The 55th Annual Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Contest

Dear Friends,

This coming year on Saturday, January 18, 2020, we will be holding the 55th Annual Miss Los Angeles Chinatown Contest at the Sheraton San Gabriel Hotel.

The annual fundraiser has been a time honored tradition put on by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce (CCCLA). Those of you who know me may be surprised that I would champion an event like this, but let me be clear that this is no longer a beauty pageant. In line with the changing times and a post #Metoo era, our Board of Directors has decided to modernize the 2020 Miss Los Angeles Chinatown competition with a complete overhaul.

The newly reinvented contest will showcase the next generation of leaders in the Chinese American community - role models who embody principles of leadership, equality, integrity, and vision. The duties of the reigning Miss Chinatown Queen and her court of princesses are to ultimately be of service to the community. Aimed to empower the next generation of young women, the contest will provide an important foundation for growth and success through mentorship, networking opportunities, and professional development. Below are three important changes we have made:

A Candidate Platform: Each candidate must compete on the basis of a personal platform they will champion. This platform can be aimed towards a cause or philanthropic issue of their choosing, be it education, health, societal improvement, the arts, environment, etc. Candidates will select a charitable organization they want to benefit and they will be responsible for designing a brand calendar for the year of events they will personally lead for the organization in a direct and impactful manner.

Mentorship: To beneit a young professional's personal career path, each contestant will be paired with a mentor, ideally also a community leader with the same professional career path she has chosen. The reigning Court will have opportunities to meet and interact with influential civic and business leaders in the Los Angeles community, receive mentorship and create meaningful connections to become a next generation leader.

Integration of Asian American Businesses: The Chamber's role has always been to support local founder driven, entrepreneurial businesses in Los Angeles. This year we will showcase several young businesses in our programming whether it be the evening gown and Qi Pao segment of the competition or the branded entertainment experience during cocktail hour.

If you think back to your days in college, as a student, you had time, passion and energy. But you don't always have the financial resources or the professional rolodex to accomplish your dreams. This contest addresses exactly that by pairing our contestants with mentors like you, who have achieved incredible success in the areas these women want to aspire to.

As someone in the business and philanthropic community who I both admire and respect, I would like to ask you to consider becoming a Contestant Mentor to one of our 15 semi-finalists selected to compete in the competition. Mentors have the following commitments:

Contestant Selection - Choose your contestant from this Look Book attached, based on who you feel you can help bring direct impact to, either from the perspective of common interests, career goals or other affiliations listed in her resume.

Time - Meet once per quarter, from Q4 2019 to Q3 2020 with your contestant. How and where you meet is strictly up to you, but the goal of these meetings is to provide career advice and extend your network to these young women. Following the year, it is up to you and the contestant whether you want to continue to remain in touch.

Financial Contribution - We are asking each mentor to commit $1,500 to a Miss Chinatown 2020 fund. The winners of the competition receive cash prizes to support their pursuit of higher education and an equal dollar match for the charitable organization of their choice. Your contribution will go to fund both of these activities.

Thank you for being so generous with your finances, time and support. Your contribution is so valuable in the journey for these young women to become future leaders and ambassadors for the Chinese American community in Los Angeles. I hope you will join me personally in continuing this incredible tradition.

With much affection,

Gloria Chang Yip

Vice President, Chinese Chamber of Commerce Los Angeles