Judy Sun – Former Chairwoman of the Midwest Asian American Students Union

Columbus, OH

Who are you?

I am a senior at The Ohio State University (OSU). I will be graduating June 2010 with a B.S. in Finance and Minor in Chinese. I’m moving to Jacksonville, Texas for a one-year job rotation with Cardinal Health, and will most likely end up back in Ohio eventually. I was born and raised in Hudson, Ohio and grew up speaking Mandarin and English. I used to go back to Taiwan often to visit family and attend summer programs (i.e. 國語日報 and OCAC 2006). While I love conversing (with parents especially) in Mandarin and watched many Taiwanese dramas back in the day, I don’t think I understood much about my culture or truly embraced my Taiwanese American identity till I got to college.

What do you do?

I like to sing, edit things (i.e. resumes and personal statements), and say/do crazy things to make people laugh/smile. I love meeting new people and asking probing questions about them, helping them connect with others in my network, and being a resource to them. I consider myself to be blessed with my experiences during my undergraduate career and want to share the wealth of knowledge! I was Chairwoman of the Midwest Asian American Students Union (MAASU) during the 2009-2010 academic year, and helped plan the MAASU 2010 Spring Conference at OSU. After attending my first MAASU conference my freshman year and 3 years of dreaming, I can happily leave OSU without regrets. I currently don’t hold any leadership positions of anything, but I enjoy being involved even as an active member or on a volunteer basis… that’s where it usually begins, right?

Why are you proud to be of Taiwanese heritage?

As a 2nd generation Taiwanese American and former National Board member of the Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA), I am proud to be a part of a close-knit community that does not depend on proximity to be close. I had the opportunity to attend the ITASA 2010 Midwest Conference at UT-Austin this year. While it was my first time in Texas and meeting everyone, they felt just like family. This wasn’t the first time I went somewhere completely new yet felt connected with the Taiwanese people I met.

What does the future of Taiwanese America look like to you?

After all our efforts to get Taiwanese Americans to check “Other Asian: Taiwanese” on their 2010 Census forms, I see an abundance of fruit that will be ripe for the picking in the near future!

Any additional information you would like to share?

Wherever you are, if you’re interested in becoming involved with MAASU or attending the Fall Leadership Retreat or Spring Conference (both are in Minnesota), please visit www.maasu.org! Also, if you live in Texas I could use some friends in the area… judifer@gmail.com