Michael Byun seems comfortable in his own skin. Now the Executive Director of Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) in Seattle, and formerly the long-term director of Ohio’s Asian Services In Action (ASIA, Inc.), it also seems that Byun always knew exactly where his life was heading.
But that was not always the case.
Byun immigrated to the U.S. from Korea with his parents when he was less than a year old. His is a story common to many immigrants of the time: poverty, hard work, and a strong allegiance to their new home country of America.
Asian Americans are often seen as a “model minority;” they are stereotypically expected to excel in math and science, and to become doctors and lawyers. And if they don’t? Then they can be made to feel as if they are disappointing their community. They just aren’t living up to society’s expectations.
So even though Byun’s heart was in community service, he dutifully pursued a path to medical school. Until—two and a half years into the process – he woke up one morning and thought, “I’ve had enough. I don’t want to do this.” And he stopped.
In that light bulb moment, Byun’s new path was set. In shedding others’ expectations, he gained the freedom to become true to his inner calling, and to have a truly significant impact on the Asian American community.
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Over his 25-career, Michael Byun has worked on issues including health disparities, social justice, and immigrant and refugee issues, particularly among AAPIs (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders). In 2014, he was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
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Resource links:
Asian Counseling and Referral Services (ACRS)
Acrs.org
Asian Services In Action (ASIA, Inc.)
Asiaohio.org
Faces of Chinatown—Cleveland Chinatown Photography and Oral History Project http://www.clevelandpeople.com/groups/chinese/2012/faces-chinatown.htm
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A transcript for this interview is now available on the Facebook page "Passing Through Life Podcast."
https://www.facebook.com/passing-through-life-podcast