The “Let’s Talk!” conference at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) recently convened Pan-Asian college students, supporters and other educational leaders for a day-long forum addressing the success and well-being of Asian and Asian American college students across the country.
Now in its third year, the conference — created as a passion project by Dr. Josephine M. Kim, a faculty member at HGSE and licensed mental health counselor, and Marina Lee, executive director of Cogita Education Initiatives — has grown to address the direct mental health needs of Asian and Asian American students as they navigate their higher education journeys.
“‘Let’s Talk!’ is a conference that was intended for Asian Americans and Asians, thinking about biculturalism and what it means to live in one culture and go to another to function, to go in and out seamlessly through both,” Kim said in a video for the conference. “We don’t know if there are too many spaces where the conversation is [dedicated to being] all about that identity.”
Individuals who attended “Let’s Talk!” heard stories from graduate students about their mental health experiences and work and listened to a keynote presentation from Kim and a panel of mental health practitioners featuring Francis Chen, Dr. Karen Shih, Gureen Singh, Tri Quach and Nora Yasumura.
Fourteen breakout sessions focused on a variety of topics, including Asian and Asian American students’ understanding of self-perception, self-esteem and empowerment; racial identity; reverse culture shock as an international student; pursuing non-traditional careers; Asian American masculinity; and advocacy and support for LGBTQ individuals in the community.
Organizers for “Let’s Talk!” created the space to empower conference participants and to ensure that students’ issues received “attention and space in higher education spaces,” says conference chair and HGSE student Hyunji Hannah Lee.
“I really hope that these two things stuck with them,” she adds.
