APANO Member Spotlight: Melissa Magana on Voices of Change

Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m Melissa Magaña, the new Office & Events Manager for APANO. I handle the day-to-day office needs of our staff and keep our new APANO/Jade International District office running smoothly. It’s an honor to be working amongst such dynamic, inclusive, change-makers.

I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii as the fifth generation in a proud Japanese-American family. I was blessed--being able to attend Punahou School, and being afforded every opportunity I could ask for. I don’t recall personally experiencing or acknowledging discrimination or disparity until heading to college at Willamette University. While there, my eyes were opened to the truth that not everyone’s experience is like mine. In the fall of 2012 I moved from Salem to Portland and began to realize how lacking community connection was in my life. Thanks to Jean Yamamoto who invited me to attend an APANO monthly meeting and to help plan the Community Health Forum, I was introduced to APANO. After attending the 2014 Rolling Tides Convention, I knew this was the kind of organization that would build me into a stronger, more connected, more informed individual.

May is recognized nationally as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and we’re planning a delightful event: our annual Voices of Change Celebration on Thursday, May 7st, 2015 from 6:30-9:00PM. Our event is meant to honor the contributions of Oregon's 220,000 Asian and Pacific Islanders. To make this event happen, we will be needing dedicated volunteers to attend and make sure everyone has a wonderful time. This year, the event will be held in our new community space in the Jade District - 8114 SE Division Street; Portland, OR 97206. I invite you to join us as a volunteer, and to celebrate the amazing work that APANO does statewide to educate & activate Asians and Pacific Islanders across Oregon. If you’re able to volunteer, please contact me right away at melissa@apano.org. Mahalo, and looking forward to meeting you soon!

RSVP to our 4th Annual Voices of Change Celebration here!

Melissa Magaña
Office & Events Manager
Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon