Martell Icons of Inspiration - Vicky’s Reflection

The Martell Icons of Inspiration Competition appeared on my radar one morning as I scrolled idly through my social media feeds, waiting for my breakfast at a street cart outside my office in Manhattan. I noticed that the deadline was some far off date in the future, and that there would be some intermediary round in Los Angeles before any winners were selected.  It seemed like a lot of [...]

Alumni Stories - Tuan Do

Let me tell you about some of the best years of my life.  After growing up and attending school in the Sacramento region, I decided to move down to Southern California in 2006.  As a kid, my dream was to live in “SoCal” and be in the thick of the action as depicted by Hollywood.  Knowing only two friends in the area I got involved with [...]

Alumni Stories - Genessee Kagy

In 2007, I was a fresh college graduate back in LA, after 4 years in NorCal.  At the suggestion of my parents, I researched some Asian American professional organizations to jumpstart my LA network with.  APEX stood out from the rest, as providing an environment that was both fun, and inspiring.  A good mix of social and professional.  The following year, I applied to be Director of Administrative [...]

APEX President’s Welcome!

Happy New Year! I would like to introduce myself as the newly elected President of APEX.  APEX has been a big part of my life for the past 5 years. I was the Chair of Professional Development for 2 years and moved onto the role of Director of Professional Development for 2 more, taking a break in between. What is inspiring to see is how the APEX community continues to grow [...]

First Asian American Awarded Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Sarah Lawrence professor of writing and poetry and Graywolf Press author, Vijay Seshadris, recently became the first Asian American to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in poetry for his collection, Three Sections. Whether you view poetry as the highest echelon of expression or a rarified indulgence, from ancient China to the salons of Versaille, poetry has often been a benchmark of inclusion in the culture of a place and time. [...]

Peacemakers Across the Globe

As a second generation Asian American, we had the privileges of growing up in a well-developed nation. I find in today’s success driven society, the vast majority is mainly focused on work-life balance, independence and pursuit of happiness. Our daily concerns are expressed in terminology known as “First World Problems” such as: Having no internet, bad parking, being too full from eating too much, and the [...]