theculturalconnect.com | Jessian Choy

Jessian Choy, Development Director

Jessian Choy of OASES

It may be hard for many people to imagine moving to new country where your grip on the language is loose at best. Education, in many cases, can become a difficult task where you are unable to display your capabilities because the lessons being taught are not in your own tongue. Jessian Choy, the 25-year-old Development Director for Oakland Asian Students Education Services (OASES), is helping to create and promote a great safety-net organization that is changing the lives of Asian immigrants through tutoring and mentor programs. The students taking part in the program are directly engaged by volunteer tutors and mentors who stay with individual students for entire semesters, and sometimes for years at a time. Direct engagement by people who care are helping youth to overcome language barriers, develop study skills, and attend colleges which otherwise may have been impossible. The best way to measure the success of an organization like OASES is to imagine the community without it and the impact that would have on the over 300 learners taking part in the programs they provide. Read more in our Non-Profit Spotlight to find out how the OASES is changing the lives of youth and creating a stronger community because of it.

Non-Profit

Oakland Asian Students Education Services (OASES)

Founded

1983

Website

www.oases.org

Name

Jessian Choy
Development Director

Age

Hometown

Different parts of the East Coast, California, and Taiwan

Current residence

San Francisco, California

Education

University of California-Santa Cruz, BA Legal Studies (2002)

Work Experience

Co-Founder, Student Environmental Center at UC Santa Cruz;
Also worked and volunteered at a few non-profits promoting human rights.

Ethnicity

My mom grew up in Germany, the Middle East, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Her parents are originally from China. My dad grew up in Hong Kong.

About the non-profit

In 1983, OASES was founded by a handful of students from UC Berkeley who noticed the need for a safety net for new immigrants like themselves.

Since then, OASES has grown to train the largest volunteer force - 400 UC Berkeley students - in any Oakland Unified School District afterschool program to provide individualized tutoring & mentoring to over 300 youth in grades 1-12 that are English Language Learners.

Today, OASES empowers hundreds of youth with limited resources every year to be leaders.

OASES is dedicated to developing the critical thinking & leadership skills of youth, as well as volunteers, and staff. OASES carefully trains tutors in youth development principles, and matches tutors with students with a 1:1 to 1:4 ratio. Mentors are matched with the same student for at least one semester, and many volunteers are matched with the same students year to year!

Most notable milestones

OASES' greatest strength is its ability to develop youth & volunteers into community leaders that achieve quantitative results. For example, our Executive Director, Nhi Chau, was an OASES student who became an OASES volunteer & then the first female in her family to attend UC Berkeley, & an Ivy League graduate school- Harvard University.

OASES is making a huge impact- 90% of OASES youth graduating from high school are the first in their families to attend college.

What's the niche?

OASES is turning Oakland Chinatown into a place you would expect to find workshops that empower 300 low-income, immigrant youth with Diversity Appreciation, Girls Leadership, Organic Gardening, Financial Literacy, Arts, Dance & Martial Arts from Brazil, West Africa, China, and Japan, Creative Writing, and Family Literacy every year.

What's the biggest challenge?

Few people realize that Oakland is one of the three cities in the Bay Area that has the lowest rates of Asian high school completion - 30% or more of Asians in these cities do not have a high school degree. Oakland also has one of the highest rates of Asian linguistic isolation in the Bay Area (42%).

What's in store for the future?

OASES will be featured on TV- keep an eye out for a special feature on ABC/KGO-TV! We are getting ready to launch partnerships to meet the need to expand OASES Innovative Afterschool Model to other communities outside of Oakland Chinatown.

Who would you like to be contacted by?

Anyone who likes going to fun fundraising events. Trivia Bee enthusiasts who would definitely enjoy our Annual Trivia Bee Fundraiser that sells out every year. People who could donate Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) tickets, technology equipment, gift certificates for educational & office supplies, or donate anything could be auctioned to fundraise for OASES (i.e., gift certificates to restaurants, hotels, retail stores, natural food markets, wine, movies, theaters, concerts, sporting events, & travel services, and/or original artwork). Or people who would like to support OASES the easy way by cash, check, credit card, or donate online at www.oases.org

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Guiding principle in life

As we say at OASES, "respect yourself, respect others, and respect the environment."

Yardstick of success

96% of parents in the OASES Elementary Program reported that their child’s success in school is better.
85% of parents reported that because of the OASES Elementary Program, their child gets along with other kinds of people better.
85% of parents reported that because of OASES, their child’s interest in helping others is better.
87% of parents reported that because of the OASES Elementary Program, their child demonstrates increased respect for the environment and recycling.
93% of parents of youth in OASES’ Middle & High School Programs reported they would recommend OASES to another family. 87% of youth reported that because of the OASES Youth Programs, their interest in going to college is better.

Goal yet to be achieved

Someday, I hope mainstream youth culture will reflect an appreciation of diversity & different gender roles, and refrain from using the word "gay" as a negative adjective.

Best practical advice

Look at things from many different perspectives.

At age 10, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I used to fall asleep imagining a pie chart of how I would spend and give away one million dollars. I also wanted to be an Architect.

Biggest pastime outside of work

Whenever I have chance, I like to visit to women's rights organizations and tree houses in non-Western countries, train Indonesian martial arts, and I seek satirical or surreal experiences.

Leader in business most interested in meeting and why?

My list is too long because I admire too many sustainable businesses that are openly creative, and environmentally-and socially-responsible.

Favorite book

The Adventures of Sanmao the Orphan.

Favorite cause

Over the past few years, I've been increasingly inspired by the movement to promote organic food & violence prevention in schools, and the growth of sustainable-fiber clothing companies.

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Jessian Choy of OASES

Credits

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