Jeffrey Yoh

Student. Musician. Athlete.

I’m a senior studying Business Administration and Economics at UC Berkeley! While I can’t believe my college journey is ending soon, I’ve learned so much and take pride in being in the Taiwanese-American community at Berkeley. Serving in Berkeley’s Taiwanese American Student Association (TASA) officer board for two years and eventually becoming the president of the organization, I’m proud to have used my leadership positions to continue connecting passionate Taiwanese individuals.

Sadly, my term as president began during the height of the pandemic, in Fall of 2020. While COVID-19 separated all of us from being on campus, I believed that we could still connect and take pride in our Taiwanese heritage virtually. My proudest moment would be inviting the past Taiwanese Vice President Chen-Chien Jen (陳建仁, 2016-2020) to be a virtual speaker at our Thursday General Meeting. Gathering over 120+ attendees, Dr. Chen spoke of the methods Taiwan executed in containing the virus, and how we as Americans can learn from the Taiwan model. Being able to bring in such a notable expert and the head of virus containment enabled us as students to learn from the best, and take pride in being Taiwanese!

 

How does being Taiwanese/Taiwanese American and/or community ally play a role in your life?

Being Taiwanese-American to me brings awareness of countless lesser-known cultures and histories that have been suppressed. I first learned the distinctions between being Taiwanese and Chinese in middle school, only to discover that many don’t consider Taiwan a nation and its cultural distinctions significant. My realizations magnified in high school and college, as I quickly learned of the backlash received when people identified as Taiwanese-American.

Thus, being from a background that isn’t universally recognized, this led me to appreciate the intricacies of different cultures and heritages that don’t fall into well-known, major categories. Especially since our history books don’t teach us much about certain histories, it is up to us to generate our own intellectual curiosity and reach out to learn more.

 

If you could teach future generations 1 thing about being Taiwanese/Taiwanese American or Taiwan, what would it be?

Take pride in being a Taiwanese-American! I’ve constantly been made fun of by peers, even in college, saying “Taiwan isn’t a recognized nation” or “confusing Chinese with Taiwanese.” Be proud of your culture, celebrate it and embrace it! And for those who make these comments, it’s our role to remind them who we are. The world can learn so much from Taiwan, and we should all be proud to be Taiwanese-American!

 

What does the future of Taiwanese America look like?

As I have grown, I’ve seen more and more Taiwanese-Americans enter every part of society. From Jeremy Lin showing the world that we were star athletes, to Andrew Yang introducing revolutionary ideas to modern politics, we are beginning to bring awareness of who we are to the public. Joe Tsai was the first Taiwanese-American to own an NBA team. Constance Wu showed the world that we were great actors. In the future, I hope to see more Taiwanese individuals influence society for the better, bridging Taiwanese and American cultures together and bringing awareness to who we are!

 

Favorite memory of Taiwan/Taiwanese America?

Exploring Late Night Markets and Hiking AliShan!

 

Favorite Taiwanese food?

Beef Noodle Soup!


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