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“People Need People”

Thank You To Our Supporters!

Paul Shishima & Company

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Volume 38, Issue 1, December/January 2014Krokodil ............................................1Drug Court Graduates........................1 Donor Thanks..............................2 & 3Veterans Day.....................................5Carson Social Host Law.................... 5Toy Drive/Mochi................................5Halloween......................................... 6Israel’s Graduation............................ 7Tae Kwon Do.....................................7Staff Voices.......................................8

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I n last month’s August/September 2015 Rice Paper edition, the first part series of this article focused on our Olympia Academy’s (OA) youth drug access, trends and reasons for

their addiction from the perspective of addiction specialists and the OA counselors. In the second part of this series, two clients and their guardians were interviewed to get a more personal-ized view and inside glimpse into their access, reasons of their addiction and their families’ responses. Due to reasons of confidentially, the names of the clients and their legal guardian are withheld. For reference, we will identify the clients as Sue and Lisa, respectively.

Sue, as most of the OA clients, had experienced several challenges. According to Sue, alcohol, marijuana, spice and

meth and pills were the drugs of choice from an early age. The biological parents were the two main people who introduced her to drugs. She was 9 years old when she started drinking and 14 years old when meth use began. She shared that doing drugs with both biological parents was a way for her to bond with them. Ironically, Sue said that the drug use primarily helped her to get away from the violence at home between the parents. Sue communicated feelings of being alone and abandoned. She said, “Drugs made me feel welcome to people and helped me to cope. Get away.”

She said, “When I came to OA, I found out what more I am capable of and I’ve realized my potential. I think of what I can

Volume 39, Issue 5, October/November 2015Councilmember Herb Wesson & AADAP.....1Glimpse into Olympia Academy...................1Showtime 2015!.......................................... 3Annual Board Dinner....................................4CP Youth Leadership Training..................... 4Mayor Garcetti Visits Van Ness Park........... 5Team AMP Recruits for 2016!..................... 5Happy KPI!...................................................6Happy MID!................................................. 6Labor Day Picnic..........................................7Interns from Seoul University......................7Staff Voices..................................................8

Councilmember Herb Wesson and AADAP’s Enduring BondBy Rahimah Shah, Development Associate

A s a thanks to Council President Herb Wesson’s, Los Angels City Council, District 10, support and allowing

AADAP to honor him as our 2015 Showtime Leadership Award Recipient, we wanted to highlight Councilmember Wesson and AADAP’s history with him.

Councilmember Wesson vividly re-called the days going back to the late 80’s during the Nate Holden era. Councilman Wesson was a supervisor and Mike had been Executive Director of AADAP for a few years. This is when their friend-ship started. Councilmember Wesson described Mike as being his same height and had a “mellow” demeanor. They were supportive of, and learned from one another. Wesson elaborated that Mike educated him on the wide issue of substance abuse and how ad-dicts can pull themselves out if they so chose. Mike had shared how services were necessary

for our communities. During this time, Wesson also met Patrick Ogawa, one of AADAP’s early founders, and described their working together as a “trifecta.” Wesson was able to receive a grant that provided renovations for gym equip-ment, and, in turn, AADAP’s Therapeutic Com-

munity gym was named, “Herb’s Gym.” Over time, the long relationship has

come out from the Councilmember sup-porting and attending AADAP events and even programs. As the Los Angeles City Council President, Wesson supported the City Councils funding of WorkSource Centers, along with Jan Perry, General Manager of the Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWDD). Since last year, AADAP is now able to promote WorkSource opportuni-ties. The Councilmember also holds an annual 3-day summer camp that takes sixty youth from Los Angeles, of which ten to fifteen are AADAP youth. The

youth go with very little and are provided with all the camping essentials they could ask for, such as toiletries, backpacks, food, etc. Wesson also holds an annual Spring Clean-Up since

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Councilmember Wesson bangs the gavel in his office!

A Personal Glimpse into Olympia Academy By Rahimah Shah, Development Associate

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do with my life without drugs. Now I have become better and I have learned how to interact with people. Also art has helped me. I draw my feelings. I like that I can do art and me being connected to where I came from and my culture- that helps me. I also workout everyday.”

The absence of Sue’s parents as parental figures had a huge impact and was followed with other forms of trauma. Living with a parent who is an addict lends to a lot of neglect and many forms of abuse. Sue was taken into her guardian’s custody to remove her from this environment. Her guardian’s response to her drug use involved a lot of denial, and, years later, guilt. Sue’s guardian shared that he repeat-edly asked what he did wrong and felt riddled with shame. The battle waged on unsuccessfully for many years until treatment was found with OA. After family support groups and the start of therapy, communica-tion and patience were newfound strengths that Sue’s guardian learned to incorporate more effectively. He stated, “I learned I can’t control [Sue]. I’m not sup-posed to control them, instead only to help and better guide.” He added that there was an initial reluctance to send Sue into a program, however, treatment was the best way to cope with the Sue’s addiction. He added, “At OA, there are people who are qualified to help and Sue has taken steps to recovery. We are glad that she is finally getting the help she needs.”

Lisa began using around 13 years of age and also began with marijuana and alcohol. Her addiction progressed to include pills, meth and then heroin. She was able to access drugs through, “people I hung out with,” who were mostly 18-year-old males and people she knew, some of which were gang members. Her reasons for using were her depression due to her grandfather’s death and her inability to cope. She became rebellious towards her parents and was self-harming. After treatment at OA, Lisa shared that they

have learned to help others when someone else needs a hand. She shared, “I’ve learned to express and share my feelings. Now I like to write, workout and even cook. It helps me a lot.” The action of coming out of one’s self and extending themselves is a newfound strength. She said, “When you want help, you accept and are not in denial. You have to get help. It took me a while to come here. But when I did, that was my first step to a new life.”

In the case of Lisa’s parent, the first drug of choice discovered was also marijuana. He stated that their child first started to use marijuana around 13 to 14 years of age. He also shared there was a substantial amount of denial and that they experienced silence and letting the situation “eat me up.” He said that the reasons for Lisa’s drug addiction were due to curios-ity and what TV and radio propels at our youth.” He said, “Sometimes we continue to work and get buried with stress, but we need to stop because our kid is trying to tell us something.” He added that another lesson they learned in treatment is better communication, patience and listening. Lisa’s parent emphasized that AADAP has a strong youth rehab program and should stand as a model example.

In speaking to both clients and their families, it is evident that familial and client treatment are critical to youth recovery. The treatment process needs to ex-

tend out to the family because it is an issue that affects everyone and often involves family in ways that are hard to face. Communication, patience and healing traumas as a unit allows for clients to move for-ward and make peace to what was left unattended. At OA, treatment usually lasts for 12-18 months, however, recovery and staying so-ber, is a life-long process. At OA, we don’t just deal with the youth as individuals. They come with a whole set of biological, cultural, familial, and community identities and experiences that contributes to their individuality. With the relentless support of a qualified

treatment team, like Olympia Academy, life-affirming and productive choices are fully possible.

PeopleNeedPeople

PeopleNeedPeople

The Rice Paper is a bimonthly publication of the Asian American Drug Abuse Program, Inc.Kenneth Kasamatsu, ChairmanJean Shigematsu, Vice ChairmanDanny Torii, TreasurerSteven Arellano, Sr., SecretarySaundra Bryant, MemberMike Yoshiba, MemberTy Carter, MemberVictor Harewood, MemberMike Watanabe, MSW President & CEO

Management TeamDaisy Asis-Nakanishi, Employment Access DirectorDean Nakanishi, Administrative DirectorFrank Nguyen, Fiscal DirectorGlenn Andres, Outpatient DirectorHiroko Makiyama, Prevention DirectorJames Stinson, Therapeutic Community DirectorJose Esqueda, Youth & Family Program DirectorPatty Abrantes, Olympia Academy DirectorPaulina Hong, Development DirectorReyAris Tubadeza, Information Technology DirectorRahimah Shah, Editor-In-ChiefMike Nakayama, Graphic DesignerAdcraft Business Mail, Printer

OLYMPIA ACADEMYContinued from page 1

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our Bridges days that involves street and alley-way clean up around the 10th District. Aside from this, Wesson holds Dodger Game Clin-ics, has a “back-to-school” backpack program and invites AADAP to his private activities. We in turn are involved with his constituents and are there at his community forums as at-tendees and active participants.

I asked Councilmember Wesson what AADAP could do to help and collaborate as we move forward. Councilmember said to

continue what we are doing and keep the commitment to not give up on people. He said, “We have a responsibility to give second chances. There are phenomenal people out there who also have issues. We need to give them job opportunities and help others.”

In closing, Councilmember left me with more kind words. He stated, “I am deeply honored to have a relationship with Mike Watanabe. AADAP has also been a part of my entire political career. Because of the insights I receive from Mike, as it relates to the under-standing of how to help and the importance of understanding treatment, it is true that people

need people.”Councilman Herb Wesson and AADAP

have known one another for twenty-eight years. Within the past almost three decades, the face of substance abuse has changed, and as Councilmember Wesson agreed, treatment today incorporates a more holistic approach. AADAP is confident that our treatment servic-es will continue strong and we look forward to more productive years with Councilmem-ber Wesson. We thank the Councilmember and his deputy staff for staying connected to the community and supporting the focus to make our city a better and safer place!

Councilmember Herb WessonContinued from page 1

SHOWTIME 2015 Highlights

SHOWTIME 2015 Highlights

By Paulina Hong, Development Director

On Saturday, August 22nd over 400 supporters and volunteers gathered at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center for Showtime 2015- AADAP’s (Asian American Drug Abuse Program) 22nd Annual Benefit

Concert and 43rd Anniversary Celebration

Hetty Chang, Reporter for NBC4 Southern California, returned as mistress of ceremonies for a third year, and was joined by Olympia Academy’s Staff Teacher, Mr. Nick Maestas as the co-emcee. LA City Councilman, Mar-queeece Harris-Dawson of the 8th District joined AADAP Board Development Chair Michael Yoshiba and President & CEO, Mike Watanabe in welcoming everyone. The evening’s sole honoree, LA City Council President Herb J. Wesson, Jr., was recognized for his pioneering leadership in building up the local community, and years of strong partnership with AADAP. His award in-cluded a surprise presentation of “Herb’s Gym” sweatshirt, a memento from when he secured support for a gym at AADAP’s residential facility. Sergio Vellatti, Kermet Apio and Lynne Fiddmont filled the rest of the evening with amazing performances, ending the night with standing ovations and cries for encores. Most significant of all, over $9000 was raised for immediate program needs, thanks to generous supporters who committed on the spot.

Thank you to all of our sponsors and supporters who allow us to continue out mission of Changing Lives and Saving Families!

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C ome August 18, 2015 and all across LAUSD and other school systems, the first day of class had begun. Summer was officially over for most students, and it was time to get back into the swing of the new school year.

On Wednesday, August 19, 2015, Mayor Eric Garcetti along with 8th Council Member Marqueece Harris-Dawson & Gang Reduction Youth Development Director, Ann Trembley, they made an appearance at Van Ness Park & Recreation

Center to hand out back packs to the local youth and commu-nity. The backpacks had been filled with school supplies, i.e. pencils, rulers, notebooks and other school essentials.

Upon his arrival, Mayor Garcetti approached the families and spoke with them. He had conversations with the youth, and other members of the community. As the youth lined up to shake the hands of both Mayor Eric Garcetti and 8th District Councilman Marqueece Dawson, each one was handed a backpack; over

40 backpacks were handed out along with a snack. It was a real pleasure to meet and greet not only 8th Councilman Mar-

queece Harris-Dawson, but also the man that runs our city and responsible for funding our program, Mayor Eric Garcetti. It was an experience to meet the Mayor, and see him give back to the communities that are in high need

of basic school supplies. AADAP’s Youth & Family Programs were happy to participate in this success-

ful event. We want to thank Mayor Garcetti, Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson, GRYD Director, Ann Trembley, and the staff from Parks and Recreation Department for their support, commitment and collaboration.

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Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles and 8th District City and Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson stand next to YFP Director Jose Esqueda and team.

T he 2015 Community Preven-tion Youth Leadership Training brought together high school

youth, between the ages of 14 to 18, from around the South Bay area to prepare them in personal awareness of drugs and underage drinking, advocacy skills, outreaching methods, and public speaking. The Youth Leadership Train-ing highlighted the challenges faced by youth and substance use, and identify-ing creative solutions to prevent them.

According to Jenny P., a member of Inglewood’s Youth United in Creative Action, “It gave us information and techniques we could use to help or tell others about the dangers of drugs and underage drinking!”

Community Prevention staff helped inspire and guide the “Youth Advo-cates” through the substance abuse prevention training. The Leadership Training goal was for the youth to be-come members of society who are fully

equipped to understand and address the community and personal impact of Alcohol, Marijuana, and other drugs.

One of the youth, Sergio B., who participated in the trainings remarked, “My favorite activity was learning the facts and myths about the dangerous substances because I finally saw the terrible effect these drugs can have on the youth.”

Danica P. added, “I did not know that marijuana edibles can have more potency. The retreat made me to not want to ever try edibles!”

The training process included interactive activities, presentations, creating outreach plans, and personal reflections. Alfredo J. from Inglewood High commented, “It was fun, active,

educational, and easy going. It helped me open up more publicly.”

The three consecutive training days were held in Monrovia Canyon Park and Cabrillo Beach. These locations gave the youth members from the Gar-dena High School Task Force, Carson Student Movement, Inglewood Youth United In Creative Action, and Long Beach Poly High Community Action Team lots of energy and enthusiasm to work as teams, build skills, and create new memories with each other.

“The cabin, hike, and other areas of location were beautiful. After fulfilling each day, I thought about how grateful I was to be a member of CSM and a YOUTH ADVOCATE!” said Roycelin L. a student from the Carson Academy of Medical Arts.

The Community Prevention Leader-ship Training was very successful and helped to continue prevention work through Youth leadership and advocacy.

Finally, Kurt D., youth training participant said, “For the skills that I obtained, one of the most important was communicational skills because after the retreat while outreaching for the Sheriff Community Night Out, I was able to talk to random people about drugs and alcohol without get-ting nervous.”The South Bay high school youth are ready and empowered for the coming year with more knowledge, tools and an AADAP backpack!

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L to R, front: Board Members, Mike Yoshiba; Ty Carter; Board Chairman Ken Kasamatsu; Jean Shigematsu; Saundra Bryant; President & CEO, MIke Watanabe. Back row: Victor Harewood, Jr. and Danny Torii. Congratulations to this years awardees: Judge Patricia Titus, Cory Shoizaki,Larry Gonzales, Ieti Lea’ea, Mari Pena, Hiroko Makiyama, Patty Abrantes and Amalya Anneyan.

T eam AMP (AADAP Marathon Program) will be returning for a fifth year and participating in the 2016 Skechers Per-

formance Los Angeles Marathon. You can join Team AMP for the LA Big 5K (Saturday, Febru-ary 13th) or the Full Marathon or Charity Re-lay (Sunday, February 14th). . Participants will have a chance to be a part of a historic year for the Los Angeles Marathon as it celebrates its 31st anniversary. This event promises to be a jam-packed with lots of exciting activities, including the trials for the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics.

By joining Team AMP, you not only get the exhilarating experience of running a world-class race and earning a medal, but you also have an opportunity to impact the lives of real men, women and children affected by substance abuse. Each team mem-ber commits to raise funds that will go towards treatment and recovery for individuals in need, as well as support for family and friends who oftentimes struggle right alongside the person in addiction.

AADAP serves over 18,000 individuals ev-ery year with comprehensive substance abuse and other social services. AADAP began with the mission to provide culturally-sensitive services to Asian Pacific Islander families in answer to the drug epidemic of the 70s. Since then, AADAP has continually expanded to meet the needs of all members of the com-munity, without regard to race or ethnicity, and now has over 10 programs including: inpatient and outpatient treatment, individual and family counseling, youth leadership development, community advocacy and out-reach, perinatal services, HIV/AIDS outreach

and employment services. Whether you are a novice or seasoned run-

ner, participating in the Skechers Performance Los Angeles Marathon with Team AMP will be a rewarding experience. Training for a long-distance event is challenging to say the least, but with a supportive team running alongside you, the pains and aches soon fade away. The reality is that every step you take is a step that helps an individual in need.

If you are interested in joining Team AMP or would like more information, please con-tact Paulina Hong at phong@aadapinc.org or 323-293-6284.

2015 Annual Board Dinner By Community Prevention Team

Leadership Training Highlights Community Prevention Work with Youths Against Drugs and Underage Drinking By Richard Bis and Traci Saruwatari

Team AMP, By Paulina Hong, Development Director

Team AMP 2015 looks forward to joining with more runners and completing the Los Angeles Marathon 2016!

Mayor Garcetti Visits Van Ness Park By Jose Soria, YFP Counselor

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Family Matters is an open forum for everyone to participate. Because AADAP is committed to the family concept, we invite all of you to share your ideas and thoughts. You can call or write AADAP c/o of Rahimah Shah at rshah@aadapinc.org.

FAMILY MATTERSFAMILY MATTERS R e s i d e n t s’ C o r n e rThe residents’ corner is a regular feature in the Rice Paper. It is written to give the reader a

bird’s eye view of recovery and treatment in the T.C. and O.A.

Labor Day Picnic By Jonathan G., Therapeutic Community Client

Happy Korean Pakistani Indian Independence Day! By Gulzar Sukiyani

T he AADAP family, with much fervor and enthusiasm, celebrated Korean Pakistani Indian (KPI) Independence Day on August

14, 2015. Each year, we celebrate this day col-lectively because, luckily, we all share the same day of Independence. What a treat!

It started off with a brief and informative presentation on the history and culture of Korea and Pakistan, by Olympia Academy (OA) youth. This was followed by a beauti-ful Sindhi dance of Pakistan, performed by OA youth, who were dressed in traditional Pakistani attire. Immediately after, the OA youth transitioned into a high-energy dance to K-Pop (Korean Pop) music. The audience loved it, and clapped with the dancers. There was also very enthusiastic participation by the audience when the games began. Lots of prizes were given out to the winners. The program concluded

with a colorful fashion show of Pakistani and Korean attires, modeled by Therapeutic Com-munity (TC) and OA clients. The youth also did a lovely presentation of our histories and put in such effort with their presentations.

After the program, the audience was able to

enjoy delicious Korean and Pakistani food and beverages, served by KPI team. The amazing cel-ebration was a collective effort of the KPI team, OA and TC clients, and we thank them and the guests. We also thank Jennifer Park, OA Coun-selor, for creating our beautiful program!

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T he Therapeutic Community (TC) Annual 2015 Labor Day Picnic was held at the beautiful Toe’s Beach. The day started off with a very positive

vibe in the house amongst the clients. Many family and friends were invited to the picnic

and were able to enjoy the beach with us. The grills

were fired up as soon as we arrived. Our picnic menu included BBQ pork ribs, BBQ grilled chicken, hot dogs, and others delicious sides. The sun was shining and

the clients enjoyed the day either lounging around or catching up on good old times. We also partici-pated in activities such as some beach volleyball, catch with the football, or taking on the thrashing waves to enjoy the warm water.

On behalf of all the TC clients and families, we would like to say thanks to AADAP for this amazing new lifestyle experience. Although this will be our last picnic at Toe’s Beach this year, we’ll see you next year on Easter at Toe’s Beach!!

T his summer, a group of students came to Olympia Academy (OA) from the Uni-

versity of Seoul, South Korea. They started as our temporary interns and quickly became dear friends.

Their first day attending OA was a bit awkward due to the obvious language and cultural barriers, but they were quickly broken down by the warm wel-comes and fun games introduced to us by our first three interns. They taught us about their culture and both groups realized that there are many parallels between the two countries. We all aren’t too different after all. Later, into their few weeks being here, they came to the Corporate Office to sup-port our performance at the KPI (Korean, Pakistani, and Indian) Independence Day event. Even though we probably butchered a dance of one of their most famous pop roups, they still cheered us on in good spirit.

Throughout the next couple of visits more of them came along and our extended AADAP family grew bigger. Many hidden talents were revealed amongst the interns throughout our time together. Tal-

ents such as, break dancing by Yeji, amazing art and sketching skills by Junha and Alexa, fantastic singing voices like Jessica’s, impressive athletic skills as shown by Yerin, and of course, all of them were in-credibly intelligent. We also walked with them to the La Brea Tar Pits and played some Korean forms of dodge ball that had us all laughing.

Their last day was full of limbo

and interesting music, but things got a bit serious at the end when we all got in a circle and spoke about the best time in our lives and the worst time. Some people got emotional, but everyone was closer by the end, and, just in case they read this, I would like to say, “thank you,” and that you are always part of our ever-growing family at AADAP.

Our Visitors from the Far East By Arielle W., Olympia Academy Counselor

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Thank you to our new friends from Seoul National University!

T he Youth and Family Programs (YFP) Unit hosted the Mexican Independence Celebration on

September 11, 2015. Mexican Indepen-

dence Day, recognized on September 15th, is celebrated much like the 4th of July in the United States.

The audience learned about the

history of Mexican Independence and the rich culture of Mexican traditions and celebrations, via a power point presentation.

As soon as you stepped into the Community Room, one could feel the ambience of a Mexican fiesta, much like the real celebration. Noticing the décor was inevitable; the room was filled with red, white and green decorations and candies everywhere and a Day of the Dead altar honoring the passing of im-portant people in the Mexican Culture was on display. Did you get your hands on those yummy traditional Mexican candies like Pelones, Masa-pan and Duvalines?

One of the highlights of the event was a video display-

ing a re-enactment of the Mexican Independence Battle, with characters were played by the YFP staff counsel-ors. It brought lots of laughter to the audience! The celebration continued with some of Mexico’s most popu-lar games like, “The Hot Sombrero Dance,” where participants danced in a circle while passing a Mexican Sombrero much like the hot potato. The next game seemed to be the most challenging as the participants had to get a wooden oval shape object onto the stick, and last but not least, was Loteria, a Mexican bingo game.

The event wrapped up with authen-tic Mexican cuisine catered by Tacos Yuri and with help from the YFP staff. Drinks included, Horchata and Jamaica (hibiscus), followed by some delicious desserts like Mexican Jell-O and mixed fruit with tajin (seasoning and lime). All guests enjoyed the cuisine while listening to traditional Mexican music. Thank you to the committee and staff who made the celebration possible! Viva Mexico!

Happy Mexican Independence Day!By Anita Gomez, YFP Counselor

The Labor Day picnic was a memorable afternoon for clients to enjoy good food and company while with their families and staff.

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Thank you to the YFP staff, clients, volunteers and Yuris Tacos for the wonderful Mexican Independence Day celebration! Your cultural garb is always so lovely!

The AADAP Therapeutic Community (TC) and Olympia Academy (OA) clients did such a great job at participating and opening their minds to different cultures. Thank you for making our celebrations so memorable. Pictured are the OA clients performing a traditional Pakistani dance piece.

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AADAP is a substance abuse recovery center. If you or anyone you know is struggling for help, please contact us at (323) 293-6284.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to AADAP, please send contributions to the address above or visit us at www.aadapinc.org.

AADAP, Inc.2900 Crenshaw Blvd.Los Angeles, Californnia 90016Telephone: 323-293-6284ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Please contact Dean Nakanishi at the number above if you would like to donate your vehicle or make an In-Kind donation.

STAFF VOICES

Editor’s note: Staff Voices is a section that sheds light on AADAP’s diverse staff population.

My parents fled the Killing Fields of Cambodia as refugees in 1979 before barely reaching the States. I was born outside of Stockton,

California in 1983, but my childhood would consist of constant relocation between Northern and South-ern California. Growing up as a second-generation Cambodian in America, my identity was often confused. Khmer was my first language until I was old enough to attend school. That’s when English gradually took over. Although my parents pushed hard to preserve our culture, the American lifestyle pushed at me even harder. I couldn’t help but feel that the more I adapted into American society, the more I was leaving my heritage behind. So at that point was I Cambodian-American? American-Cambodian? This growing inner conflict started to consume me.

I knew I was Cambodian, but I wanted to become American; these two were not compatible in my mind. This confusion and frustration subtly transformed into anger and aggression. I started to act out, undermine my parents, and performed very poorly in school. The fact that I nearly lost my ability to speak Khmer made it difficult for me to express myself to my parents, in a culture that does not exactly encour-

age emotional expressions to begin with. I became ashamed of my background because I thought no one else would understand it.

As I transitioned into adulthood, this inner conflict and confusion continued to wear me down. It had already separated me from my family, my language, and my customs. I was a grown man, not knowing how to truly define myself, nor where I belonged. I eventually grew tired of resisting, tired of trying to forget. I was fed up with trying to be like everyone else, and not having my own identity. So, I put down my guard and opened up. That’s when I realized that I did not have to pick and choose what my identity was; I just had to focus on being me, and everything else would follow suit. Being Cambodian did not require me to practice

old and foreign customs, but it does require me to un-derstand and accept that it is, and always will be, a part of my essence. So my identity is American with a Cambodian background; that’s how I truly define myself. It’s unique, but I am now able to embrace it.

I used to believe that my parents and their generation were the only victims of the Cambodian genocide; it’s just much easier to look at things that way. But that’s just not the case. I, like many other second-

Daddy with daughter.

generation immigrants, I am a victim as well. Here I now stand, with a daughter of my own. I can only imagine what types of identity issues she may face. You can bet I’m going to push my Cambodian heritage onto her the same way my parents did with me. I understand that her identity will be different, but it will be some-thing that she has to discover for herself. I won’t expose her to our Cambodian heritage with the attempt to control her identity. Instead, I have a dream for my daughter to find her own identity because I was finally able to find mine.