Celebrating Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at State: Part 1

Each May, the State Department joins the rest of the nation in celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. During this month, we celebrate the accomplishments of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and the diverse perspectives they bring to the Department’s work and mission. This is the first DipNote in a two part series, where we asked AAPI staff members about their heritage, how they bring their experiences to work as a diplomat, and why diversity and inclusion is important to the U.S. government and in general.

David Truong, Foreign Service Officer

Tell us about yourself and your heritage? 

The concepts of heritage and identity are super complex to me, as they tend to be for immigrant families in the United States. First and foremost, I identify as a Texan! My dad was born and raised in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States as a refugee during the Vietnam War. But both my parents are actually Hakka Chinese; it was the first language I spoke and the language I still use to speak to my parents since neither of them speak English. I always specify that I am Hakka, and speak the language, as I have a lot of pride in this subset of my identity, both because of the rareness that comes with being able to speak a disappearing dialect, but also because many of our traditions are rooted in Hakka traditional practices, alongside broader Chinese and Vietnamese cultural traditions.

How have you drawn on your heritage in your work as a diplomat? 

Part of our program as a Pickering Fellow is an overseas internship at an Embassy. I chose to intern at our Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In at least two instances, when the Economic Section was meeting with our contacts, there was both surprise and appreciation that I was representing the United States, since from my appearance I could easily pass as a local. In one instance, when I was the sole representative from the embassy at a meeting with representatives from all the ASEAN countries, along with many other countries, the organizers could not identify who was representing the United States and were shocked when I raised my hand as the representative – embarrassed, they handed me the appropriate documents; I think my presence alone sent a strong signal dispelling the idea that American diplomats were homogeneous.

It had always been a goal of mine to serve in Asia, even making a career out of that region. My first tour in the Foreign Service was in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Since I had never been to South Asia before, I was understandably nervous about my first assignment, especially during my PCS flight to Bangladesh. Once I stepped off that plane in Dhaka, my senses were overwhelmed – the sight of all the colors in the atmosphere, the sound of all the honking and people bustling in the airport, and the smell of the thick humid air mixed with the scent of the rich cuisine. However, instead of heightened anxiety, once the sensory overload hit, I immediately felt a sense of relief. It was a sense of familiarity – I was back in Asia. And while I wasn’t exactly in an East or Southeast Asian country, I felt at once that I was in a place I had been before. Over the course of my tour, those feelings became my daily lived reality. It turned out, there were many overlaps between the Bangladeshi culture I got to experience every day and the Chinese and Vietnamese culture I grew up with. And I embraced it. As a result, I felt like I could connect very easily to Bangladeshis, especially our amazing Locally Employed Staff, which inevitably became one of the many things I loved from that tour. I bonded with them almost instantly, both professionally but also personally, joining them to eat raw chilis or bhorta (mashed vegetables) at local eateries whenever I could. I definitely think I was a more effective officer because of these shared insights.

When I talk about the Foreign Service, I highlight what an honor it is to represent the United States as a diplomat, especially as a beneficiary of the United States’ willingness to resettle refugees. Only in America could the child of two uneducated immigrants grow up to represent that same country in a diplomatic capacity. In my role as a Foreign Service Officer, their sacrifices paid dividends many times over, and with this responsibility on the international stage, comes an immense pride serving the country that gave me and my family so much. Just my presence alone signals to the world what America has to offer, the aspirations we strive for, and the values we represent.

Why is a culture of diversity and inclusion important to the U.S. government and the workforce in general? 

We know diverse environments make organizations more productive and improve the bottom line. This is especially true in diplomacy. Not only does diversity bring different perspectives and makes us more relatable to those who live in the host countries we serve in (especially when we share cultural practices or even heritage with those where we are serving), but unequivocally, the United States better lives up to its ideals, and the notion of the American dream, when the faces we have representing the country truly reflect U.S. society.

Palak Khanna, Foreign Service Officer

Tell us about yourself and your heritage?

I am a first generation Indian-American with both Indian and Pakistani heritage, born in India but raised in Northern California. My parents came to America from India in the 90s with the classic American dream: a higher standard of living, diverse job opportunities, and quality education for me and my siblings. The path to realizing this dream has been beset with more loss, sacrifice, and struggle than we had imagined, but I am grateful that the journey somehow led me here, to the Foreign Service. Now, as of last September, I am *officially* a Foreign Service Officer, currently in Mandarin training in preparation for my first Consular tour in Guangzhou, China.

How have you drawn on your heritage in your work as a diplomat?

My Indian-American heritage enriches my learning and understanding of Chinese and Chinese American culture on a daily basis in the Mandarin classroom. While Mandarin and Hindi sound nothing like each other, there are aspects of Chinese culture that resonate with the Northern Indian cultural norms and attitudes I grew up with. Similarly, there is shared history, struggle, and resistance between Chinese-American and Indian-American communities in America. These shared experiences have made space for richer conversation and deeper understanding in and outside of the classroom, and I know this learning will serve me well as a diplomat in China.

Why is a culture of diversity and inclusion important to the U.S. government and the workforce in general? 

I am a big foodie and I think the concept of consuming a ‘rainbow’ of foods as part of a healthy and balanced diet in the long-term is a relevant analogy here. Eating too much of any one thing, or eating the same exact, limited set of meals consistently – no matter how healthy and convenient they may be, are known to increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies in the long-term. Limiting the ideas and approaches that feed into our policies seems to me a lot like recycling a limited set of foods. It’s a recipe for long-term deficiencies. If the U.S. government and workforce in general is to remain not just effective as it ages, but innovative to adapt well to its aging, it needs a rainbow of talent. This rainbow or diversity of culture needs to be nurtured – treated and cooked with care if you will (to stay consistent with my theme here) to realize and sustain the maximum benefits.

Han Kang, Foreign Service Officer

Tell us about yourself and your heritage.

I currently serve as the Director of Public Health for USAID in Burma. After joining the Foreign Service in 2007, I have had an amazing career advancing U.S. national security, foreign policy, and foreign assistance priorities in Ethiopia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan, and Zambia. As my principal approach, global health diplomacy embodies America’s generosity in the stories that my grandparents and parents told me while growing up in Taiwan.

How have you drawn on your heritage in your work as a diplomat?

My heritage enables me to represent the United States with empathy. My grandparents fled from a civil war in mainland China. My parents and I grew up while Taiwan was emerging as an inclusive democracy and high-performing economy, initially as a recipient and now as a donor of foreign assistance. I draw on my heritage for inspiration in building the resilience of individuals forcibly displaced while supporting the aspirations of people preparing for a brighter future.

Why is a culture of diversity and inclusion important to the U.S. government and the workforce in general? 

Diversity and inclusion encourage dissent and individual expression to generate different perspectives, along with more creative solutions. Development – as the discipline for foreign assistance – manifests in paths of progress and transformation. I deliberately use the plural “paths” because multiple ways exist and new ones remain uncharted. Diversity and inclusion invite us to consider and pursue possibilities with greater openness and receptivity.

This blog is part of the State Department’s Asian American Foreign Affairs Association (AAFAA) AAPI Heritage Month outreach efforts. Established in 1981, AAFAA is an association of more than 800 Civil Service and Foreign Service employees, fellows, contractors, interns, and retirees at the U.S. Department of State with the mission to improve recruitment, outreach, and professional development of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) officers. AAFAA welcomes all employees across the Department. Please reach out to aaffa.state.gov to join and follow us on Facebook.

Elizabeth “Liz” Liu, Foreign Service Officer and Vice President of the Asian American Foreign Affairs Association at the U.S. Department of State, coordinated the responses for this entry. We thank David, Palak, and Han for contributing their time and effort to share their stories on DipNote.