Saturday, February 20, 2010

Lunar New Year Kick-Off Celebration with NAAAP-OC

Growing up in an Asian household, we didn't pay much heed to celebrating the Lunar New Year. Surprising? I never thought so but my Asian counterparts did. So, this year I decided to switch it up a notch and participate by attending NAAAP-OC's Lunar New Year Celebration.

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My long-time friend Christine Huey, who now serves at secretary for NAAAP-OC (which stands for National Association of Asian American Professionals, Orange County), invited me. She, along with other officers of the board, were installed by Judge John Nho Truong Nguyen last Thursday at the Dragon Palace in Garden Grove.
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And with the help of another wonderful friend, Victoria Quon, I commemorated the new year by handing out traditional red envelopes stuffed with my card and a chocolate gold coin.
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I admit, I intially wasn't too sure what NAAAP-OC was all about but as I looked around the room and started to chit-chat with the members, I realized that this was much more that a social gathering. This is an organization committed to developing leaders within the community. One of the most impressive components that won me over: Mentorship. I've been to a fair share of networking events but this is the first organization I've come across that consists of generations of members, with the older generation committed to serving the younger generation in mentorship. I had the privilege of sitting next to Pat Summers (Professional Development Chair) during dinner and it was amazing to see her passion in developing leaders, true to the mission statement of NAAAP-OC.

Thank you for a wonderful evening and great start to a new Lunar New Year NAAAP-OC!

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