brewing industry. He got his start over ten years ago at a local brewery in Texas and later moved to Colo-rado where he continued to learn brew making at Dry Dock Brewery in Aurora. After Lin completed his MBA he set out to open his very own brewery.

“I surrounded myself with talented people,” Lin explained, “I knew I couldn’t run all aspects of the business alone.”

Lin hired a brew master, while he focuses on the business side of the brewery. Lin’s official title

is “Chairman” but don’t let the serious title fool you. Comrade brewery shows its love in subtle ways, from

the USA flag hanging in the distillation room as tribute to the fact that all equipment is purchased in the USA, to the

cooler room where each beer barrel is named in honor of a brew maker that has inspired them along the way. These com-

rades have mad love for everyone, and mostly just want to share their love for craft beer.

7667 East Iliff Ave #F

Denver, CO 80231Tel: 720-748-0700

www.comradebrewing.com

MON-TUES: ClosedWED-THURS: Noon-9ishFRI-SAT: 9:30AM-10ishSUNDAY: Noon-9ish

Owner of Comrade Brewing Company David Lin - Photos by Monica Lin

Sarah ShiraziAsian Avenue magazine

Restaurant Peek | asian avenue magazine 17

Hours:Mon - Sat: 11am to 10pmSunday: 11am to 9pm

2353 S. Havana St, Unit D1Aurora, CO 80014Tel: 303-751-2841

Monica LinAsian Avenue magazine

For those who love Korean cuisine, the newly opened Tofu House welcomes you to try its authentic tofu stew.

Originally established in Seoul, South Korea in 1962, Tofu House has its footprints in Vietnam, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Shanghai, New York and California. The Aurora, Colorado location is the first in between the West and East coast of the U.S.

Tofu House founded Sokongdong Tofu, which originated in a town named Sokongdong in Seoul in 1962. Later Sokongdong Tofu became a name brand tofu in Korea and gained widespread popularity in the 1980s when it was introduced in Los Angeles.

After 50 years of serving the best of soft tofu jjigae, Tofu House must be doing things right. They serve a selection of tofu stew including a special seafood pot, rich with tofu that tastes soft like pudding. The spicy and savory soups can also come with pork belly, prime rib, mushroom and ramen.

Another seafood dish is the Ojingeo or spicy squid. You cannot miss this crispy squid with sweet onion sauce dish. Not a seafood fan? The pork belly and prime rib entrees are also some of the most popular.

Owner Steve Woo had long hoped to bring the Tofu House franchise to Colorado, as he trained in Seoul to learn the recipes and business practices. The original spices and ingredients are delivered to all franchised locations to maintain the same delicious flavors all over the world.

A three-week training was also held at the Aurora restaurant to ensure the new staff was well-equipped for opening day on June 18. While the chef at Tofu House has more than 15 years of restaurant experience, he also spent time in Seoul for Tofu House training. Such practices are intended to ensure every guest in every store can experience the same authenticity.

With the arrival of Tofu House, we no longer have to envy our east and west coast friends.

Photos by Monica Lin

TOFU HOUSE

Sponsored by the University of Denver, the 13th Chinese Execu-tive Media Management Program officially commenced on June 14, launching a six-week training course. This year, nine students, who are leaders in the Chinese media industry, are participating in the pro-gram, which is sponsored by the Anna and John J. Sie Foundation.

During each summer since 2000, with the exception of the 2003 during the SARS scare and 2008 immediately following the Wenchuan earthquake, a group of visiting scholars selected from China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television; China Central Televi-sion; the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Encore International have come to Denver to study business management

and visit area companies. The students participating include Xin Zhou of SAPPRFT, Zhong

Minglan of SAPPRFT, Chen Xiaoqing of CCTV, Zhao Xia of CCTV, He Fang of CITVC, Dong Jinghua of CITVC, Shi Yuchun of MIIT, Yalin Li of MIIT, and Hou Yuanfei of Encore International.

Participants attend training courses that include financial analysis, marketing, business management, etc., as well as on-site observation of teaching by visiting the Cable Center, Cable Labs, Dish Network, Starz Entertainment Group, Comcast Media Center.

Everyone agreed that this is a rare and precious opportunity to learn from knowledgeable professors a multi-faceted curriculum, so that they can learn about the media during their visit in the U.S. with several large media companies. This will help them to observe advanced communications equipment and professional technology.

July 2014 | On Scene 18

Monica LinAsian Avenue magazine

Two students from Martin Luther King, Jr Early College in Denver won the Leader-

ship Scholarship and the Academic Scholarship of $500 each at the 2014 Denver Public Schools Annual Asian Educa-tion Advisory Council (AEAC) Award Ceremo-ny last month.

Brenda Quach re-ceived the Leadership Scholarship and the Academic Scholarship was won by Amy Nguy-en. The Scholarships were sponsored by All-state Migaki Insurance Agency.

Quach, a senior will be attending the Uni-versity of Colorado in Boulder to study Chemical and Biologi-cal Engineering. Win-ning awards is not new to Quach as she had

Amy Nguyen and Brenda Quach with Hap Legg, counselor of MLK Early College and Shelley Migaki of Allstate.

Two students won scholarship sponsored by AllstateShelley C. Migaki

Allstatealso won a Bold Scholarship and the Outstanding Junior Award from the University of Colorado in Boulder. Her favorite subject in school is cal-culus and she is the senior president of the Student Council and a mem-ber of the school debate team. When asked what she would do with the scholarship money, Brenda did not hesitate to say that she would save it for college.

Amy Nguyen is a junior and she keeps herself very active in school by participating in the Student Coun-cil as secretary and treasurer. She likes reading, art and spending time with her family during her leisure time. She is attending the University of Colorado Pre Collegiate program. She helps students in her school and church by giving them tutoring.

Both Quach and Nguyen are bi-lin-gual in Vietnamese and are great role models for their two younger sisters.

For more information on the schol-arships, please contact Shelley Migaki at 303-421-9702.

The 13th Chinese Executive Media Management Program begins a six-week multi-course at the University of Denver on June 14

On Scene | asian avenue magazine 19

Mary Jeneverre SchultzAsian Avenue magazine

Entertainment was prominent at the annual

FACC festival

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On Thursday, June 26, 2014, the Consulate-General of Japan in Denver was pleased to announce that Mr. James Hada, former Presi-dent of the Japan American Association of Colorado (JAAC), currently President of Amache Club, has been named as one of the recipients this year of the Japan Imperial Decoration, The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays, the ceremony was held in Residence of the Consul General of Japan in Denver.

Mr. Hada has been instrumental in the development of the Japa-nese American community. He is the longtime leader within the Japa-nese American Association of Colorado and served as its president, his long service toward building stronger relations between the Unit-ed States and Japan.

FACC celebrated its 19th annual Filipino festival

More than three hundred Filipinos, families and friends at-tended the 19th annual Philippine Festival hosted by the

Filipino-American Community of Colorado last June 7 under an overcast sky of clouds.

The festival showcased several Filipino folklore dances, tradition-al clothing, talents and food from the Philippines at is Edgewater lo-cation on Harlan Street.

With tents, booths and garage-type sales booth, there was some-thing for everyone.

James Hada receives Japan Imperial DecorationThe Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays

July 2014 | National News 20

A Filipino producer came out a big winner in

the 68th Tony Awards

The Center for Disease Control is rec-ognizing the wide spread problem of

bullying against Asian Americans.It’s funding a program in 29 communities

to reduce bullying seen in the AAPI commu-nity and to increase access to mental health programs.

The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders says Asian Americans report the highest rate of bully-ing in classrooms and school grounds, near-ly 20 & 10 percent higher.

“We will collaborate with community members, families, schools and businesses to raise awareness, promote resources, and reduce bullying in our rapidly growing Asian American population. Our approach seeks to maximize health equity and access to well-ness resources,” a statement read.

Jhett Tolentino won for the murderous Broadway musical called “A Gentle-

man’s Guide to Love and Murder” which won 4 Tonys out of its 10 nominations — includ-ing Best Musical, Best Costume, Best Direc-tion, and Best Book of a Musical.

The Filipino was also the co-producer of Denzel Washington’s “A Raisin in the Sun” which bagged a Tony for Best Revival of a Play.

Tolentino, an Iloilo native, is the third Filipino to receive a Tony following Lea Sa-longa’s Best Lead Actress in a Musical award and Robert Bobby Lopez’s 2 Best Original Score and Best Book victories

Taylor and Ayden Her want their Amer-ican Girl doll back.

The popular doll manufacturer an-nounced last month it was discontinuing its Asian American doll Ivy.

The young sisters have started an online petition and posted their thoughts on 18 Million Rising urging American Girl to re-turn Ivy to its collection.

“We also think it’s important for Ameri-can Girl® to make diverse dolls because we live in a diverse country. We are Asian girls and we’re part of America. There should be an Asian American Girl® doll that looks like us, too.”

You can sign their petition at 18 Million Rising.

Michelle Wie won her first major championship, winning the US

Women’s Open by 2 strokes at Pinehurst, NC.Wie raised her hand in victory as the fans

cheered and her mother ran up to hug her. Her entourage then doused her with cham-pagne as she put her hand on her heart and appeared to cry.

The 24-year old Wie has put enormous pressure on herself throughout her career, choosing to play against the men earlier on in her career.

“I just had a lot of fun. I’m so grateful for this opportunity. There are moments of doubt. At the same time, I had so many peo-ple around me…never lost faith in me and pushed me forward.”

A new report from the Center for Amer-ican Progress finds the number of

Asian American voters has increased from 16 to 35 percent in each of the last four na-tional elections over the previous election.

This while the number of Asian Ameri-can and Pacific Islander voters has nearly doubled to 3.9 million in the last decade.Re-searchers Karthick Ramakrishnan and Farah Z. Ahmad found at the current rate Asian Americans should make up 5 percent of all voters by 2025 and 10 percent by 2044.

Despite the rapid growth, the rate of vot-er participation lags behind other groups. Asian Americans are less likely to register to vote and less likely to become citizens. The rate of voter participation differs among the different Asian subgroups with Japanese American, Indian Americans and Hmong Americans voting at a higher rate than Chi-nese Americans.

Korean Americans have among the lowest rate of voting.

Golf phenom Michelle Wie claims first LPGA major title

Asian Americans projected to make up 10 %

of all voters by 2044

Supporters of comprehensive immigra-tion reform say the upset defeat of Re-

publican leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) doesn’t mean the end of immigration reform.

Cantor was defeated by Tea Party candi-date David Brat who ran on the platform that Cantor was too accommodating to Demo-crats.

The reality is Cantor blocked significant pieces of legislation pushed by the Obama administration. While he is more moder-ate than Brat, Cantor was no friend of liber-als and progressives and certainly not the Obama administration.

“The immigration reform is extremely popular,” Rep Bobby Scott (D-Va) said. “If the Senate bill were brought up for a vote, it would pass the House.”

“We need 218 votes,” Rep Mike Honda (D-CA) said. “We got 197 Democrats, 3 Repub-licans, that’s 200. We need 18 votes, and we just have to have Boehner put it on the floor.”

Feds confront bullying against Asian Americans

Defeat of Eric Cantor Doesn’t mean defeat of

immigration reform

Young girls want their Asian American doll back

Chinese Idiom | asian avenue magazine 21

It happened in the Spring and Autumn time. Once when Confucius planned to travel from the state of Lu to the state of

Wei, his disciple Yan Hui asked a man named Shi Jin, “My teacher goes everywhere trying to sell his ideas. He tried to pursue others to take his stand. But wherever he went he was met with refusal.

What do you think of his trip to the state of Wei?”

Shi Jin shook his head and said, “He won’t succeed.”

Yan Hui asked why. Shi Jin answered, “Let’s draw an analogy. Boats are the best means of transport on water, and carriages

are the best means of transport on land. A boat cannot be used on land. There’s a great difference between today and the old

days. Your teacher’s intention to practice what are things of the past is like trying to propel a boat on land. It’s futile attempt.”

- The Book of Zhuang Zi

徒勞無功

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1-800-THE-ISLE (843-4753) www.theisleblackhawk.com

2014 PROGRAM BOOK

2014 PROGRAM BOOK

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

201325 | | MISS AACO

Dear family, friends, and supporters,

As the 2014 Miss Asian American Colorado (AACO) Leadership Program president, I am honored to welcome you to the seventh annual Finale Show at the University of Colorado Denver Tivoli Turnhalle on this evening of Saturday July 12, 2014.

Tonight we are celebrating the seventh year of the program since our debut in 2008 and this year is unlike any in the past! We held our very first Benefit Gala where we celebrated the Miss AACO alumni with the community, which turned out to be a huge success. In addition to the Benefit Gala, many changes were made in pursuit of improvement and progression, as we reflected on what we stood for as a program.

We believe that Miss AACO is a place for all women with all different stories. This year, we are proud to announce that we have had over 100 incredible women participate in our program. Tonight we will be showcasing 13 wonderful women from 7 different ethnicities. This event culminates a four-month leadership program designed to help these candidates develop their leadership, individuality, and service. These remarkable women have proven themselves to be some of the strongest women in Colorado.

All of this would have not been possible without my incredible 2014 committee. Thank you so much for all of your hard work, support, and dedication to the Miss AACO mission.

A special thank you to you for your attendance tonight and your continuous support to the Miss AACO Leadership Program. I hope that this night will take your breath away!

Sincerely,

Dao Than2014 Miss Asian American Colorado President2011 Miss Asian American Colorado

27 || Miss AACO

FAREWELL LETTER FROM 2013 MISS ASIAN AMERICAN COLORADO

Thuy Trang

Dear Asian Avenue Readers,As my year is coming to an end, I’ve been feeling very nostalgic. This year has been such a journey for me. It was full of laughter, smiles and lots of happy tears. I’m so grateful to have been a part of such a wonderful program that really pushed my boundaries. In last year’s reflection video, I stated that I joined the program to really challenge myself and push myself out of my comfort zones. I thought it was just going to be another program where I would go to workshops, take notes and leave, hoping to learn something. This program has been beyond what I expected. I’ve met some of the most inspirational people through the program and I’m lucky enough to call them my close friends today.

My senior year was slowly coming to an end and the program was exactly what I needed to end a chapter of my life and begin a new one as I was about to go to college. It really helped me find my place in the Asian community during my first year of college. I had felt so lost because I didn’t know where my place was and what my purpose was, but the program was always there to remind me that I did have a purpose. The purpose to give back to my community whenever I can, whether it was volunteering, getting involved in an organization, or simply doing a kind deed.

Being Miss AACO also taught me a lot about myself. During my year, I continued to struggle with self confidence and my self image. I always questioned myself, “am I worthy of this title?”, “am I good enough?”, “do people see me as Miss AACO?”, etc. I kept feeling like I wasn’t glamorous or pretty enough to represent such an amazing program and I always doubted myself at the beginning because I didn’t feel like I fit into that mold. A great friend of mine (Phil Trinh) reminded me constantly that I was doing fine. He would give me pep talks and give me encouragement every time I needed it. He told me, “you didn’t let Miss AACO make you, YOU made Miss AACO.” And it made me realize that as Asian American women, we come in all sizes, shapes and forms. We don’t fit into one mold and that’s okay, because that doesn’t make us any less amazing or any less of a leader. Outside appearance really isn’t important because it comes down to what’s inside of you, your character and your compassion.

From my experience as Miss AACO, I have been introduced and exposed to many more avenues of programs and organizations I can contribute my leadership through. After the title, I will continue to fight for victims of sex trafficking, continue to be involved in my Vietnamese community, and even more. My experience as Miss AACO has really taught me that I have no limits and as long as I really put my heart and soul into what I do, I can come out successful. I hope to always be a part of Miss Asian American Leadership program because I owe so much to for what it’s given me.

I know it may be a bit hard to understand where I come from when I speak about Miss AACO, but I hope you all understand that it’s a program that changes lives, creates friendships, and helps bring light to female Asian American leaders. We continue to thank the community for always supporting our program.

Finally, I’d like to give a special thanks to: Annie Guo, Dao Than, Phil Trinh, Becca Newton, my parents, my siblings and my friends for being there for me throughout this crazy adventure.

Dear Miss AACO 2014,I hope that you enjoyed your time during the program. I hope that going through the program was worth all of the effort and that it taught you lessons that will last a lifetime. I hope that you’ve finished the program with an addition of friends to your list. But most importantly I hope that you are proud of yourself for everything you’ve accomplished. I want to let you know that the crown, the sash and the title honestly don’t mean anything. It doesn’t make you more glamorous, more important, or even more amazing. You have always been all of the above before and after the title. There is nothing to “live up to.” YOU are Miss Asian American Colorado and YOU choose what that means. I know you will do fantastically well and I am excited for what you have to offer.

Love,Thuy Trang, 2013 Miss Asian American Colorado

MISS AACO | | 26

Dear family, friends, and supporters,

As the 2014 Miss Asian American Colorado (AACO) Leadership Program president, I am honored to welcome you to the seventh annual Finale Show at the University of Colorado Denver Tivoli Turnhalle on this evening of Saturday July 12, 2014.

Tonight we are celebrating the seventh year of the program since our debut in 2008 and this year is unlike any in the past! We held our very first Benefit Gala where we celebrated the Miss AACO alumni with the community, which turned out to be a huge success. In addition to the Benefit Gala, many changes were made in pursuit of improvement and progression, as we reflected on what we stood for as a program.

We believe that Miss AACO is a place for all women with all different stories. This year, we are proud to announce that we have had over 100 incredible women participate in our program. Tonight we will be showcasing 13 wonderful women from 7 different ethnicities. This event culminates a four-month leadership program designed to help these candidates develop their leadership, individuality, and service. These remarkable women have proven themselves to be some of the strongest women in Colorado.

All of this would have not been possible without my incredible 2014 committee. Thank you so much for all of your hard work, support, and dedication to the Miss AACO mission.

A special thank you to you for your attendance tonight and your continuous support to the Miss AACO Leadership Program. I hope that this night will take your breath away!

Sincerely,

Dao Than2014 Miss Asian American Colorado President2011 Miss Asian American Colorado

27 || Miss AACO

Thuy Trang

7th Annual Miss Asian AmericanColorado Finale Show

OPENINGCountdown Video

Performance by: Halau Kalama

INTRODUCTIONWelcome and Introduction

Meet the 2014 JudgesMeet the 2014 Candidates

Network Savvy Votes

PART 1Service Questions: Candidates #1-4

Talents: Candidates 5-8

Service Questions: Candidates #9-13

INTERMISSIONSpecial Feature:

Mr. Asian American Colorado

PART 2Talents:

Candidates 1-4Service Questions: Candidates # 5-8

Talents: Candidates #9-13

CLOSINGSponsors and Thanks

Miss AACO 2013 Recognition2014 Commemorative Video

Crowning

Saturday, July 12, 2014University of Colorado Denver

Tivoli Turnhalle

Halau Kalama is Colorado’s finest Polynesian entertainment company. Kalama means flame or torch. And much like the flame of the tiki torch, the dancers ignite and dance in the tropical wind, their hips keeping time to the drums, and their hands telling you a story of the islands long ago…The members of Kalama are authentic Polynesians who specialize in dance from the islands of Tahiti, Hawaii, Samoa, and New Zealand. They have been featured on numerous local and national events from MTV to Univision and performed in front of celebrities such as Will Smith, and John Lithgow. Their mission is to educate & promote the art of Polynesian music, languate, & dance to all. Together, members of Kalama, collaborate & strive to entertain as well as enlighten all communities who wish to experience the“ALOHA SPIRIT”.

Opening Act:

Miss AACO || 28

12203 E. Mississippi Ave.Aurora, CO 80012

Grand Opening Soon!

Space available for rentGood location, professional service

Congratulations to the 2014 Miss Asian American Colorado Leadership

Program’s Seventh Year!

Contact Trong Lam at 720-394-5668 or 303-936-4845.

Or Steve Liang at 303-410-8168.

29 || Miss AACO

7th Annual Miss Asian AmericanColorado Finale Show

OPENINGCountdown Video

Performance by: Halau Kalama

INTRODUCTIONWelcome and IntroductionMeet the 2014 Judges

Meet the 2014 CandidatesNetwork Savvy Votes

PART 1Service Questions: Candidates #1-4

Talents: Candidates 5-8

Service Questions: Candidates #9-13

INTERMISSIONSpecial Feature:

Mr. Asian American Colorado

PART 2Talents:

Candidates 1-4Service Questions: Candidates # 5-8

Talents: Candidates #9-13

CLOSINGSponsors and Thanks

Miss AACO 2013 Recognition2014 Commemorative Video

Crowning

Saturday, July 12, 2014University of Colorado Denver

Tivoli Turnhalle

Halau Kalama is Colorado’s finest Polynesian entertainment company. Kalama means flame or torch. And much like the flame of the tiki torch, the dancers ignite and dance in the tropical wind, their hips keeping time to the drums, and their hands telling you a story of the islands long ago…The members of Kalama are authentic Polynesians who specialize in dance from the islands of Tahiti, Hawaii, Samoa, and New Zealand. They have been featured on numerous local and national events from MTV to Univision and performed in front of celebrities such as Will Smith, and John Lithgow. Their mission is to educate & promote the art of Polynesian music, languate, & dance to all. Together, members of Kalama, collaborate & strive to entertain as well as enlighten all communities who wish to experience the“ALOHA SPIRIT”.

Opening Act:

Miss AACO || 28

2014 FINALE SHOW EMCEES

Philip Trinh is currently a Test Process Engineer for Seagate Technologies, LLC. Phil participated in Miss AACO in 2010 with the first Mr AACO. Phil serves as one of this years Mr. AACO Co-Director.

Philip

Mai Choua Lee is a student at the University of Coloradoo Denver

Christina Pham is a second year student at the University of Colo-rado School of Dental Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology from the

Dao

Triet

AbhiAbhi Ramaswami is a Quality Control Stability Program Manager and participated in Miss AACO in 2009. She was crowned 1st Runner Up as Miss Unity and returned in 2010 as the Little/Big Sister Program Chair and in 2011 as one of the Program Co-Chairs. This year, Abhi is a men-tor for the 2014 Miss AACO Pink Team.

Dao Than is a student at Regis University studying Biochemistry with a minor in Fine Arts and is also a receptionist at Floyds Barbershop. Dao participated in Miss AACO in 2011 and was crowned Miss Asian American Colorado. Dao was the 2013 Miss AACO Finale Show Co-Chair and return as this years President.

Graduate from University of Colorado Denver with a Bachelors in Communcation. Assitant General Manager and Personal Trainer at Denver Gym & Fitness and Co-Founder/Co-Director of Machinez Remainz Crew. Triet participated in Miss AACO in 2012 with Mr. AACO. Triet was the 2013 Miss AACO Talent Co-Chair and returns this year as one of the Mr. AACO Co-Director.

Stephanie Vi Nghiem is a Business System Analyst at Kaiser Permanente and received her undergrad at the University of Colorado Denver. Vi participated in Miss AACO in 2012 and was crowned Miss Asian American Colorado. Vi returns as the 2014 Miss AACO Gala Director. Whitnee

Whitnee Nguyen is a recent graduate from the University of Denver with a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry and a waitress at Chong’s Coal Mine Dragon. Whitnee participated in Miss AACO in 2011 and is this years Vice President.

University of Denver. Christina participated in Miss AACO in 2010 and was crowned 2nd Runner Up, Miss Unity.

Stephanie

Choua

majoring in Marketing Communications. Choua participated in Miss AACO in 2010 and was crowned 2nd Runner Up Miss Impact. This year, Choua serves as the Public Relations Director for this years program.

Christina

Jen

Rebecca

Rebecca Newton is a student at the University of Colorado Denver majoring in Communications and is currently employed as an Administrative Assistant. Becca participated in Miss AACO in 2012 and is this years Secretary.

Jennifer Nguyen is a College Advisor with Emily Griffith Technical College. Jen partici-pated in Miss AACO in 2009 and was awarded the Miss Heart of Gold and Miss Congeniality. Jen was the 2010 Miss AACO Co-Chair and returned this year as an Executive Committee Member.

Miss AACO || 30

JUDGES’ BIO

Jinny Kim is returning for her second year as a Miss AACO judge a nd has been an active member of the Colorado’s

Dr. Ranee Shenoi is returning for her 7th Miss AACO Leadership Pageant. She was born in India and moved to the U.S. at a young age of 12. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and received her medical doctor degree from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston. Dr. Shenoi volunteers for Girl Scouts STEM program and for Minds Matter Denver. She is on the Board of Trustees for the Clear Creek Valley Medical

Lillie Ben is the Managing Partner of her own financial planning firm, the “Essentria Financial experience” where she advises individual clients and business owners on retirement planning. Lillie holds three Master Degrees: an MBA from CU-Boulder’s Leeds School of Business; a Master Degree in Financial Services from the American College in Bryn Mar, Pennsylvania, and a Master Degree in the field of cardio-vascular renal physiology from the Medical School in Jackson, Mississippi. Next year she hopes to complete her PhD in the School of Applied Management and

Society and serves on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Medical Society. She is married to Dr. Norse Bear for 23 years and proud mother to Christina (16) and Eric (14). Dr. Shenoi believes that in different parts of your life, you will have a different set of challenges in your personal and/or professional life. Balance and happiness can be achieved as long as you keep your priorities in line.year as a Judge for the Miss

Decision-Science at Walden University in Minneapolis where she is working on her dissertation based on gender differences and decision-making regarding Mentors and Protégés. Lillie is an Adjunct Professor teaching “Personal Finance” at both DU’s “Women’s College” and at MSU at the “Institute for Women Studies”. Finally, she volunteers as the Exec. Director of the Women’s Asian Organization, “WIN”---known as ‘Women in NAAAP’ where she teaches “Financial

Victor Nguyen is a recent graduate from the University of Denver achieving a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology. Post college he started to work for Accenture as a talent acquisition specialist. Throughout the years he has been honored to help start Miss Asian American Colorado program and be a part of the emerging leaders program sponsored by CDBF. Outside of those areas, he is currently pursing his ambition of become a natural body builder.

Chris Jose is an award winning reporter/anchor for Fox 31 Denver and Colorado’s Own Channel 2. You can watch him weekday mornings on “Good Day Colorado” and “Daybreak.” Since

his arrival in August 2010, Chris has covered every major news story in Colorado. He’s contributed national reports for Fox News Channel on the Aurora Theater Shooting, the Jessica Ridgeway murder, the Colorado wildfires, and the 2012 Presidential Debate at the University of Denver. On top of his regular duties in Denver, Chris has appeared on television affiliates across the country including

New York, Chicago and Los Angeles; Chris even spent a week in New York City covering Super Bowl XLVIII. Chris has won several awards, including three regional Emmy nominations for his reporting. He most recently was recognized by the Colorado Broadcasters Association for his live television reporting. In 2008, Chris was named Best Anchor by the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters.

Chris began his career as a weekend anchor/reporter at KGWN TV in Cheyenne, Wyoming and later spent two years at KGAN TV in Cedar Rapids, Iowa serving as the station’s weekend sports anchor/news reporter. He graduated from the Edward R. Murrow College of Com-munication at Washington State University with a degree in broadcast journalism.

Chris is an active member of the Asian American Journalists Association. He regularly emcees the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, the Asian Pa-cific Development Center’s Lunar New Year Gala, the Filipino American Community of Colorado’s Philippine Festival and other non-profit fundraisers in the Denver metro. In his free time, Chris enjoys playing basketball, working on his below average golf game and exploring Denver with his wife, Jaclyn and dog, Chloe.Literacy & Leadership Skills” and personally mentors 7-Asian professional

women and men.

AAPI community for the past 5 years. As a former Director of Strategic Development at APDC, she has played an integral part in revitalizing the APDC Youth Leadership Academy and is passionate about youth leadership development. In her many roles in the Denver AAPI community, she is currently serving on the Denver Asian Pacific American Commission, Heritage Camps for Adoptive

Family as a Cultural Advisory Board and a panel speaker, National Unification Advisory Council as a Secretary. Jinny acquired her M.A. in International & Intercultural Communications at the University of Denver, with a focus on racial/ethnic conflict resolution.

31 || Miss AACO

2014 FINALE SHOW EMCEES

Philip Trinh is currently a Test Process Engineer for Seagate Technologies, LLC. Phil participated in Miss AACO in 2010 with the first Mr AACO. Phil serves as one of this years Mr. AACO Co-Director.

Philip

Mai Choua Lee is a student at the University of Coloradoo Denver

Christina Pham is a second year student at the University of Colo-rado School of Dental Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology from the

Dao

Triet

AbhiAbhi Ramaswami is a Quality Control Stability Program Manager and participated in Miss AACO in 2009. She was crowned 1st Runner Up as Miss Unity and returned in 2010 as the Little/Big Sister Program Chair and in 2011 as one of the Program Co-Chairs. This year, Abhi is a men-tor for the 2014 Miss AACO Pink Team.

Dao Than is a student at Regis University studying Biochemistry with a minor in Fine Arts and is also a receptionist at Floyds Barbershop. Dao participated in Miss AACO in 2011 and was crowned Miss Asian American Colorado. Dao was the 2013 Miss AACO Finale Show Co-Chair and return as this years President.

Graduate from University of Colorado Denver with a Bachelors in Communcation. Assitant General Manager and Personal Trainer at Denver Gym & Fitness and Co-Founder/Co-Director of Machinez Remainz Crew. Triet participated in Miss AACO in 2012 with Mr. AACO. Triet was the 2013 Miss AACO Talent Co-Chair and returns this year as one of the Mr. AACO Co-Director.

Stephanie Vi Nghiem is a Business System Analyst at Kaiser Permanente and received her undergrad at the University of Colorado Denver. Vi participated in Miss AACO in 2012 and was crowned Miss Asian American Colorado. Vi returns as the 2014 Miss AACO Gala Director. Whitnee

Whitnee Nguyen is a recent graduate from the University of Denver with a Bachelors of Science in Biochemistry and a waitress at Chong’s Coal Mine Dragon. Whitnee participated in Miss AACO in 2011 and is this years Vice President.

University of Denver. Christina participated in Miss AACO in 2010 and was crowned 2nd Runner Up, Miss Unity.

Stephanie

Choua

majoring in Marketing Communications. Choua participated in Miss AACO in 2010 and was crowned 2nd Runner Up Miss Impact. This year, Choua serves as the Public Relations Director for this years program.

Christina

Jen

Rebecca

Rebecca Newton is a student at the University of Colorado Denver majoring in Communications and is currently employed as an Administrative Assistant. Becca participated in Miss AACO in 2012 and is this years Secretary.

Jennifer Nguyen is a College Advisor with Emily Griffith Technical College. Jen partici-pated in Miss AACO in 2009 and was awarded the Miss Heart of Gold and Miss Congeniality. Jen was the 2010 Miss AACO Co-Chair and returned this year as an Executive Committee Member.

Miss AACO || 30

JUDGES’ BIO

Jinny Kim is returning for her second year as a Miss AACO judge a nd has been an active member of the Colorado’s

Dr. Ranee Shenoi is returning for her 7th Miss AACO Leadership Pageant. She was born in India and moved to the U.S. at a young age of 12. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and received her medical doctor degree from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston. Dr. Shenoi volunteers for Girl Scouts STEM program and for Minds Matter Denver. She is on the Board of Trustees for the Clear Creek Valley Medical

Lillie Ben is the Managing Partner of her own financial planning firm, the “Essentria Financial experience” where she advises individual clients and business owners on retirement planning. Lillie holds three Master Degrees: an MBA from CU-Boulder’s Leeds School of Business; a Master Degree in Financial Services from the American College in Bryn Mar, Pennsylvania, and a Master Degree in the field of cardio-vascular renal physiology from the Medical School in Jackson, Mississippi. Next year she hopes to complete her PhD in the School of Applied Management and

Society and serves on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Medical Society. She is married to Dr. Norse Bear for 23 years and proud mother to Christina (16) and Eric (14). Dr. Shenoi believes that in different parts of your life, you will have a different set of challenges in your personal and/or professional life. Balance and happiness can be achieved as long as you keep your priorities in line.year as a Judge for the Miss

Decision-Science at Walden University in Minneapolis where she is working on her dissertation based on gender differences and decision-making regarding Mentors and Protégés. Lillie is an Adjunct Professor teaching “Personal Finance” at both DU’s “Women’s College” and at MSU at the “Institute for Women Studies”. Finally, she volunteers as the Exec. Director of the Women’s Asian Organization, “WIN”---known as ‘Women in NAAAP’ where she teaches “Financial

Victor Nguyen is a recent graduate from the University of Denver achieving a Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology. Post college he started to work for Accenture as a talent acquisition specialist. Throughout the years he has been honored to help start Miss Asian American Colorado program and be a part of the emerging leaders program sponsored by CDBF. Outside of those areas, he is currently pursing his ambition of become a natural body builder.

Chris Jose is an award winning reporter/anchor for Fox 31 Denver and Colorado’s Own Channel 2. You can watch him weekday mornings on “Good Day Colorado” and “Daybreak.” Since

his arrival in August 2010, Chris has covered every major news story in Colorado. He’s contributed national reports for Fox News Channel on the Aurora Theater Shooting, the Jessica Ridgeway murder, the Colorado wildfires, and the 2012 Presidential Debate at the University of Denver. On top of his regular duties in Denver, Chris has appeared on television affiliates across the country including

New York, Chicago and Los Angeles; Chris even spent a week in New York City covering Super Bowl XLVIII. Chris has won several awards, including three regional Emmy nominations for his reporting. He most recently was recognized by the Colorado Broadcasters Association for his live television reporting. In 2008, Chris was named Best Anchor by the Wyoming Association of Broadcasters.

Chris began his career as a weekend anchor/reporter at KGWN TV in Cheyenne, Wyoming and later spent two years at KGAN TV in Cedar Rapids, Iowa serving as the station’s weekend sports anchor/news reporter. He graduated from the Edward R. Murrow College of Com-munication at Washington State University with a degree in broadcast journalism.

Chris is an active member of the Asian American Journalists Association. He regularly emcees the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, the Asian Pa-cific Development Center’s Lunar New Year Gala, the Filipino American Community of Colorado’s Philippine Festival and other non-profit fundraisers in the Denver metro. In his free time, Chris enjoys playing basketball, working on his below average golf game and exploring Denver with his wife, Jaclyn and dog, Chloe.Literacy & Leadership Skills” and personally mentors 7-Asian professional

women and men.

AAPI community for the past 5 years. As a former Director of Strategic Development at APDC, she has played an integral part in revitalizing the APDC Youth Leadership Academy and is passionate about youth leadership development. In her many roles in the Denver AAPI community, she is currently serving on the Denver Asian Pacific American Commission, Heritage Camps for Adoptive

Family as a Cultural Advisory Board and a panel speaker, National Unification Advisory Council as a Secretary. Jinny acquired her M.A. in International & Intercultural Communications at the University of Denver, with a focus on racial/ethnic conflict resolution.

31 || Miss AACO

OUR MISSION MISS AACO

TIME

LINE

OF

EVEN

TS

JUDGING GUIDELINES

April 5th First MeetingApril 12th Discussion with Lillie BenApril 19th Workshop with Erin YoshimuraApril 19th Miss AACO Thuy Trang Showing of “It’s A Girl”April 26th Service Learning: 9Health FairMay 3rd Service Learning: Project CUREMay 10th Professionalism and Sponsorship WorkshopMay 17th Big/Little Sister Bonding EventMay 24th Miss Unity Akemi Tsutsui’s Engagement EventJune 1st Miss AACO BarbequeJune 7th Service Learning: Wildlands RestorationJune 7th Miss Impact Danielle Flower Engement EventJune 14th Miss AACO SleepoverJune 20th Miss AACO GalaJune 28th Preiminary InterviewsJuly 12th Miss AACO Finale

- Showcase the leadership, service and individuality of Asian American women. - Build a network of friendships and mentorships between Asian American women.- Provide scholarships to talented Asian American women.- Increase community awareness of the diversity and strengths in the Asian American population.- Encourage unity and understand-ing among Asian Americans in Colo-rado

1) Program Involvement (20%)2) Group Service Project Completion (20%)3) Preliminary Interview (20%)4) Introduction in Cultural Attire (10%)5) Talen (15%)6) On-Stage Interview (15%)

Miss AACO exemplifies what ev-ery woman should be: empowered, intelligent and compassionate. Candidates are ages 17-25, resi-dents of Colorado and single (unmarried). The winner of the 2014 Miss Asian American Colo-rado will carry the title for the one year, during which she will represnt the Asian American community in her new leadership role. She will be a role model within and a spokesperon for the Asian American community from July 2014 to June 2015.

Miss Asian American Colorado 2014 will fulfill her service proj-ect and will also organize bi-monthly community service events to reunite the 2014 candidates and previous Miss AACO alumni through volunteerism. She will receive $1000 and be featured on the cover of the August 2014 Asian Avenue magazine.

AND...Miss Unity, First Runner Up: $700 Award

Miss Impact, Second Runner Up: $500 Award

Miss Talent: Awarded Best Talent

Miss Network Savvy: Awarded for the most audience support

Miss Enriched: The candidate who the committee see has shown improvement throughout the program

Miss AACO || 32

1 Anushka Jayaraman 2 Isabella Dai

3 Bethany Xiong 4 Brenda La

Indian American // 22University of CO - Boulder

“The greatest blessing comes to the one who freely gives and expects nothing in return.”

Talent: Bollywood Dance

Chinese American // 18Cherry Creek High School

“The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”

Talent: Playing the Violin

Sponsored By: Niyun Jin, Wal-Mart

Hmong American // 20Colorado Christian University

“Put the lord first and everything will fall into place.”

Talent: Hmong Cultural Dance

Vietnamese Chinese American // 19University of Colorado Boulder

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.”

Talent: Playing the Guitar and Singing

Sponsored by: ClientSolv Technologies, American Family Insurance - Ram V. Nathan Agency, Inc., Libaas Jewelers and Bam Liem

Sponsored By: Viler Xiong, Richard Martin, Kevin Yang, Pho & Grill Cafe, Broomfield Beauty Salon

Sponsored By: Jenny La, Kai Davis, Trang Ngo, Anna La, Ming Ngo and Cuong La

OUR MISSION MISS AACO

TIME

LINE

OF

EVEN

TS

JUDGING GUIDELINES

April 5th First MeetingApril 12th Discussion with Lillie BenApril 19th Workshop with Erin YoshimuraApril 19th Miss AACO Thuy Trang Showing of “It’s A Girl”April 26th Service Learning: 9Health FairMay 3rd Service Learning: Project CUREMay 10th Professionalism and Sponsorship WorkshopMay 17th Big/Little Sister Bonding EventMay 24th Miss Unity Akemi Tsutsui’s Engagement EventJune 1st Miss AACO BarbequeJune 7th Service Learning: Wildlands RestorationJune 7th Miss Impact Danielle Flower Engement EventJune 14th Miss AACO SleepoverJune 20th Miss AACO GalaJune 28th Preiminary InterviewsJuly 12th Miss AACO Finale

- Showcase the leadership, service and individuality of Asian American women. - Build a network of friendships and mentorships between Asian American women.- Provide scholarships to talented Asian American women.- Increase community awareness of the diversity and strengths in the Asian American population.- Encourage unity and understand-ing among Asian Americans in Colo-rado

1) Program Involvement (20%)2) Group Service Project Completion (20%)3) Preliminary Interview (20%)4) Introduction in Cultural Attire (10%)5) Talen (15%)6) On-Stage Interview (15%)

Miss AACO exemplifies what ev-ery woman should be: empowered, intelligent and compassionate. Candidates are ages 17-25, resi-dents of Colorado and single (unmarried). The winner of the 2014 Miss Asian American Colo-rado will carry the title for the one year, during which she will represnt the Asian American community in her new leadership role. She will be a role model within and a spokesperon for the Asian American community from July 2014 to June 2015.

Miss Asian American Colorado 2014 will fulfill her service proj-ect and will also organize bi-monthly community service events to reunite the 2014 candidates and previous Miss AACO alumni through volunteerism. She will receive $1000 and be featured on the cover of the August 2014 Asian Avenue magazine.

AND...Miss Unity, First Runner Up: $700 Award

Miss Impact, Second Runner Up: $500 Award

Miss Talent: Awarded Best Talent

Miss Network Savvy: Awarded for the most audience support

Miss Enriched: The candidate who the committee see has shown improvement throughout the program

Miss AACO || 32

1 Anushka Jayaraman 2 Isabella Dai

3 Bethany Xiong 4 Brenda La

Indian American // 22University of CO - Boulder

“The greatest blessing comes to the one who freely gives and expects nothing in return.”

Talent: Bollywood Dance

Chinese American // 18Cherry Creek High School

“The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.”

Talent: Playing the Violin

Sponsored By: Niyun Jin, Wal-Mart

Hmong American // 20Colorado Christian University

“Put the lord first and everything will fall into place.”

Talent: Hmong Cultural Dance

Vietnamese Chinese American // 19University of Colorado Boulder

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.”

Talent: Playing the Guitar and Singing

Sponsored by: ClientSolv Technologies, American Family Insurance - Ram V. Nathan Agency, Inc., Libaas Jewelers and Bam Liem

Sponsored By: Viler Xiong, Richard Martin, Kevin Yang, Pho & Grill Cafe, Broomfield Beauty Salon

Sponsored By: Jenny La, Kai Davis, Trang Ngo, Anna La, Ming Ngo and Cuong La

5 Hana Syed 6 Quyen Do

7 Jennifer Huynh 8 Kayla Park

9 Agnes Pham

Indian American // 24University of CO - Boulder (Class of ‘12)

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact, it’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration, it’s a dar. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temprary. Impossible is nothing.”

Talent: Bollywood Dance

Sponsored By: Reilly Manning Law, Krig Waheed, Thuy Nguyen, Suraiya Syed, Arron Sikka, TSA Inc., Sabrina Syed, Mustafah Shah, Naveed Mughal

Vietnamese American // 21Regis University

“God believes in you, now it’s time you believe in yourself.”

Talent:Playing the Piano and Cello (Duet)

Vietnamese Chinese American // 21University of CO - Denver

“In order to successed, you must fail.”

Talent:Traditional Vietnamese March/Chinese Dance

Koren American // 20Metro State University

“Praise to be God.”

Talent: Singing and Dancing

Vietnamese American // 20Regis University

“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others is immortal.” Talent: Speed Finger Painting

Sponsored By: Tea Station, Asian Gift, Phung Li and Voodoo Donuts

Sponsored By: Lan Lam, Asian Acupuncture Inc, Kim Ly Jewelry, Hong Phat Market, Ving Xuong Bakery, Pho 96, Saigon Basil, Kim Jewelers, Truong An Asian Gifts, Pho 78 Restaurant

Sponsored by: Ryan Nguyen and Pho 333

Sponsored By: West Evans Liquor, Green Dental and Jesse Kim

Executive Director: Annie Guo President: Dao ThanVice President: Whitnee NguyenSecretary: Rebecca nEwtonTreasurer: Jennifer KhatPublic Relations Director: Choua LeeGala Director: Stephanie Vi NghiemFinale Show Directors: Thao Dao, Tammy Nguyen and Catherine SongMr. AACO Directors: Phil Trinh and Triet HoangExecutive Board: Jen Nguyen, Pamela Yang, Christina Pham and Abhi Ramaswami

2014 Miss AACOCommittee

Miss AACO || 34

10 Bhawana Mohan 11 Lena Chhay

12 ThuyVi Vo 13 Hosnah Safi

Indian American // 22University of CO - Denver (Class of ‘14)

“Don’t follow the beaten path. Go your own way and leave a trail.”

Talent: Bollywood Dance

Cambodian Chinese American // 21University of Denver

“Success isn’t the key to hap-piness; happiness if the key to success.”

Talent: Spoken Words

Vietnamese American // 19University of CO - Boulder

“Well done is better than well said.”

Talent: Playing the Guitar and Piano

Afghani American // 24Metro State University

“Other women are not my competition, I want to grow with them not against them.”

Talent: Playing Violin

Sponsored By: India’s Market, Akanksha Gaur, Saman Ali, Mekdes Berhane

Sponsored By: 5280 Teeth Whitening, Tony Touch 8z Realtor and Marinda Chhay-Baldi,

The Mr. AACO Entertainment Group started in 2011 as an after intermission skit to show how Asian American men support and appreciate Asian American women and the Miss AACO program. Men competed for the Mr. AACO title providing some laughs in tehir comedic act. The next year, more men to futher the Bromance. However, this year’s performance is different. Mr. AACO has evolved to become something more than just a bunch of dudes being on stage to be eye candy. They carry the class, charm and charisma of a gentlemen, but can we solve the ““Mystery of the Gentlemen?”

Mr. AACO

Sponsored By: Vo Lawn Care and Pat O’Brien Sponsored By: Visio Enterprises, LLCNations Auto Inc.

Triet Hoang * Philip Trinh * Daniel Cha * Michael Diep * C.J. de Dios * Abhinav Gupta * Steven Ho * Khoa Nguyen

* Tho Nguyen * Alex Pongphachanxay * Ophus Wong

35 || Miss AACO

5 Hana Syed 6 Quyen Do

7 Jennifer Huynh 8 Kayla Park

9 Agnes Pham

Indian American // 24University of CO - Boulder (Class of ‘12)

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact, it’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration, it’s a dar. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temprary. Impossible is nothing.”

Talent: Bollywood Dance

Sponsored By: Reilly Manning Law, Krig Waheed, Thuy Nguyen, Suraiya Syed, Arron Sikka, TSA Inc., Sabrina Syed, Mustafah Shah, Naveed Mughal

Vietnamese American // 21Regis University

“God believes in you, now it’s time you believe in yourself.”

Talent:Playing the Piano and Cello (Duet)

Vietnamese Chinese American // 21University of CO - Denver

“In order to successed, you must fail.”

Talent:Traditional Vietnamese March/Chinese Dance

Koren American // 20Metro State University

“Praise to be God.”

Talent: Singing and Dancing

Vietnamese American // 20Regis University

“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others is immortal.” Talent: Speed Finger Painting

Sponsored By: Tea Station, Asian Gift, Phung Li and Voodoo Donuts

Sponsored By: Lan Lam, Asian Acupuncture Inc, Kim Ly Jewelry, Hong Phat Market, Ving Xuong Bakery, Pho 96, Saigon Basil, Kim Jewelers, Truong An Asian Gifts, Pho 78 Restaurant

Sponsored by: Ryan Nguyen and Pho 333

Sponsored By: West Evans Liquor, Green Dental and Jesse Kim

Executive Director: Annie Guo President: Dao ThanVice President: Whitnee NguyenSecretary: Rebecca nEwtonTreasurer: Jennifer KhatPublic Relations Director: Choua LeeGala Director: Stephanie Vi NghiemFinale Show Directors: Thao Dao, Tammy Nguyen and Catherine SongMr. AACO Directors: Phil Trinh and Triet HoangExecutive Board: Jen Nguyen, Pamela Yang, Christina Pham and Abhi Ramaswami

2014 Miss AACOCommittee

Miss AACO || 34

10 Bhawana Mohan 11 Lena Chhay

12 ThuyVi Vo 13 Hosnah Safi

Indian American // 22University of CO - Denver (Class of ‘14)

“Don’t follow the beaten path. Go your own way and leave a trail.”

Talent: Bollywood Dance

Cambodian Chinese American // 21University of Denver

“Success isn’t the key to hap-piness; happiness if the key to success.”

Talent: Spoken Words

Vietnamese American // 19University of CO - Boulder

“Well done is better than well said.”

Talent: Playing the Guitar and Piano

Afghani American // 24Metro State University

“Other women are not my competition, I want to grow with them not against them.”

Talent: Playing Violin

Sponsored By: India’s Market, Akanksha Gaur, Saman Ali, Mekdes Berhane

Sponsored By: 5280 Teeth Whitening, Tony Touch 8z Realtor and Marinda Chhay-Baldi,

The Mr. AACO Entertainment Group started in 2011 as an after intermission skit to show how Asian American men support and appreciate Asian American women and the Miss AACO program. Men competed for the Mr. AACO title providing some laughs in tehir comedic act. The next year, more men to futher the Bromance. However, this year’s performance is different. Mr. AACO has evolved to become something more than just a bunch of dudes being on stage to be eye candy. They carry the class, charm and charisma of a gentlemen, but can we solve the ““Mystery of the Gentlemen?”

Mr. AACO

Sponsored By: Vo Lawn Care and Pat O’Brien Sponsored By: Visio Enterprises, LLCNations Auto Inc.

Triet Hoang * Philip Trinh * Daniel Cha * Michael Diep * C.J. de Dios * Abhinav Gupta * Steven Ho * Khoa Nguyen

* Tho Nguyen * Alex Pongphachanxay * Ophus Wong

35 || Miss AACO

2013 Miss AACO, Thuy TrangService Project:

2013 Miss UnityAkemi Tsutsui

Engagement Event:

2013 Miss Impact Danielle FlowerEngagement Event:

Dani’s service project consisted of making “Smile Bags” for an international medical charity called Operation Smile. Operation Smile provides surgeries for children in over 60 countries who have been affected by cleft palate and cleft lip, “Changing lives one smile at a time.”

“Smile Bags” are homemade drawstring bags that are given to the children following surgery, and is filled with various hygienic products, toys, and a mirror for the child to witness their new smile. In the summer of 2013, I volunteered as a camp counselor for Filipino Heritage Camp, where I had the opportunity to implement some of my service project with the campers and received various donations that would fill the bags. During camp, I was able to execute a PowerPoint presentation to inform about Operation Smile, and to raise awareness about cleft lip and cleft palate. Following the presentation, the campers proceeded to decorate the smile bags and wrote letters for the children. The conclusion of my service project resulted in getting the Miss Asian American Colorado 2014 candidates involved by helping prepare the bags for sewing, which consisted of pinning and ironing. By raising awareness and having the opportunity to get the community involved, every individual that helped was a catalyst in helping to change a child’s future forever.

Akemi’s service project focused on building an awareness and understanding around the subject and practices of martial arts. She started up a karate pro-gram at the Tri-State Denver Buddhist Temple hoping to spread the word about the benefits of martial arts and encouraging others to take up a martial art.

During the Engagement Event, candidates were exposed to a variety of basic techniques and were attempted to break down some of the stigmas that surround martial arts while alternatively focusing on what can be gained from practicing martial arts, regardless of one’s personal background and/or physical capabilities. Benefits of martial arts include, but are not limited to:• Health, fitness, balance and coordination. • Character development, respect, courtesy and responsibility. • Strong work ethic, discipline, self-control and decision making • Mental focus and concentration • Self-defense • Social skills and working with others • Confidence and self-esteem

Thuy Trang is a 19 year old, first generation Vietnamese-American who just finished her first year of college at the University of Colorado Boulder with a major in Integra-tive Physiology and a minor in Ethnic Studies. Thuy plans to beome a pediatricia and although with a serious carrer choise, she does love to play guitar and sing in her free time.

Thuy’s service project was to raise awareness for sex trafficking. She executed her proj-ect by going to Vietnam and donating $800 worth of food and gifts to the Little Rose Shelter. She was also able to interact with the girls at the shelter and learn a bit more about them and talk about their aspirations. The Little Rose Shelter is not only a safe house for victims and those in danger, but it aims to help the girls get an education, learn life skills, learn self defense and much more. Thuy hopes to be able to contribute more to the Little Rose Shelter even when her year ends.

After her trip to Vietnam, Thuy came back and started her “NOT FOR SALE” campaign. She raised money through her t-shirt sales. The campaign’s mission was to show that all human beings are priceless and their bodies should not be bought in any shape or form, especially against their will. She also held two screenings of the documentary, “It’s a Girl,” a film that outlined the reasons why women are so oppressed in countries such as India and China.

Not only has Thuy worked on her own project, but she immediately joined the UNAVSA CPP team when she found out that their philanthropy focused on sex trafficking. Throughout her school year (and still on going) her team (Lucy Tran, Ken Le, and Ha Trinh) have worked hard to create campaigns and raise money for One Body Village.

Miss AACO || 36

Thank you to all of our sponsors:

Event Sponsor: University of Colorado Denver

Asian American Student ServicesAcademic Building 1, RM 2007Phone: 303-315-1875Contact: Sonyon Bueno, Program DirectorEmail: soyon.bueno@ucdenver.eduWebsite: www.ucdenver.edu/eopFacebook: www.facebook.com/CUDenverAASEPO

Silver Sponsor:

Tony Touch 8z Realtor Pat O’Brien7878 W. 80th Place Unit 2-C 5550 S. King CrestArvada, CO 80005 Littleton, CO 80123Tel: (303) 905-2830 Tel: (202) 798-4416Email: tony@8z.com Email: pdobrien@comcast.net

6600 W. 120th Ave #CBroomfield, CO 80020Tel: (303) 439-8963

Pacific Ocean Market12203 E. Mississippi Ave.Aurora, CO 80012

Bronze Sponsor:

West Evans Liquor Green Dental 2020 W. Evans Ave 10700 E Bethany Dr #210 Cherry Hills, CO 80110 Aurora, CO 80014Tel: (303) 669-5222 Tel: (303) 745-8828

12150 E Briarwood Ave. Suite 202 11970 Washington St.Centennial, CO 80112 Northglenn, CO 80233Tel: (720) 442-9691 Tel: (720) 536-5220Email: sm@reillymanninglaw.com

Asian Acupuncture Inc. Boulder Asian Pacific Alliance 333 S. Federal Blvd. PO Box 21406Denver, CO 80219 Boulder, CO 80308Tel: (303) 936-4068 Tel: (303) 499-0108 Email: festival@bapaweb.orgTea Station Website: www.bapaweb.org545 Sable Blvd. Aurora, CO 80011 King’s Land Seafood RestaurantTel: (720) 323-0864 220 W. Alameda Blvd. #44Email: teastationco@gmail.com Denver, CO 80223 Tel: (303) 975-2399American Family InsuranceRam V Nathan Agency Inc. Heaven Dragon Restaurant9085 E. Mineral Cir. Ste 370 3730 E 120th AveCentennial, CO 80112 Thornton, CO 80233Tel: (303) 799-0777 Tel: (303) 457-9977

Sponsors: The FaceShop, Visio Enterprises, LLC., Wal-Mart, India’s Market, Welcome Baby Darling, TSA Inc., Voodoo Donuts, Pho 333, Sabrina Syed, Mustafah Shah, Naveed Mughal, Cuong La, Lan Lam, Thuy Nguyen

37 || Miss AACO

2013 Miss AACO, Thuy TrangService Project:

2013 Miss UnityAkemi Tsutsui

Engagement Event:

2013 Miss Impact Danielle FlowerEngagement Event:

Dani’s service project consisted of making “Smile Bags” for an international medical charity called Operation Smile. Operation Smile provides surgeries for children in over 60 countries who have been affected by cleft palate and cleft lip, “Changing lives one smile at a time.”

“Smile Bags” are homemade drawstring bags that are given to the children following surgery, and is filled with various hygienic products, toys, and a mirror for the child to witness their new smile. In the summer of 2013, I volunteered as a camp counselor for Filipino Heritage Camp, where I had the opportunity to implement some of my service project with the campers and received various donations that would fill the bags. During camp, I was able to execute a PowerPoint presentation to inform about Operation Smile, and to raise awareness about cleft lip and cleft palate. Following the presentation, the campers proceeded to decorate the smile bags and wrote letters for the children. The conclusion of my service project resulted in getting the Miss Asian American Colorado 2014 candidates involved by helping prepare the bags for sewing, which consisted of pinning and ironing. By raising awareness and having the opportunity to get the community involved, every individual that helped was a catalyst in helping to change a child’s future forever.

Akemi’s service project focused on building an awareness and understanding around the subject and practices of martial arts. She started up a karate pro-gram at the Tri-State Denver Buddhist Temple hoping to spread the word about the benefits of martial arts and encouraging others to take up a martial art.

During the Engagement Event, candidates were exposed to a variety of basic techniques and were attempted to break down some of the stigmas that surround martial arts while alternatively focusing on what can be gained from practicing martial arts, regardless of one’s personal background and/or physical capabilities. Benefits of martial arts include, but are not limited to:• Health, fitness, balance and coordination. • Character development, respect, courtesy and responsibility. • Strong work ethic, discipline, self-control and decision making • Mental focus and concentration • Self-defense • Social skills and working with others • Confidence and self-esteem

Thuy Trang is a 19 year old, first generation Vietnamese-American who just finished her first year of college at the University of Colorado Boulder with a major in Integra-tive Physiology and a minor in Ethnic Studies. Thuy plans to beome a pediatricia and although with a serious carrer choise, she does love to play guitar and sing in her free time.

Thuy’s service project was to raise awareness for sex trafficking. She executed her proj-ect by going to Vietnam and donating $800 worth of food and gifts to the Little Rose Shelter. She was also able to interact with the girls at the shelter and learn a bit more about them and talk about their aspirations. The Little Rose Shelter is not only a safe house for victims and those in danger, but it aims to help the girls get an education, learn life skills, learn self defense and much more. Thuy hopes to be able to contribute more to the Little Rose Shelter even when her year ends.

After her trip to Vietnam, Thuy came back and started her “NOT FOR SALE” campaign. She raised money through her t-shirt sales. The campaign’s mission was to show that all human beings are priceless and their bodies should not be bought in any shape or form, especially against their will. She also held two screenings of the documentary, “It’s a Girl,” a film that outlined the reasons why women are so oppressed in countries such as India and China.

Not only has Thuy worked on her own project, but she immediately joined the UNAVSA CPP team when she found out that their philanthropy focused on sex trafficking. Throughout her school year (and still on going) her team (Lucy Tran, Ken Le, and Ha Trinh) have worked hard to create campaigns and raise money for One Body Village.

Miss AACO || 36

Thank you to all of our sponsors:Event Sponsor: University of Colorado Denver

Asian American Student ServicesAcademic Building 1, RM 2007Phone: 303-315-1875Contact: Sonyon Bueno, Program DirectorEmail: soyon.bueno@ucdenver.eduWebsite: www.ucdenver.edu/eopFacebook: www.facebook.com/CUDenverAASEPO

Silver Sponsor:

Tony Touch 8z Realtor Pat O’Brien7878 W. 80th Place Unit 2-C 5550 S. King CrestArvada, CO 80005 Littleton, CO 80123Tel: (303) 905-2830 Tel: (202) 798-4416Email: tony@8z.com Email: pdobrien@comcast.net

6600 W. 120th Ave #CBroomfield, CO 80020Tel: (303) 439-8963

Pacific Ocean Market12203 E. Mississippi Ave.Aurora, CO 80012

Bronze Sponsor:

West Evans Liquor Green Dental 2020 W. Evans Ave 10700 E Bethany Dr #210 Cherry Hills, CO 80110 Aurora, CO 80014Tel: (303) 669-5222 Tel: (303) 745-8828

12150 E Briarwood Ave. Suite 202 11970 Washington St.Centennial, CO 80112 Northglenn, CO 80233Tel: (720) 442-9691 Tel: (720) 536-5220Email: sm@reillymanninglaw.com

Asian Acupuncture Inc. Boulder Asian Pacific Alliance 333 S. Federal Blvd. PO Box 21406Denver, CO 80219 Boulder, CO 80308Tel: (303) 936-4068 Tel: (303) 499-0108 Email: festival@bapaweb.orgTea Station Website: www.bapaweb.org545 Sable Blvd. Aurora, CO 80011 King’s Land Seafood RestaurantTel: (720) 323-0864 220 W. Alameda Blvd. #44Email: teastationco@gmail.com Denver, CO 80223 Tel: (303) 975-2399American Family InsuranceRam V Nathan Agency Inc. Heaven Dragon Restaurant9085 E. Mineral Cir. Ste 370 3730 E 120th AveCentennial, CO 80112 Thornton, CO 80233Tel: (303) 799-0777 Tel: (303) 457-9977

Sponsors: The FaceShop, Visio Enterprises, LLC., Wal-Mart, India’s Market, Welcome Baby Darling, TSA Inc., Voodoo Donuts, Pho 333, Sabrina Syed, Mustafah Shah, Naveed Mughal, Cuong La, Lan Lam, Thuy Nguyen

37 || Miss AACO