"If we don’t advocate for our community and our issues, no one else will do it for us."

Karin Wang is the current Vice President of Asian Pacific American Legal Center, and her life adventure began at the U of I. One of the most important lessons she learned from U of I is the college experience outside of the classroom. She was involved in different leadership roles since her freshman year and learned lots of the practical skills such as public speaking and networking. They became the foundation and the significant elements of her professional development. She changed her major twice before she discovered what she is passionate about: Civil rights issues affecting Asian Americans.

In the interview, you will learn more details about how Karin explores her identity as an Asian American college student, what she did to strengthen herself, what her current career focuses on, and how she feels when she sees all the changes on campus since she graduated.

Q: While you were still a students who was heavily engaged in RSOs, how did you balance your personal and academic life?

A: "Actually, I didn’t really balance my studies and extracurricular activities very well. I recall that I did a LOT of last minute, late night cramming and I developed my coffee addiction during my last couple years at U of I. For me, my grades and performance in the classroom were never as relevant to my eventual success and happiness as my involvement in activities beyond the classroom – I found my passions not in my studies but in my activities and activism, and passion is what drives me to succeed and do well."

Q: You mentioned it took you 2 years to decided to major in law. What did you do during the two years? Because its even more stressful without a job or school in your life, what was your plan? Is there any kind of pressure? If it did how did you handle it?

A: "I entered college as a pre-med major, mostly because that’s what my parents thought I should be. If I could have chosen any major when I first started college, I probably would have chosen writing or art. But I think my parents sensed that and made sure I chose a “practical” and “economically sensible” course of study. Within my first semester, I discovered that being a pre-med major is easier said than done – I had been a straight “A” student my whole life, but I got a “D” on my first advanced chemistry quiz and quickly realized that I needed a new major.

I eventually switched to a business major (finance), again mostly trying to please my parents who were paying for my college education. I figured that it bought me time to get through college and figure out what I really wanted to do. At the same time, I took many classes outside of my major (e.g., rhetoric, world history) to explore subjects I was interested in. And I became very involved in student activities on campus, particularly the Asian American Association. It was through my involvement with AAA that I eventually found my “calling” to be a civil rights lawyer, when I helped bring to campus a documentary about the hate crime killing of a Chinese American man (“Who Killed Vincent Chin?”). Once I figured out what I was passionate about it, it was actually easier to focus on my studies because I finally had a clear purpose – to get into law school."

Q: What are some lessons U of I has taught you that have been valuable to your career?

A: "Perhaps the most important lesson I learned at the University of Illinois was the value of the college experience outside of the classroom. I grew up fairly sheltered, as a child of an immigrant family living in the Chicago suburbs. My first taste of independence and freedom was as a freshman at U of I, and I took advantage of it in the sense of exploring my identity and interests beyond the formal education I was receiving. I got involved in various organizations and activities – not just Asian American student groups but I worked for a student-run credit union and as a freshmen orientation leader, I interned in the minority student affairs office, and I served on the Illini Union Board. All of these experiences outside of the classroom taught me practical skills – chairing meetings, managing people, speaking publicly, building relationships – that serve me to this day."

Q: What advice would you give future generations who are interested in perusing involvement in the Asian American community?

A: "I think it’s incredibly important for Asian Americans to give back to our community – if we don’t advocate for our community and our issues, no one else will do it for us. Asian Americans are often viewed as a “model minority”, but the reality is that our community faces many challenges, including poverty, language barriers, political disenfranchisement. However, I don’t think there’s one right way to give back. Lawyers can volunteer to take cases for new immigrants who cannot afford to pay for legal assistance; doctors and nurses can volunteer for health clinics that serve low-income families; journalists and bloggers can lift up stories of those in our community in need."

Q: As a civil rights activist, what are some Asian American related issues that you have fought for?

A: "Working for the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, which is the nation’s largest Asian American legal organization, I’ve been fortunate to work on many civil rights issues affecting Asian Americans. I’ve probably spent the most time working on issues that affect immigrant communities – issues such as the social and cultural integration of immigrant communities; political empowerment of immigrants; and immigrant access to government programs such as education and health care. More recently, I’ve been involved in the fight for gay and lesbian equality, particularly around the freedom to marry. In particular, I’ve been active in advocating within the Asian American community for greater acceptance and inclusion of LGBT members."

Q: When was the last time you were on the Urbana-Champaign campus? What are some things that have changed and what are some things that have not? What is the most impressive thing that you notice on campus from your visit?

A: "There was a nearly 20-year gap between when I last saw the campus about a year after graduating and when I returned for my next visit, just a couple years ago. The biggest change I noticed was the development along the northern and eastern edges of campus, with buildings like the new alumni center as well as the new engineering buildings north of Green Street. There were also lots of changes to the campustown area, along Green Street in Champaign – nearly all of the places I remember from my college days – restaurants, bars, CD store – are gone now, replaced mostly by new apartment buildings and businesses.

But the change that stands out the most in my mind was something less physical. Attending this year’s Asian American awards ceremony, I was fascinated to see that a lot of the Asian American student leaders are not following the more traditional career paths that Asian American kids of my generation did – we were overwhelmingly engineering, pre-med and business majors. I was thrilled to see a diversity of academic paths particularly in the liberal arts. In general, I’ve been really inspired the last few years to see Asian Americans breaking out of stereotypical science/math majors and “safe” careers – now we have Asian American rap artists, bloggers and YouTube stars as well as NBA stars and major film directors and actors."