A Little Bit About Me

My name is Scott Chan. I am a 2nd-gen. Chinese American born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. I come from a line of badass-ness (sp?). My dad immigrated here in the early 60’s to live the “American Dream,” only to find that dream meant fighting terrible racism each step along the way. At the same time my mom fled the Communists in China by teaching herself to swim and then swimming from China in to Hong Kong. No fucking kidding. Her friend that swam with her was eaten by a fucking shark. I’m sure you can imagine how hard it is for me to complain about my everyday struggles when mom brings up the shark.

[caption id=”attachment_243" align=”alignnone” width=”697"]

Featured: Mom in America, post sharks.[/caption]

Like any disobedient Asian American son of immigrants, I went to UCLA and majored in Asian American Studies and Political Science and pursued a career in nonprofit/community work. To add further salt to the wound, I then went and got a masters focusing on nonprofit management (instead of law school).

[caption id=”attachment_249" align=”alignnone” width=”934"]

Drew this ages ago, when I felt betrayed that my parents never forced me to learn how to play the piano. [/caption]

By day I work at a nonprofit where I do community organizing around public health and environmental justice. By night I practice things I’d love to (dare I say, should) do during the day: doodling/sketching, buddhism, becoming a grade-A comic nerd. *Special shoutouts to my partner and dog who both love me for the proud geek of color that I am.

The Chinese Kite is my attempt at consolidating all the things I’m interested in (and so obviously geek out about). It’s a promise to myself to spend more time on things that I care about outside of work, and a promise to just chill out and be comfortable being myself.

-Scott