Get to Know Our Interns: Meet Yating Chen

Yating Chen, Communications Intern

Yating Chen, Communications Intern

Every summer, ACDC hires high school and college student interns to join their team. Through hard work and perseverance, our interns have made it possible for ACDC to maintain its mission of empowering the Asian American community in the Greater Boston area during a disconnected time.

We wanted to introduce you to some of this summer’s interns to share their experience at ACDC. 

To start off our series is Yating Chen, a Communications Intern. Yating was born in China and moved to Boston when she was two years old. As a rising senior at Boston Latin School, Yating is involved in many extracurriculars including astronomy club, DECA, art club, and concert band. 


How did you connect with ACDC?

I first learned about ACDC last summer through the City of Boston’s SuccessLink program, and was placed at ACDC as a Development Intern last year. I really liked it, so I applied to intern with ACDC again this year.

What have you worked on in the past and what projects are you working on now?

When I started, I researched blogging best practices, how to reach out to people, how to come up with interview questions, how to interview people, and how to write a blog post. I just wrapped a project on a blog post about some of ACDC’s Summer Leadership Academy (SLA) youth. 

I spoke with two of the participants and asked questions about their interests and about their SLA projects. After interviewing them, I transcribed the text, created a blog post on ACDC’s website, and created a social media graphic using Canva.

Have you come across any challenges so far?

A lot of this year’s work is very new to me, such as interviewing people and creating a blog post. It’s not something that I’ve done before. There was a good amount of learning going into the work. 

I think one of the most challenging parts was coming up with interview questions. I had to research the SLA curriculum and what youth would be working on. I took into consideration who I was interviewing and what questions and responses readers would be interested in.

What is a skill you have learned during your internship?

Time management is a pretty huge one — getting everything done on time, working efficiently, and making sure that I prioritize certain tasks. I have a set schedule for everyday and I list out all my tasks. I also keep a calendar and make sure that I know exactly what I need to do and when it needs to be done, which has been helpful.

How has ACDC inspired you?

What first drew me to ACDC was its mission and work in the Asian community. I think my experience at ACDC inspired me to want to get involved with more non-profits in the Boston area and help others.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I really like to draw. I’ve tried many different mediums and always love trying new things. I also like to spend time with my family, especially getting outdoors.

What are your plans for college?

I don’t have specific colleges in mind yet, but I definitely want to stay in the Boston area. In terms of extra-curriculars, I definitely want to stay active and join different clubs. 

Thank you, Yating, for sharing your story!

Meet Abby and Calvin

Abby is a rising sophomore at Andover High School and Calvin is a rising junior at Quincy High School. This summer they participated in ACDC’s SLA program along with other youth in the Greater Boston area to learn about Asian communities and experiences.

About Abby and Calvin

What do you like to do in your free time?

Abby: I like to swim, go shopping, and hang out with my friends.

Calvin: I like to play video games and listen to music.

What is your favorite book, movie, or TV show?

Abby: My favorite movie is Another Cinderella Story with Selena Gomez.

Calvin: My favorite movie is CZ12.

What is your favorite traditional food from your culture?

Abby: I’m half Chinese, so from that side of my family I get to eat soup dumplings, which I love.

Calvin: My favorite traditional food from my culture is BBQ pork.

What are some of your favorite places in the city?

Abby: I like going to Quincy Market in Boston and eating at Ocean Prime nearby. That area is probably my favorite place to visit.

Calvin: My favorite places in the city would have to be B-Cafe and Yocha in Quincy.

SLA

How did you learn about SLA? What inspired you to apply to the program?

Abby: My mom learned about SLA through a family friend, and she encouraged me to sign up. I live in a town where kids are mostly white. Through SLA, I could learn more about my cultural background and history, and to meet more Asian people my age.

Calvin: I heard about SLA from my cousin, and my interest in racial justice inspired me to apply to the program.

What are you currently learning about or working on?

Abby: We recently learned about gentrification and community development, with guest speakers sharing their knowledge and insight on these topics. Jung Shen, an A-VOYCE youth alumni, showed us different parts of Chinatown, what Chinatown was like before it became gentrified, and the backstory on changes in the neighborhood. 

Before, I had no clue about what was going on in Chinatown because I just go there to hang out with family or friends, and I never knew the history of the neighborhood. I’m really grateful for learning all of this through SLA.

Calvin: I’m currently learning about how people are being oppressed in society.

What has been your favorite part of SLA so far?

Abby: The breakout rooms where we split up into smaller groups has been my favorite part. I love talking to the other kids about their experience and what they know about Boston.

Calvin: My favorite part of SLA is meeting new people from different places in Massachusetts that I would not have the opportunity to meet without SLA.

What have you learned or gained from collaborating with other SLA youth?

Abby: I learned that even though we don’t live near each other or come from the same families, we have similar experiences. We have similar stories to share. 

Calvin: I’ve learned a lot about why Asians are being targeted for attacks and how this situation should be counteracted.

Did you find that reflecting on your experiences and sharing them through various mediums was beneficial? Why or why not?

Abby: Reflecting on and sharing my experiences has been beneficial because I’m able to realize the depth in my story and expand on who I am as an Asian American.

Calvin: Yes, reflection definitely contributed to my opinions towards different issues.

How have books, movies, TV shows, social media or other forms of media shaped your identity?

Abby: I’m a teenager, so my life revolves around social media and it’s where I get most of my information about the world. Social media feels like a part of my identity because I use it a lot and everyone around me is so active in using it.

Calvin: Through these outlets, I learned what an oppressive society is and showed the big picture of it and long term impacts.

Part of this year’s SLA focus is building your capacity as a creative storyteller. What role do you think storytelling plays in activism?

Abby: I think storytelling informs us about diverse experiences and the human aspect of issues we’re fighting for. The stories we share and document can help us learn how to make positive changes for the community.

Calvin: Storytelling allows for informational and persuasive talk from personal experience.

Why should youth be involved in conversations about social issues? What makes the youth perspective important?

Abby: Youth are the future. Those who are adults now won’t be around as long as we will. Young people have a different perspective compared to older generations because what’s going on now will continue to impact us as we get older. We aren’t just watching from the margins - we have a stake in this fight, too.

Calvin: Young people should be involved in these conversations because they are the future generation that will shape how society will be. The youth perspective is unique because they have access to advanced technology, which makes sharing information easier.

Do you think some institutions have disadvantaged certain communities? If so, what can be done to address this?

Abby: I think some institutions definitely do give certain communities disadvantages. I think we should fight back, explain why, and just fight until the change happens because change doesn’t happen overnight.

Calvin: Yes, and sharing about this will increase awareness.

2021 Residence Lab: Community Care

Part 1: Introducing Residence Lab 2021

By Qing Qing Pan, originally published on Pao Arts Center’s website.

Hello, my name is Qing Qing, and I am one of Pao Art Center’s summer interns. For the past few months, I have had the honor to provide Mandarin interpretation for and document the 2021 Residence Lab (ResLab) cohort’s journey in their co-creating.  

These artists and residents have been busy! This year’s cohort is made up of three teams of Boston-based artists and Chinatown residents, who have been invited to combine their artistic creativity and neighborhood expertise to re-imagine Boston Chinatown. Each team has drawn inspiration from this year’s theme of collective care to create their site specific installations. Their projects will be on view at Mary Soo Hoo Park at the Rose Kennedy Greenway throughout the month of September, in partnership with the Greenway Conservancy. As teams finalize designs and start building the installations, this blog will serve to document their journey through the activation. Take a peek at what is to come for our ResLab kick-off on August 27th!

Residence Lab is a partnership between Pao Arts Center and Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) to empower and train artists and residents to collectively preserve the Chinatown community through creative and artistic space activation.

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Caption: In their first in-person workshop, artists and residents learned more about the geography and physical space of Mary Soo Hoo Park.

Image description: The red fence at Mary Soo Hoo Park on a sunny Saturday evening on June 5th, with a row of photos and maps of the park taped and hanging across it. Photo Credit: Qing Qing Pan.

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Caption: To liven up the energy, ResLab artists and facilitators “dress up” for an impromptu dance party with virtual filters! 

Image description: Screencap of ResLab virtual workshop on July 9th. Featured are the 2021 Residence Lab cohort, wearing various goofy Zoom filters, such as a red beret, pixelated sunglasses, and furry bear face.

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Screencap of Residence Lab’s 2nd virtual workshop on May 21st, spotlighting ResLab artist Yuko sharing her drawing for a prompt with the rest of the group. Her drawing features smiling people exercising and playing around, with labeled open space for residents, fences, exercise equipment, and benches.

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Three ResLab participants sit at a table in Mary Soo Hoo Park, covered in papers, pens, and bags of snacks. They discuss their design proposals together. Photo Credit: Qing Qing Pan.

This post is part of a series dedicated to Residence Lab’s 2021 program. Click here to read more.

Meet the Artist: Gianna Stewart

Interviewed by Christine Nguyen and edited for clarity by Cathy Ching.

“I’ve always loved visiting Chinatown and the energy of it. After this project, I realized that it was a community of activists, artists, and families.”
— Gianna Stewart
Gianna Stewart, creator of Hudson Street Stoop: Storytell and Sway

Gianna Stewart, creator of Hudson Street Stoop: Storytell and Sway

ACDC’s public art initiative, Hudson Street Stoop, engages Chinatown residents and local artists to create interactive, rotating public art installations every 18 months. In ACDC’s efforts to fight against gentrification, Hudson Street Stoop is a site-specific project in One Greenway Park that aims to honor the rich history of Boston’s Chinatown, amplify resident voices, and foster an inclusive space for everyone.

Hudson Street Stoop’s inaugural installation, Storytell & Sway by Gianna Stewart, opened in Chinatown in June 2021. Although Gianna’s proposal was selected in December of 2019, the project had to be put on hold for about a year because of COVID restrictions. When it came time to resume the installation process, a large team came together to help make Storytell & Sway possible: Riverdrive Designs, URSA Plasma, Surfzone Engineering, Central Mass Powder Coating, VMT Construction, Steve, Tim, and Monica, and Bill, Chris, and Edwin of Toledo Construction.

Growing up, Gianna has always embraced her artistic side and fondly recalls drawing with family members. Gianna especially looks up to her grandfather as a creative inspiration, who draws and makes art with wood burning, which involves creating a design on wood with an electrically heated tool. In addition to creating art, Gianna enjoys being outdoors. Intertwining her two passions, Gianna created the vibrant Storytell & Sway as a visually stunning artwork, as well as a place for individuals and families to connect and enjoy the outdoors.

About Gianna

How did you get into public art?

My first public art piece was called Toll With Me. It involved hanging thousands of bells on a chain link fence. After that experience, I was totally hooked because the installation allowed me to observe interactions of anyone walking by, their impressions of the art, and I found that everyone feels ownership when something is in the public. It was such a different experience than creating something for a wall in a gallery. It made me realize that this is what I want to do.

What do you enjoy about creating public art? What can be frustrating?

Public art is site-specific. A piece grows from the site that it’s for, which I find exciting. Anything that you do in public art tends to be something that hasn’t been done in that way before which is exciting too, but you have to find the right people to talk to to ask the right questions to make things happen. I think the pace of figuring all that out is a challenge.

What types of projects are you drawn to or enjoy doing most?

Any place that’s going to have people. I’ve had the chance to do stuff that’s a little more out of the way too where it feels like you’re responding more strictly to the site and less to the viewers who are going to be around it all the time. I think places that are more active are definitely of interest.

A video from the Hudson Street Stoop crowdfunding campaign to support free, community programming.

About Hudson Street Stoop

How did you come up with the idea of Storytell & Sway?

The process for the call for artists was really wonderful. It gave short-listed artists the opportunity to have a community input session and hear from residents what they wanted to see in their park [on Hudson Street]. The main takeaway from that event was people wanted a space where they could play - both kids and adults. There was a lot of talk about how it was mostly a space for dog owners and they wanted a way to intervene in that somehow - to still have it be for dog owners but also be family-oriented.

I mulled over these considerations, and while researching, I read Cynthia Yee’s stories on Hudson Street Chronicles that describe the Hudson Street that existed before the highway was built. It sounded like Hudson was the front porch of Chinatown. Something clicked. I loved swinging on my front porch swing as a kid and thought that’s what was needed to draw people to the grass.

Gianna collaborating with Chinatown residents, shown below.

How did you choose the color yellow for Storytell & Sway?

When I first saw [the park], it was a time of year when it was really gray and I thought, it needs something bright, something that draws you in. And, there’s also the cool vantage point of anyone in apartments higher up looking down on the piece. The thought was to evoke a sunflower popping out of the grass.

Where did the idea to inscribe resident stories and quotes come from? 

The idea to put words into the benches developed as it became a place for storytelling. Cynthia Woo at Pao Arts connected me with Cynthia Yee who of course has amazing stories like the Hudson Street Chronicles. We chatted and had this idea that she would help facilitate storytelling sessions with folks who currently live on Hudson Street. So many neighbors that live on Hudson Street came out and were incredibly generous volunteering their time, sharing their stories, knowing that they would be used for the piece. Volunteers including Crystal Bi, Lily Xie, and A-VOYCE Youth helped document the stories. Tidbits from those stories were selected for the benches. I really wanted the benches to have this sense of enveloping the viewer in stories- like when we were all in that room together, hearing overlapping languages and timelines.

What were some challenges of this process?

We were ready to go last spring and everything just had to pause. We didn’t realize it would be an entire year that we would pause but it was. It kind of worked out because when we picked it back up, the world started to be opening a little bit more, with an emphasis on outdoor activities, and the benches were spaced for social distancing. “A pause is needed” was a tough conversation but a really important one to have.

Hudson Street Stoop: Storytell and Sway

Hudson Street Stoop: Storytell and Sway

On Chinatown

What was your previous impression of the neighborhood? How has it changed since making Storytell & Sway?

I’ve always loved visiting Chinatown and the energy of it. After this project, I realized that it is a community of activists, artists, and families. I have a totally different sense of Chinatown now that I hope everyone can have. The best part has been getting to know the Chinatown community.

What is your favorite aspect of Chinatown? Favorite place to visit?

I love the rhythm of Chinatown. There is constant activity, from an early morning exercise group in the park, to checkers tournaments, to a bustling restaurant scene. There are just cool little pockets everywhere you wander. ACDC’s Chinatown Backyard, on Hudson Street is a spot that I always like to visit when there’s arts programming happening.

“This is what I want to be doing.”
— Gianna Stewart

Meet the Youth Behind “Pandemic Profiles”: Jason Wang and Sabrina Yang

Interviewed by Christine Nguyen and edited for clarity by Cathy Ching.

Jason Wang, co-creator of Pandemic Profiles

Jason Wang, co-creator of Pandemic Profiles

Launched in May of 2021, Pandemic Profiles was a social media project that spotlighted the stories of Asian high school students in the Greater Boston area. This project featured youth who are also involved with non-profit organizations focused on supporting the Asian American community, including Greater Malden Asian American Community Coalition and Chinese Progressive Association.

Everyone shared their experiences with virtual learning, the college application process, and the impacts of COVID-related violence and racism in their communities.

Sabrina Yang, co-creator of Pandemic Profiles

Sabrina Yang, co-creator of Pandemic Profiles

ACDC wanted to profile the creators of Pandemic Profiles, Jason Wang and Sabrina Yang. Jason recently graduated from Boston Latin School and Sabrina is a junior at Malden High School. They have both been involved with ACDC’s youth program A-VOYCE for over three years. 

As Youth Interns this year, Jason and Sabrina created Pandemic Profiles because they understood that it has been difficult to communicate with old and new friends during COVID. With each post, “the social media project is aimed to create a safe atmosphere for people to share advice on getting through the pandemic together,” Jason said.

Background With ACDC

How did you get started with A-VOYCE?

Jason: When I first joined A-VOYCE, it was a place to learn about Asian-American history. Eventually, I grew more attached to it. I met a lot of friendly people from different schools. We learned together and we had a lot of fun together. By the end of that summer we were a very close-knit group and that set the foundation of my impression of ACDC.

Sabrina: My sister introduced me to A-VOYCE, which piloted its Summer Leadership Academy (SLA) program in Malden a few years ago. My sister thought it sounded fun and interesting, so she asked me to join her. We did SLA together and I’ve been involved with A-VOYCE and ACDC ever since.

What was your experience like working with ACDC’s staff?

Jason: I really appreciated the support I got from my supervisors. They made the program fun. I loved being able to learn and have fun at the same time, which I think is important. They were supervisors, but it also felt like they were friends. 

Sabrina: The staff is really positive. Throughout my years of being in A-VOYCE and attending ACDC’s events, I feel like the staff is really comfortable to be around. They give off positive vibes and encourage you to participate and be in the space with them. I’m grateful to have someone to support me and be there for me.

Favorites

What are some of your favorite memories from A-VOYCE?

Jason: There was an event called “Stay-cation” where we had a lock-in at the office. I think that was a really impactful time because I enjoyed connecting with staff and past A-VOYCE members. Even though they were alumni, they still participated because they liked the program, which I thought was really nice.

Sabrina: One of my favorite moments from A-VOYCE was the Senior Send-off Celebration. It was fun because we had complete control over the event (except for the budget). My team and I chose the gifts, decorations, and all other event planning parts. The creative freedom was exciting.

What are some projects you’ve worked on in the past that you really enjoyed?

Jason: In my first year, we interviewed a lot of residents in Chinatown to get their input on what they wanted to see improved or added in the neighborhood. We learned a lot about life skills like resume building, public speaking, and communication skills, which all helped me in school.

Sabrina: My favorite project so far was the pedestrian campaign in Malden where we advocated for changes to the roads because there one intersection that was particularly unsafe. Through that experience, I learned more leadership skills, which is why it was one of my favorites. I actually talked to Malden Mayor Gary Christenson and the city’s Walkability Committee. It was an eye-opening project and experience. 


Pandemic Profiles

What was your process for developing Pandemic Profiles?

Jason: We developed a list of who we wanted to interview based on neighborhoods and we did have people from ACDC just because it was convenient. We limited ourselves to three interviews because it would probably be difficult to have more than six interviews dispersed among Sabrina and I to try to gather all that information. Our original list of people we wanted to gather information from was over 10 people but we determined who would give us more information from an educated guess. For the rest of the people, we came up with a survey which was a shorter version of our interview to still get information from them.

Why did you want to make Pandemic Profiles and do you hope it will accomplish?

Sabrina: By sharing these experiences on social media using ACDC’s Instagram, we can engage our community, spotlight youth experiences, and reach out to those who are feeling isolated and going through similar situations. We also noticed there was increased violence and racism throughout the pandemic that targeted Asians. At the time, we felt that the issue had been neglected, so we also wanted this project to feature youth experiences with and reactions to racism and violence, and inform the world that you’re not not alone. We wanted to create a space where people can talk about these issues and feel free to engage with the community around this.