miseducAsian Podcast

In this episode, we connect with Cady Ching, CEO of Summit Public Schools, and discuss:

• Her complex cultural identity, family's history, being raised in Hawaii, and why it's important to be specific about who we are (2:03)
• How teaching at Summit kept her in California, her journey as an educator and leader, and the truly remarkable process of how she became CEO (19:22)
• A shared vision for a new type of leadership and structure that centers collectivity and liberation, the role her identity plays, and how she leads and disrupts at the same time (27:22)
• What it's like to follow a founder/CEO and grow into her own leadership (42:22)
• How we make sense of all the acronyms used to describe our communities, and who they actually serve  (49:28)
• And we end with a reading of one of her father's haikus about Spam musubi (55:14)

In this episode, we chat with singer-songwriter, Joseph Tseng, and why he left his education career behind to pursue music full-time. 

• Why he goes by Joseph Tseng as an artist, his relationship with his names, and we discover Tommy's namesake (2:35)
• Our relationship with racialized identities, what we hope to share and learn in sharing our identities (14:46)
• Joseph and his family's origin story, three generations of grief and resilience, and where he found his love of music (30:17)
• Giving himself permission to pursue music, writing songs that reflect his American experience, and the meaning behind Pearls of Home (49:14) 

Check out Joseph Tseng's music on all streaming platforms.

In this episode, we chat with Marshall Cho, head coach of the World Select team at the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit, and former varsity boys' basketball coach of Lake Oswego High School.  

• Marshall shares his journey from Jeju, South Korea to Springfield, Oregon, NYC, Mozambique, and back again. (1:59)
• We talk about his career path, starting as a TFA teacher in NYC to becoming a basketball coach, how his parents responded to the atypical career choice, and why he considers himself an educator first. (11:51)
• We discuss the importance of representation, mentorship, and community as an Asian-American coach and leader, how his identity influences his approach to coaching, and the legacy he hopes to leave behind. (21:48)
• We talk hoops, where his love of basketball started, his personal Mt Rushmore, and the best players he's coached against. (43:11)

• Being one of the only Asian American athletes in high school and college, Japanese American identity through generations  (0:41)
• How the Tommys started their careers in education, the impact of the lack of representation in education and leadership, and the power of identity-affirming leadership (19:00)
• The true story about how an Asian Tommy met and married a Karla, twice (43:36)

In this episode, we chat with Tommy Welch, Regional School Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. 

• The origin story of the two Tommys, how they met, how they started working together (1:12)
• Tommy's leadership journey, from school coordinator to founding middle and high schools, to moving and leading in Boston (6:52)
• The importance of loyalty, trust, and patience in education and leadership (22:53)
• Growing up half-Japanese and White, embracing biracial identities, and how being comfortable in your own skin can connect you with others  (31:53)

In this episode, we chat with John Sun, President and CEO of Pacific Charter School Development, a non-profit real estate firm that offers various services for charter school partners.  

• We talk about our favorite moments from The Brothers Sun, the auntie network, and the cultural significance of Mahjong (2:05)
• John shares his experience growing up in the Rio Grande Valley and his father's journey to building a restaurant empire in South Texas (23:45)
• We discuss his decision not to take up the family business, how and why he ended up in education, and what he hopes to pass on to his own kids (38:32)

In this episode, we chat with Benjamin Kim Oser, the Director of Camp Naru, whose mission is to equip Korean American youth and future generations to navigate life as individuals and members of the Korean American community with a sense of belonging and rich cultural heritage. 

• Navigating identity as an adoptee in predominantly white spaces (1:06)
• Meeting his birth parents, connecting with family, and the complex process of building relationships (9:40)
• Discovering and exploring our cultures as adoptees, immigrants, and American-born Asians (22:27)
• What Camp Naru is all about, how it empowers young Asian Americans, and why Ben chose this path (30:35)

Back by popular demand, we chat all things food with Hanifa Farooq.

• The boom of Asian food at non-Asian grocery stores (1:38)
• Hanifa shares some of the best things she's eaten on her recent travels, eating Asian food in non-Asian countries, and her general approach to maximizing every meal on the road (10:07)
• 13 places in 48 hours in LA,  the highs and lows of fusion (27:34)
• Comfort foods from our youth and our Harold and Kumar destinations (40:06)
• Our shared joy of food, not understanding those who don't, and bringing your own salt on a date  (53:30)

We chat with Mike Su, CEO and Founder of Cooler, a startup looking to redefine the podcast and online community experience. He was recently Director of Yellow, Snap's accelerator program, is currently a board member of Defy Ventures, and most importantly, went to college with our very own Tommy Chang. In this episode, we discuss:  

• His experience moving from the US to Taiwan and back (3:45)
• Going to college with Tommy  (11:08)
• Why so many online spaces are toxic and how he's trying to meet the challenge of creating the types of online communities we want to be a part of  (20:04)
• Why certain "models" of leadership are harmful and how we've navigated the challenges of being in or pursuing the leadership seat (29:15)
• Unpacking what we believe about ourselves, what we've been told, and figuring out the difference (39:11)

In Part 2 of our conversation with Frank Chi, filmmaker, artist, storyteller, and director of 38 at the Garden, we discuss:

• Finding stories and experiences that resonate across identities and Bend it Like Beckham (0:38)
• Giving "advice" to the next generation, balancing our dreams and our parents' expectations (9:20) 
• How Obama's 2004 speech changed Frank's life, his career in politics (20:03)
• How Frank realized and embraced being an artist and creative (36:38)
• What's next, the stories he'd like to tell, and elevating more Asian stories  (49:15)