Rep. Derek Tran Recognizes AANHPI Community Leaders at AANHPI Heritage Month Celebration
Cypress, CA – Rep. Derek Tran (CA-45) hosted elected and community leaders at his district office to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and recognize the contributions of local AANHPI leaders in Orange and LA counties.
“I am humbled by the sense of community in this room–the community that supported me and helped me get to where I am today. I grew up on food stamps and Section 8 housing. Mycommunity helped me to become a Veteran, a business owner, a lawyer, and now the first Vietnamese American Congressman from California,” said Rep. Derek Tran in his remarks. “It’s hard to imagine where our nation would be today without the immense contributions of the AANHPI community. Our district alone is home to so many AANHPI leaders who have dedicated their careers and their lives to empowering our community - making great strides in education, the arts, advocacy, health care, science, business, government, and beyond. Our country has been propelled forward by AANHPI leaders across every sector of society, and I’m so proud to honor some of those leaders here today.”
Rep. Tran formally recognized twelve local visionaries from the AANHPI community and presented them with Congressional Proclamations for their outstanding work in bringing positive change to California's 45th congressional district. Honorees included:
- Vo Lam Thanh, Founder, The Artist Association for Spiritual Learning
- Dr. Hue Pham, Former Dean of Disabled Students Programs and Services, Orange Coast College
- Van Bang Pham, Founder, Sakya Community Service Center
- Vattana Peong, Executive Director, The Cambodian Family
- Mary Ann Foo, Founder, Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
- Ellen Ahn, CEO, Korean Community Services
- Joyce Ahn, Mayor, City of Buena Park
- Phan Ky Nhon, Community Activist and Former Major, South Vietnam Armed Services
- Seva Singh, Community Leader and Activist
- Hieu Nguyen, Chief Strategy Officer, Mercy Health
- Katy Le, Community Activist
- Jason Pereira, Constellations Fellow, Center for Cultural Power
Congressman Derek Tran represents California’s 45th Congressional District. Serving his first term in Congress, Congressman Tran is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and House Small Business Committee, where he is Ranking Member of the Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations Subcommittee. Congressman Tran is the son of Vietnamese refugees, a Veteran, and fought for consumers as an attorney before entering Congress.