After welcoming the audience, Steven Huberman, Ph.D., dean of GSSW, outlined efforts the school has undertaken to maintain its diverse student body and expand it further, including a new initiative that will offer a $1,000 scholarship credit to Asian-American students who go on to work in Asian-American communities after graduation.

He emphasized that Touro College embraces Asian-American traditional values. “We have a remarkable amount in common,” he said. “The Asian community and Jewish community both stress family, education, marriage and the importance of doing what’s necessary to take care of others in the community.”

The distinguished panel—moderated by Kenny Kwong, Ph.D., M.S.W., associate professor and director of the Asian-American Social Work Initiative at GSSW—included David Chen, M.P.A, Melissa Aase, M.S.W. and GSSW’s own Melissa Earle, Ph.D., L.C.S.W. The panelists covered issues facing Asian-American professionals in health and human service delivery, such as language and cultural competence, workforce diversity, and barriers and opportunities to professional development and career advancement.

Aase, executive director of University Settlement, said she always encourages her staff (of seven hundred!) to communicate their leadership aspirations with her because “that’s knowledge that helps the organization plan for your professional development.” But she added that agencies should do their part, too, because staff members may often be shy. “We need to purposefully seek out up-and-coming leaders, tap them on the shoulder, and give them experiences and opportunities to stretch and grow their leadership potential.”

Identifying the important issue of self-care for social workers and those in human services professions, Earle reminded the audience that “as much as you give to your clients, you need to give back to yourselves. Take the time to support yourself; seek out supervision and continuing education.”

Responding to a question about cultural competence and working with clientele who are culturally diverse, she spoke about the need to reject stereotypes of different ethnic groups. “It’s really important to get somebody’s story. We all create our own construction of culture, of who we are; so it’s important to understand how each individual constructs their own culture and social environment.”

Chen, Director and CEO of the Chinese-American Planning Council, added that it is sometimes more effective for organization managers to seek initiative support by presenting their clientele in the framework of how they fit into cultural “models” rather than among the larger population. Recalling his experience as a youth director trying to receive funding for Asian-American dropouts, he remembered feeling frustrated when statistics weren’t seen as “low enough” compared to other ethnic groups, to warrant support. Only after he placed his data in the context of a “model of Asian-American culture” did he ultimately find success in his endeavor.

One audience member, Margaret Mui—who works for the Brooklyn Chinese-American Association—said she came to the event because it was a good opportunity to receive support from seasoned professionals in the field. “The Asian-American counseling field is still very young. Since we’re all pioneers, we should all learn from each other. We’re all making history together.”

Following a light dinner, attendees had a chance to network among friends and acquaintances.

Dr. Kwong concluded by remarking that this event was the beginning of many more conferences, trainings, programs and professional education classes that will be hosted by GSSW’s Asian-American Social Work Initiative. “There’s so much we need to know on how we can support ourselves, and how we can grow, develop and become leaders in order to serve this population.”