Community
Page 10 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
June 4, 2018
Metro West princess works toward social change
By Maileen Hamto
The Asian Reporter
ADVOCATE & VOLUNTEER. The 2018 Port-
land Rose Festival princess representing Metro West
is Maya Bedge, a junior at Westview High School.
Maya is proud to represent her school on the court
and to raise awareness about issues that are important
to her. In the right photo, Maya, who enjoys sharing
music with her family and community, plays her harp
at a senior care home in the Portland area. The Port-
land Rose Festival’s Queen’s Coronation takes place
Saturday, June 9 at Portland’s Veterans Memorial
Coliseum.
much closer to achieving change.”
Advocating against gun violence is part
of a larger picture of political awareness
and involvement for Maya, who believes in
creating change through ensuring that
institutions represent the people they
serve. As part of her candidacy for the
Oregon Youth Senate, Maya had a
conversation with Oregon governor Kate
Brown about curbing the trend of sexual
harassment in Oregon politics.
“First of all, I strongly believe that
government should be a place for all
backgrounds. As a young woman who’s
interested in politics, I really want to
make sure that politics is a safe space for
everybody,” Maya said. “I also believe the
best way to combat racism and sexism is
electing people who represent the
Photo courtesy of Maya Bedge
Photo/Brian Geraths/Photo Media Productions
A
sk Maya Bedge, the 2018 Metro
West Rose Court princess, about
the high school achievement she is
most proud of thus far, and she’ll tell you
about being part of a movement.
A junior at Westview High School in
Beaverton, Maya said that beyond medals
and academic honors, she is most proud of
leading the student walkout focused on
halting the epidemic of gun violence in
American schools.
In March, Maya organized Westview’s
walkout, in solidarity with the community
of students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School in Parkland, Florida. While
she has never been part of — much less led
— any mass protest on such a highly
politicized topic as sensible gun
legislation, she was determined to help
make tangible change.
“It was so shocking to hear of another
school shooting. For me, that shock turned
from sadness to anger, and I wanted to use
that emotion in a productive way,” she
said.
“I was empowered to see Parkland
students leading the movement, holding
state and national leaders accountable.”
Maya made sure school administrators
knew of Westview students’ intent to
mobilize. Along with other volunteers,
they visited classrooms to talk about the
walkout, in addition to printing and
distributing fliers.
Seeing the massive turnout for the
protest was a once-in-a-lifetime experi-
ence, Maya said. Some 1,000 students
stepped out of their classrooms to stand
together in the school’s courtyard, where
they observed 17 minutes of silence — one
minute for each Parkland victim.
“I was speechless. I almost started cry-
ing, because it was absolutely incredible to
be able to lead something from my heart
and a place of passion,” she said. “There’s
so much that needs to happen, and we are
diversity of our community.”
While focused on more diverse, inclu-
sive, and empowered communities in
Oregon, Maya also is deeply involved in
making change for young people in India
who have limited access to quality
education. Throughout her life, she has
travelled to India about once every two
years, as her parents, Sarita and Satish,
have remained tightly connected to family
back home.
About six years ago, Maya began
volunteering with her older sister, Sonya,
at Rural Education And Literacy (REAL):
Youth To Youth, an Oregon-based
nonprofit. Comprised of mostly high school
students in the Portland metropolitan
area, the group raises funds at community
events to support underfunded schools in
rural India. During India Day held every
August, the group sells slightly used
Indian traditional clothing as part of their
fundraising efforts.
“I’m passionate about education for
underprivileged students who have
inadequate access to education,” said
Maya, who serves as co-president of REAL:
Youth To Youth. “Two friends and I went
to India, and stayed in the teacher’s dorm
for about a week. We taught kids all day. It
was an amazing experience and I hope to
go back to India.”
With the depth of her awareness and
commitment to social issues here and
abroad, Maya demonstrates emotional
maturity well beyond her years.
As far as her experience so far on the
Rose Court, Maya is most appreciative for
the platform to raise awareness about
issues that are important to her. She
greatly values her mentor, Megan Snyder
of Unitus Credit Union, who has arranged
for a job shadow at a venture capital firm.
Moreover, Maya honors the genuine
friendships with the other Rose Court
princesses. Seniors on the court freely
dispense advice on senior year, college,
and planning for our future, Maya said.
“It’s a great experience to be part of the
sisterhood. The girls on the court have all
achieved so much, yet they’re all very
humble. Everyone is so supportive of each
other,” she said.
“We’re the next generation of female
leaders, and the future of Portland is in
great hands.”
Wilson princess leads with gratitude, commitment to service
By Maileen Hamto
Photo courtesy of Anna Kien
W
ilson High School’s Rose Court princess, Anna
Kien, turned an episode of loss and grief for her
family into an opportunity to serve the
community.
In 2016, Anna travelled with her family to Vietnam on
the occasion of her grandmother’s passing. The
outpouring of support and love sent many gifts of flowers
and food, much of which was donated generously to a local
organization serving children who were born with visual
impairment.
Anna said she “fell in love” with the mission and
purpose of the Residential and Educational Center for
Visually Impaired Children, and she decided to volunteer
to teach English for the young people living there. The
center serves children suffering from blindness who come
from impoverished families.
Anna learned that some of the children were given up by
their families because they could not afford to support a
child with a disability. “Many were abandoned by their
families because of the stigma for being blind, of being
born a mistake,” Anna said. “Many of the children have
been by themselves since they were very young.”
The challenge of teaching language without visual aids
was one that Anna took to heart. She found new and
creative ways to communicate, and did so with much
humor, humility, and patience. “I am not as fluent in Viet-
namese as I would like,” she explained. “The experience
allowed me to appreciate communication and flexibility.”
Anna worked with children as young as four years old.
Volunteering at the center for a few weeks, she said she
developed a deeper understanding of the struggles people
living in poverty face everyday.
Photo/Brian Geraths/Photo Media Productions
The Asian Reporter
“They were so young, but the children I met were the
most polite, most caring, and sweetest kids you’ll ever
meet,” Anna said. “They don’t have many visitors,
especially someone from another country.”
Leadership and service have always been among Anna’s
core strengths. At Wilson, she is one of the founders of the
LEADERSHIP & SERVICE. The 2018 Portland Rose Festival
princess representing Wilson High School is Anna Kien. Leadership and
service have always been among princess Anna’s core strengths. At Wil-
son, she is one of the founders of the school’s first Asian Pacific Islander
Student Union. She said she was inspired to start the club from her expo-
sure and experience with the Asian American Youth Leadership Confer-
ence (bottom photo), which draws more than 500 API students from
across the Portland metropolitan area to enhance leadership and com-
munication skills, as well as strengthen pride in their cultural identity.
school’s first Asian Pacific Islander (API) Student Union.
She said she was inspired to start the club from her
exposure and experience with the Asian American Youth
Leadership Conference (AAYLC), which draws more than
500 API students from across the Portland metropolitan
area to enhance leadership and communication skills, as
well as strengthen pride in their cultural identity.
Anna first learned about AAYLC as a freshman at
Wilson. Attending a predominantly white school, she said
she was working on overcoming self-hatred when she
attended her first AAYLC conference.
“AAYLC was the first place where I felt proud to be who
I was as an Asian American. I was in a space where I was
not the minority,” she said. “Even though I feel isolated
and alone at school, I know there are many students out
there with whom I can fit in, and who can understand the
issues I deal with on a daily basis.”
To build community with API and mixed-race students
at Wilson, Anna worked with Jaime Suehiro, her Advance
Placement (AP) English teacher, to establish the API
Student Union. “We’re all here to share culture and build
space for Asian-American students to get to know each
other.”
Beyond her impeccable track record of volunteer
commitments, Anna has managed to maintain a 4.0 grade
Continued on page 11
A Rose Festival princess represents her school and acts as the “face of the Rose Festival” at many events in the community, including parades, volunteer activities, luncheons with community and business leaders, and more. The
Portland Rose Festival Foundation awards each court member a $3,500 scholarship, courtesy of The Randall Group. To qualify for the Rose Festival Court, a candidate must be a full-time junior or senior at a 4A, 5A, or 6A high
school in Multnomah, Washington, or Clackamas county and have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0. Potential princesses are evaluated on citizenship, scholastic achievement, school activities, civic involvement,
volunteer projects, communication skills, and overall impression. The Portland Rose Festival Queen is chosen from all of the court members at Portland’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, June 9 from 8:30am to 9:30am.
To learn more, call (503) 227-2681 or visit <www.rosefestival.org>.