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Summer 2006
An interview with Laura Chin - back to top
 Transit Marketing Specialist, Department of Public Works and Transportation
Among the gleaming new buildings that make up downtown Silver Spring sits the Department of Public Works and Transportation’s Commuter Services Office, and the workplace for Ms. Laura Chin. As a Transit Marketing Specialist, Laura creates marketing and public relations programs and coordinates the distribution of information about the County’s transit programs to county residents, community groups and businesses.
Laura was born in China but moved to the US when she was 6 months old and grew up in New York City. She received her undergraduate degree at Hunter College in New York City and a Master’s of History from George Washington University. While pursuing her Masters Degree, she began what would be a 6-year employment stint with the U.S. Census Bureau. In 1974, Laura went on the become an Editor for the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and then the Public Information Officer at the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, Office of the Special Counsel. During this time she finalized reports on a variety of racial discrimination cases as well as the newly emerging issues surrounding Native American rights, sexual harassment and whistleblower protections in the workplace.
From 1982 - 1984, Laura served as the Executive Director for the Organization of Chinese Americans Inc. (OCA) in Washington D.C., where she directed the National Office and coordinated OCA programs throughout the country. In addition to lobbying for immigration reform on Capitol Hill, she also served as national spokesperson for OCA, directing their membership and publishing informational materials and monthly newsletters. Laura is quick to point out that there was a very lean staff structure in those early years at OCA and that multi-tasking was the order of the day.
Laura then moved on to assist with the successful campaign of S.B. Woo for Lt. Governor of Delaware. She served as Editor for the National Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Forum and as a Program Coordinator for OCA before joining Montgomery County in 1988. She has also worked on a variety of Boards and Organizations, from the Asian Pacific American Federal Employees Council (APAFEC) to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the Asian Pacific American Heritage Council.
APAEA tenure
On the current board of the Asian Pacific American Employees Association, Laura is the longest “tenured” member of APAEA. She was a founding member of the current Association, which began in 2000. Her position, for the past three years, has been as the Program Director for the Association. For many county employees their only familiarity with the APAEA is likely having attended one of the many uniquely stimulating programs that Laura has organized. From the varied Asian American history film series she has shown in many locations, to the coordination of training events such as “Projecting a Better You,” “Beyond Body Language: Solving Communication Issues in the Workplace”, Career Development and the APAEA roundtable discussions, Laura has always come up with a new and different thematic program.
Her many years of experience in this area has also given her a multi-talented network of contacts, which she draws on from time to time, but it is her passion for the subject of Asian American Equity and Civil Rights that is so infectious, when Laura speaks of the struggles of the 60’s & 70’s for Asian American Civil rights. If we were to search the records, which Laura Chin helped create, we would soon learn that there was a significant struggle by the early Chinese laborers, who were all but indentured servants, by Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps during WWII, along with the many individual Asian discrimination rights cases over the years.
Laura Chin has announced her retirement from Montgomery County Government in September of this year. We will surely miss her programs and ideas, but most of all we will miss her enthusiasm and passion for the purpose of APAEA.
Hats Off to Our Graduates!!!! - back to top
APAEA congratulates the following graduates……
Erika K. Lam
Erika graduated from the Thomas Wootton High School on June 8 and will be attending Boston University during fall. She is the daughter of Betty and Alven Lam. Erika is an aspiring journalist and will be attending the College of Communications at Boston University. She was a straight A student for three consecutive years in high school, AP scholar honors, honorable mention for Maryland Distinguished Scholars, staff writer for Thomas Wootton “Common Sense” newspaper, member of the National Honor Society, and Spanish National Honor Society. She also volunteered as a tutor for Reading Education and Development (READ), a science teacher assistant for the Cross Age Teaching of Science (CATS) program, a student teacher at the after school STEPS program at Fallsmeade Elementary School, a committee member of the Youth Leadership Montgomery, and served on the senior class leadership committee.
Contessa Crisostomo
Contessa graduated from the Salisbury University in May majoring in Media Communications and is the daughter of Chuck Crisostomo, Chairman of the APAEA. She recently attended the “Asian American Journalist Association Conference” in Honolulu, Hawaii and thoroughly enjoyed the conference as she was able to make good contacts that would help her and per peers. She has just started her first job with the Montgomery Sentinel newspaper.
David Alan Gong
David graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in May and is the son of Ginny Gong. David is a typical college graduate, keeping options open at the moment and is interested in something related to business. He says, “for mom, David’s graduation translates into “no more school payments”…..how wonderful.”
Ellen Teng
Ellen graduated from the University of Maryland; College Park in May and is the daughter of Apollo Teng. After graduating, she began her employment with Marriott Hotel located in Gaithersburg as a Catering Sales Manager.
Shock It To Me, Baby!!! - back to top
A real life account of arriving in America
Getting married through parents negotiating is in itself is a shock and then coming to a foreign land is a big shock but there are other shocks follow immediately with or without us realizing that could be even bigger. A few examples are shared in this Newsletter in the hopes that readers would enjoy reading them. Perhaps your own memories will dig out of the past. If so, please share some of your memories for the next Newsletter.
My first shock in the country
I landed at the Dulles Airport by British Airways. My husband was at the Airport to receive me. Since we were newly weds, we were happy to see each other. After driving for an hour or so from the Airport, my husband and I arrived at our apartment complex. The drive was pretty. This was my first visit to a foreign country, so everything seemed interesting, especially the big four lane well maintained highways. No newspapers or other debris was on the road. A mixture of being anxious and curious, the trip to the apartment complex from the airport seemed shorter. After parking his big car, my husband helped me with luggage.
He was driving a 1968 Impala. Our apartment was on the second floor of the building. After getting out of the car, I got my first shock in this country. I began looking around while my husband was taking care of luggage. I saw a man and a woman standing next to their car and kissing. I was shocked as I had never seen couples kissing in public and also this was an absolutely taboo in India.
Men and women did not even hug in public. I was shy in looking at them but curious enough to stare at them. Realizing that I had not moved away from our car, my husband asked me what are you staring at. I told him did you see a man and a woman kissing in public. My husband had been in this country for four years so gotten used to scenes such as this. He told me that this is regular in this country and we should ignore and mind our own business. He also told me that there is a possibility that they are not even married, could be living together. I said, living together, what’s that. Now this was another shock.
My husband’s first shock
After arriving in the Apartment around 4:00 p.m., my husband began to show me where everything was in the Apartment, but I was most interested in the TV as we did not have a TV in the house growing up in India. Our phone rang constantly as my husband’s friends wanted to know if I had arrived safely. By 7:00 p.m. that day, my husband asked me if I was hungry. I told him I was and then again when at 7:30 p.m. he asked me the question again, my answer was the same. At 8:00 p.m. he asked me the question and added a few more words as “do you cook.” I said “yes I am hungry, but I don’t cook.” He was a bit angry and made a remark, “an Indian girl, who spent the first 20 years in India and you don’t know how to cook, what did you do in India and how did you spend your time?” I was almost in tears and at the same time begun to think knowing to cook is that important in a marriage? Perhaps to him having a wife cook for him could be important and if that’s the case he is in trouble. My husband cooked for both of us that night and I could tell that he was shocked about the fact that I did not know how to cook.
He began teaching me to cook, but after 31 years he is still shocked as I did not have any interest in cooking. Everyday I enjoy a home cooked meal. Take a guess and tell me who cooks?
APAEA Survey - back to top
We want APAEA to be your association. Your ideas and opinions mean a lot to the APAEA Board of Directors. Below you will find the contents of a survey form with information we would like to solicit from APAEA members. The survey will be sent to all APAEA members asking that you please complete and return to the APAEA email address. If you would like to talk further about your ideas for future programming, please feel free to call me at 240-777-8416, Chairman of APAEA, Chuck Crisostomo
1. Are you a member of APAEA?
$ Yes ______. If yes, for how many years? _____
$ No ______
2. How did you hear about APAEA?
$ Flyer? ______
$ Word of mouth? ______
$ Member contact? ______
3. How many APAEA-sponsored events, workshops, training, dinners have you attended in the last year?
$ 0 -- 2 ______
$ 3 – 5 ______
$ More than 5 ______
3a. Please write in type of event/s you attended and enjoyed
_______________________________________________________
4. Please check reason for not attending APAEA-sponsored events,
workshops, dinners, etc.:
$ Not interested in topics _______
$ Schedule not convenient _______
5. Topics I would be interested in hearing more about:
$ Career advancement/
training _______
$ Educational funding/
$ scholarships _______
$ Affiliating with other Asian
$ organizations _______
$ Process of home buying _______
$ Estate/retirement planning _______
$ Living a Healthy Life Style _______
$ Get-togethers/ dinners _______
With children _____
Without children _____ OVER→
$ Other ____________________________
_________________________________
6. Please check best time to attend an APAEA-sponsored program:
$ Lunchtime _______
$ Immediately after work _______
$ On weekends _______
7. Please check what I like best about APAEA:
$ APAEA Newsletter _______
$ Email notices _______
$ Meeting other members _______
$ Career training _______
$ Dinners _______
$ Affiliating with other
groups _______
$ Other _______
__________________________________________________
8. Please check what I like least about APAEA activities:
- APAEA Newsletter _______
- Email notices _______
- Meeting other members _______
- Career training _______
- Dinners _______
- Affiliating with other
groups _______
- Other _______
General Comments: _____________________________________________________
Name (optional):_______________________________________
Asian Americans in Montgomery County - back to top
Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing populations in US. (Information supplied by the Asian American Health Initiative of DHHS, Montgomery County).
• 4.4% of US population (increase to approx 10% by 2050)
• 13.23% of Montgomery County (increase of approx 50% from 1990 to 2004)
This is APAEA summer, 2006 Newsletter created by its Board of Directors. We would like our membership to participate in the Newsletter by contributing articles, news and any information that are of interest to our membership and readers.
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