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Asian Pacific Americans Still Battling Stereotype of Not Being Assertive Enough to Lead

 

SAN FRANCISCO — Although both of Dr. Lori Adrian’s parents were educators in their native Philippines, she still describes her college presidency as an accident of sorts. Consider her life and career path:

About three years after immigrating to the United States, Adrian found herself raising two young children alone. The single mother held a series of college administrative positions in student affairs, rather than in academics. Along the way, she finished a master’s degree in communication theory and a doctorate in education.

“Don’t let job positions define you, but pursue what you want to pursue,” said Adrian, who’s now president of Coastline Community College. Her remarks came last week during the annual conference of Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education. Since its 1987 inception, the organization has developed programs and addressed issues impacting Asian Pacific Islander Americans. It has evolved from a group of almost exclusively Californians into one with national reach.

A former cross-cultural trainer for the U.S. Peace Corps, Adrian said her father had always empowered her to believe “you could be anything you want to be.” But she lost confidence in herself anyway during her early years in this country. When she asked an auditorium of conference-goers how many of them were immigrants, about one-third raised their hands. “Then you know what I mean,” she said, as many of them nodded.

She was among college presidents participating in a panel discussion titled, “Shattering the Myth: Asian Pacific Americans Can’t Lead.”

Nationally, only 1.5 percent of college presidents were of Asian descent in 2011, according to the American Council on Education. That figure was similar five years earlier — as well as 25 years earlier. Over the years, incumbent and former Asian-American presidents have told Diverse that their scarcity is tied in part to the so-called bamboo ceiling, a misconception that Asians aren’t assertive enough for leadership.

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