In this story, Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan shares her experiences as a multi-published author, curriculum designer, professor, and director of SDSU’s APIDA Center. Read on for insight and inspiration regarding Asian American representation in literature and schools!
I was the first person in my family to be born in the United States. During the Japanese occupation of China, my parents’ families fled to Cambodia for political asylum. Then, when the Khmer Rouge took over in the 1970s, my parents sought political asylum in the United States. So, I am rooted in the Chinese American experience and the Cambodian refugee experience.
I was named after the state in which I was born — Virginia. I grew up in Fairfax, right outside Washington, D.C. Although I had some cultural traditions, at that time, “assimilation for survival” was the theme for many immigrants. My first Asian American studies class was in college, and I’ve been committed to Asian American history since then, but as a child, I didn't study my heritage like I do now.
Back then, I was a bookworm — I loved reading. I wrote little stories and poems, but I never thought that I was going to be a writer. In fourth grade, my teacher read aloud In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord. Shirley Temple Wong, the protagonist, is a Chinese American immigrant girl. I really resonated with her as it was the first time I’d seen a character who looked like me. That was a powerful, inspirational experience for me.
As a teacher and writer myself, I want to make sure that diverse stories are reflected in literature, and that students have access to books that reflect them and their experiences. When I taught fourth grade, part of the curriculum was California history. I wanted a book about Angel Island, but not many existed. So, I teamed up with Dr. Helen Foster James to write Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America (Sleeping Bear Press, 2013). That project launched my picture book career.
Prior to that, I had written a mid-grade novel entitled The Jade Dragon (Candlewick Press, 2008) with Carolyn Marsden about my Chinese American experience growing up. It was originally a series of vignettes (inspired by In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson). Then, at some point, I realized I could actually make a career out of writing, so I’ve continued since then and to date, have over 400 titles to my name.
We also asked Dr. Loh-Hagan a few other questions. Here are her answers (edited for length/clarity):
What drew you to a career in education?
I've always taken jobs that involve teaching: summer camp counselor, preschool teacher, and a variety of other positions. At the University of Virginia, I was an English major, but I was also pre-med. However, after taking Latin and chemistry, I realized I didn’t want to continue doing that for the next 8 or 10 years. Although everything I'd done up to that point was related to children, I thought I was doing it to be a child psychiatrist. In fact, I was really doing it to be a teacher.
My plan was to come to San Diego to teach for a couple years and then return to the East Coast, but I ended up staying in San Diego because I loved it. When I was accepted into a doctorate program, I thought I was going to become a principal, superintendent, or secretary of education. While doing my doctoral work, I was asked to teach a couple of university classes. I agreed and really enjoyed it. That propelled me into higher ed, specifically teacher education. When the opportunity came to open up the SDSU Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Center, I took that. I never thought this was where I was going to end up. But I followed opportunities that came along the way, and they led me here.
2. We know you’re also a Co-Executive Director of The Asian American Education Project. Could you tell us a little bit about your work and the goals behind this project? What change do you hope to see in K-12 education in the future?
The Asian American Education Project was founded by Stewart and Pat Kwoh, who are like superstars in the Asian American civil rights movement. For quite some time, they've been advocating for increasing the visibility and presence of APIDA stories. The Kwohs were asked to develop the lesson plans for KPBS’s groundbreaking docuseries Asian Americans, and solicited me to lead the elementary team. Since then, we have developed into a nonprofit that provides APIDA-centered K-12 curriculum and training to K-12 districts across the nation. It's been quite exciting. It's important to have our stories, our histories, and our narratives taught in K-12 because the college level isn’t early enough. We need to be able to see ourselves in the fabric of American history.
3. You’re an incredibly prolific author, as well! What topics/ideas/subjects do you tend to gravitate toward in your books, and what are some of the most important messages that you hope readers take away from them?
I'm always trying to bring in Asian American topics. As an avid reader and an avid watcher of shows, ideas happen all the time. I just don't have enough time to capitalize on all the ideas I have, so I pick and choose what I think I can sit with for some time and what my publishers will want. Ideas are not the problem; the challenging part is finding the time to sit and write.
I don’t like to write stories with the intent of teaching lessons. I think that’s boring; I don't ever want to be taught a lesson. What I try to do is capture a human experience, a feeling that we all have. Especially for my stories about Asian American themes, I want people to walk away knowing that they've been seen and heard — just like how I felt when my teacher read aloud In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson.
4. How was SDSU’s APIDA Center founded, and what kinds of APIDA Center projects are you excited about for the future?
There were already other identity centers at SDSU, so it was time for the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Center to be established. We’re 14% of the university, so it’s important for us to be seen and heard on campus. Luckily, we had great leadership: Dr. Luke Wood, who was also a faculty member at the College of Education, became Vice President of Student Affairs, and he and President Adela de la Torre were really committed to diversity here on campus. It is because of their visionary leadership that the APIDA Center was able to come to fruition. I’m just thrilled to be able to be a part of the APIDA legacy at SDSU. I invite folks to join us on Instagram; we’ve posted all of our events there.
We have been hosting so many wonderful programs. An upcoming program that I'm excited about is a field trip to Manzanar. We'll be taking students there to learn more about the Japanese American incarceration experience.