I have known Annie Lam for almost two decades. When I met her, she was a scrappy and ambitious Legislative Director for then California Assemblymember Mike Eng. I worked closely with Assemblymember Eng and with Annie (now, Dr. Lam) in my role as Director of the University of California Asian American and Pacific Islander Policy Multi-Campus Research Program (UC AAPI Policy MRP). Through these efforts to raise the visibility of the varied and culturally rich AAPI populations in California, I gained a glimpse into Dr. Lam's fortitude, commitment to social and institutional change, and her persistence through adversity (and there were many challenges). She has since those early days completed her Master of Public Administration and her Doctor of Education (EdD) both at @USC and leads multiple organizations building social change through training, mentorship, and network/ecosystem building.
She tells her story in this recent interview with @VoyageLA: http://voyagela.com/interview/conversations-with-annie-lam/.
My takeaways:
* So many people start with humble beginnings, but not enough of them are able to accelerate their impact for many different reasons (e.g., not having access to that one teacher or that one after school program, or not having parents or guardians and family members able to commit to their child's learning).
* Building and retaining the confidence to keep moving forward even with barriers requires self-efficacy, networks of support and access, and a future orientation that sees beyond the difficult present.
* Institutional change is a marathon, not a sprint.
Comments