2022 AAPI Heritage Month Honorees

Tam Nguyen

Tam Nguyen is the President & co-owner of Advance Beauty College with campuses in Garden Grove and Laguna Hills. After experiencing the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Advance Beauty College joined forces with the nail care industry to lead a “Nailing It For America” campaign that collected more than 1.2 million medical-grade masks, gloves, and other PPE’s along with teaming up with restaurants to provide more than 52,000 meals to front line workers. Tam also serves on prominent boards in Orange County such as Orange County Transportation Authority, Genesis Bank, Cal State Fullerton Board of Governors, OC United Way and Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center.  He currently resides in Fountain Valley, CA with his wife Christine and their 3 children. 

Jay Ungos

With a huge passion for technology, marketing, and business development, Jay became an entrepreneur in 2010 and started his own technology company. His passion for small business and community has led him to serve on multiple boards for non-profit organizations for the past 5 years. With over 20 years of experience in marketing, technology, and sales, he has a lot of experience and tools that he brings with him when it comes serving in these organizations. He currently serves as Past President and Program Director for the Asian Business Association of Orange County and also serves as a member of the board of directors for the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce of Orange County.

Sonny Nguyen

In 2011, Sonny and his brothers opened 7 Leaves Cafe, a small coffee and tea house in the city of Garden Grove. Today, Sonny serves as the CEO of the family business which has over 1000 team members spread across 37 locations in California, Las Vegas, & Texas. In addition, for the past 20 years through the VN Youth Foundation, Sonny and his brothers have served the community with various programs such as the Mind & Body Martial Arts Center, VN Youth Radio, Multicultural Health and Prevention Care Center (MHPCC), IHM IHumaneMission, and the Community Education Center.

Holly Pham

Holly Pham is the founder and chairwoman of Truong Buu Diep Foundation, a faith based non-profit organization. Truong Buu Diep Foundation was established in 2011 to help people who are experiencing hardship by providing a place to come and find peace and hope from Father Truong Buu Diep.

Rose W. Tsai

Attorney Rose W. Tsai is the principal attorney of Law Offices of Rose W. Tsai & Associates. She has practiced law in California since 1996 and has served as the legal counsel to many international business enterprises and non-profit organizations. She has served the community through the World Affairs Council Orange County, Orange County Chinese American Chamber of Commerce, Taiwanese American Lawyers Association, the North America Taiwanese Hotel Association, and more. Rose has also helped raise awareness about Anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents.

Kevin Hizon

Kevin is dedicated to helping individuals protect their legal rights. Since 2003, Kevin has helped thousands of clients navigate the legal system so they receive fair representation. In addition to being licensed to practice in all courts throughout the State of California and the California Court of Appeal, he is also a member of the Orange County Superior Court Civil Arbitration Panel. Kevin is an active community member, serving with nonprofits such as Fountain Valley Kiwanis Club and Fountain Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Becky Nguyen

Becky Nguyen is the Executive Director for the Vietnamese American Cancer Foundation’s (VACF), a nonprofit with health and social services programs that has been serving the community for 20 years. Becky has a passion for working with the communities and has dedicated herself to serving the needy populations in Orange County for several decades. She has developed and managed healthy operations to provide impactful and responsive services addressing primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of prevention for cancer and cancer-related health needs in the community. Under her leadership, VACF has been developing numerous collaborations with multi-ethnic community agencies, increasing the community visibility in academia through community based-participatory research, advancing community health efforts to be more inclusive, and addressing health disparities by involving multi-disciplinary entities and sectors.

James Nakamura

James has served as the Commander of the Kazuo Masuda VFW Post 3670 for the past 4 years, and is one of three VFW District 2 Trustees. James found inspiration in helping fellow Post Veterans and their families keep their legacy and stories alive. Giving back to the country and the community has been near and dear to his heart. James was part of the Stamp Our Story Planning Committee when the Nisei Soldier stamp was issued in 2021. It’s the first in US history to feature an Asian American in the military. James volunteers for the Orange County Nikkei Games, and is a board member of the Veterans Memorial Court Alliance.

Su Kyung Ju

Su is the Vice President of the Korean American Federation of Orange County (KAFOC). KAFOC serves Korean Americans by providing resources, supporting seniors, and bringing together the community across Orange County.  She is also the past president of One Heart Women’s Club, of the oldest Korean American community service organizations in the area. One Heart provides free food services to homeless people, scholarships, for low-income students, and resources for parents. Su has been involved in the community for more than two decades and has been a leading voice in standing up against AAPI hate.

Rev. Thomas Lee

Rev. Lee joined St. Anselm of Canterbury Episcopal Church as Vicar in 2017 and is the current Priest-in-Charge.  He strives to inspire a loving world that embraces the spirit of harmony, joy, and simplicity. Together, with the church, Rev. Lee coordinates afternoon hot lunch programs for people who are homeless, free grocery distributions for neighbors in need, and senior classes for seniors of all backgrounds. St. Anselm offers multi-lingual services and has led efforts to support Ukrainian refugees.

Dr. Rupali Chadha, MD

Dr. Chadha is a Johns Hopkins trained, double board certified physician who practices in the fields of general and forensic psychiatric medicine. She treats patients, works as an expert witness for the courts, and also in healthcare policy reform. Dr. Chadha believes that telling women to be superwomen, or have it all, instead of formulating actual narratives on how to navigate careers, marriage and motherhood has left women exhausted and diminished. She is working hard to formulate not just a critique of feminism, but a response and path forward by re-imagining and unearthing what it is to be a healthy, resilient, and well-functioning woman. 

Gerald Kim

Gerald Kim immigrated to the USA with his parents and sister when he was three-years old. Gerald’s parents worked incredibly hard to give him and his sister a better life in their adopted country. Gerald is thankful for the opportunities that he has had and is very proud to be an Asian-American. He has tried to teach his daughters about their Korean roots, while at the same time raising them to be good, American citizens. Gerald is an active community member and currently an attorney with his own law practice in Orange County.