Back in 2021, the Stories Empowered team interviewed Haruka Noda, a senior from Portola High who led an initiative to create a mural advocating against Asian hate crimes and eventually founded Murals with Message: an organization that makes murals relating to social justice. Throughout this episode, we talked with Haruka about how her upbringing shaped her perspectives on activism, the overall process of completing her first mural and her inspiration to turn that one project into the fully-fledged Murals with Message. We ended off by discussing the intersection between art and activism as well as Haruka's future plans for Murals with Message.

Back in 2021, the Stories Empowered team interviewed Andy Nguyen, a local Asian restaurateur known for co-founding various businesses including Afters Ice Cream, Dough & Arrow, Portside Fish Co, and Banh Xeo Boys. Throughout this episode, Andy talked about his non-traditional path into the business world, the lessons he learned from each of his businesses and how he eventually entered into the restaurant industry. We then touched upon his experiences building up businesses during both the recession and the COVID-19 pandemic before finally delving into his love for Orange County and the rich cultures that exist here as well as the ways in which he incorporates his Asian heritage into his work.

Back in 2021, the Stories Empowered team came together to discuss "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings:" the first Marvel blockbuster to feature an Asian superhero as the lead. Beyond just analyzing the plot, we also reflected on whether the film played into traditional Asian stereotypes, how casting choices can reflect diversity efforts, and if, overall, the film did a good job with uplifting Asian stories. 

For the 11th episode of Uplift All Voices, Stories Empowered collaborated with the Solidarity Initiative to host a roundtable discussion about the Netflix series Dear White People, a satirical comedy-drama that features the stories of four POC students at Winchester University and draws attention to racial discrimination as well as other social biases. Focusing on Episodes 1 and 2, the Stories Empowered and Solidarity Initiative teams discussed and analyzed topics ranging from reverse racism to biracial relationships. Be sure to follow the Solidarity Initiative on Instagram @solidarity.in and catch the next part of the Dear White People discussion on their platform (coming soon)!

For our tenth episode, the Stories Empowered team interviewed Anthony Gharib, an Armenian American student journalist at USC who specializes in sports writing. Throughout this episode, Anthony talked about why he chose to pursue journalism and how sports have influenced his identity. Following that, Anthony elaborated on his experiences as a student journalist and as an intern for the LA Times High School Insider, emphasizing the importance of youth activism and staying informed. Finally, Anthony explained how COVID-19 has affected sports writing and discussed common misconceptions about sports writing, also offering some words of advice to high school journalists.

For our ninth episode, the Stories Empowered team interviewed Aylen Park, a Korean, Latina, and American TikTok creator who uses her platform to spread cultural awareness and share unique stories. In this episode, Aylen explained how she moved to the U.S. at the age of 15 after being born and raised in Argentina, discussing the expectations vs. reality and how life in Argentina differs from life in America. Following that, Aylen talked about her content on TikTok and what message she hopes to send to her audience, telling a few stories about how others have misjudged her based on her appearance. Finally, Aylen touched upon her experience as a multilingual and how she communicates differently with each language.

For our eighth episode, the Stories Empowered team hosted a roundtable discussion about the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA), which is renowned for its Asian representation. Various members of the Stories Empowered team, including Co-Founder Charlotte Cao, writer Diego Moreno, Outreach Team member Ruhi Barot, and Operations Directors Ali Dada and Sanjana Nitturkaur, were invited to answer questions submitted by followers through the Instagram account @storiesempowered, as well as reflect on their own experiences while watching the show. Claire Chien, the Uplift All Voices Director, was responsible for moderating the entire discussion. For the first half of the episode, the Stories Empowered team will be discussing various characters, such as Katara and Azula, and analyzing their character development, while the second half will focus exclusively on the portrayal of Asian cultures within ATLA.

For our seventh episode, the Stories Empowered Team interviewed Bethany Huang, a Northwood High alumni and UCI freshman who ran for the IUSD Board of Education in the fall of 2020, striving to provide perspective on how district policies would affect students and parents in Irvine. Throughout this episode, Bethany explained her political background in education and how her experience as an IUSD student has influenced the policies that she supports. Following that, she expressed the importance of training young leaders and including all voices in the government, but she also warned against the dangers of identity politics and how it may lead to misrepresentation. Finally, Bethany reflected on her moral and political values in relation to her faith.

For our sixth episode, the Stories Empowered team interviewed Hina Kojima, a high school junior who created the short film Relive to Remember with her sister Kana, aiming to encourage diversity and spread knowledge about the Japanese prison camps from World War II. Throughout this episode, Hina talked about her experience as a Japanese American who recently moved to the United States and how that helped her notice the underrepresentation of people of color in American history classes. Following that, Hina discussed how she came to realize that each family had a unique story to tell, as well as how remembering these stories can serve as a form of protest because it raises awareness about patterns of oppression in U.S. history. Finally, Hina emphasized the importance of broadening one’s perspective by listening to the experiences and wisdom of others.

For our fifth episode, the Stories Empowered team interviewed Calista Ogburn, a Korean and Vietnamese American college student who writes poetry about gender identity, global perspectives, body image, and more. Throughout this episode, Ogburn talked about her use of both poetry and visual art to express deeper meaning within her work, then explained her experience as a Third Culture Kid and how it helps her shape her poetry for all audiences. Following that, Ogburn reflected on her struggles with beauty standards and her identity as a woman of color, as well as how anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic influenced her most recent poetry book, this is it. Finally, Ogburn emphasized the importance of self-acceptance and confidence in oneself.