Blog written by Brian Nguyen, Easterseals Adult Day Services Director
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month recognizes the profound influence and contributions that Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans have made to the culture of the United States. My background as a Vietnamese American, has helped shaped who I am and contributes to what I bring to my job as a director in Adult Day Services.
My parents were immigrants who were fortunate to be sponsored by two American families [so they could] come to America after the Vietnam War. I grew up seeing my parents struggle and work hard to ensure I was provided with opportunities they never had.
When I was young, I spoke Vietnamese at home. While being fluent was something my family and relatives were very proud of, to this day, it has made learning English more challenging. While I am an American, I believe I still emulate the Vietnamese culture my parents taught me: being respectful, kind, and persevering through difficulties.
My Journey at Easterseals
The start of my journey here at Easterseals was a learning experience for my parents. They had predetermined what I should be doing with my career and my job at Easterseals didn’t originally align with their plan for me. As the years went by, they understood my calling more and more. Now, they are very supportive of my work and proud of what Easterseals does for our community.
One of the things I learned at Easterseals is advocacy. I’m fortunate to work closely with ESSC advocate Howard McBroom. He taught me his rules of advocacy, and I watched him in action when meeting with local representatives and teaching his advocacy classes. As Howard says, advocacy is important because we need to advocate every day in our lives.
Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month is a time to be proud of our culture, ethnicity, and traditions and the contributions we have made to our society. As Howard taught me, we should never stop advocating for what is right. Be proud!
Join Me in Celebrating Asian and Pacific Islander Americans
I encourage everyone to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We are fortunate to have many Asian American and Pacific Islander communities here in Southern California. There are museums to explore, restaurants and grocery stores to try, and even movie theaters to visit featuring films from across Asia. Check out this list of interesting activities in the Los Angeles area.
Careers at Easterseals
If you’re interested in finding a fulfilling career where you can become an advocate for people with disabilities, check out our current job openings on our careers page.
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