Cindy Wong is serving her second year at Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. as the Service Corps Fellow
1.How have you grown both professionally and personally since your first year with MPF?
Since my first year of service, I’ve had time to think about what I want to do professionally and I’m planning to advance my career in Fall 2016 by attending graduate school for social work! My experience also taught me how to better be an advocate for myself and for the youth that I’m serving.
2.What about working with youth inspires you?
The resilience of youth inspires me. I work with high school students from such diverse backgrounds and I’ve gotten the chance to know several of them from the personal stories they’ve confided in me. I’m always impressed by their perseverance and positive attitude despite their struggles.
As a teen, I didn’t have a youth worker who made a difference in my life; however, in college, I was able to find mentors to connect with at Northeastern University’s Asian American Center. A large reason I’m following the path that I am now is because of their impact on my life.
4.What are your plans post MPF?
I’m planning to pursue an MSW post-MPF!
5.What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind at your host site this year?
I want to leave behind a legacy of storytelling and culture-sharing at my host-site. I know that my youth have so many things that they want to say but don’t often have the space to do so, and I’m grateful that they trust in me to help them create safe spaces. Once my service is over, though, I only wish that they can feel empowered to continue that moving forward.
