Corrie Chan

My name is Corrie Chan and it is an honor to be a part of the 2020 Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Court, especially with the recent shift in focus to women empowerment, mentorship, and community service. As a first-generation college student, I am incredibly grateful for all the educational opportunities and mentors I have had and look forward to paying it forward by championing a platform focused on education and youth empowerment. I will be partnering with the Asian Youth Center (AYC), a San Gabriel Valley non-profit organization whose mission includes empowering low-income, immigrant, and at-risk youth of all communities.

It angers and disheartens me when individuals, especially kids feel less than or inferior to others simply because of circumstances beyond their control. They did not choose the color of their skin; they did not choose to be low-income. All these factors are beyond control; yet, they actively affect how these kids perceive and are perceived in this world which in turn affects how they grow up and the opportunities that come their way.

As Nicholas Kristof says, “Talent is universal, opportunity is not.” There are so many talented kids who are just never given the same opportunity to develop their skills and interests as others are. Because of this, I am excited to partner with the AYC and help be a part of any of their existing programs and initiatives including the Emergency Food Program. We will also be sponsoring an essay scholarship contest for middle-school girls as part of our commitment to empowerment and mentorship. We may not change the world, but the work that the AYC and other community-based non-profit organizations are doing can make all the difference, however big or small, in someone’s life and I am so excited to be a part of this mission.