May Ying Chen

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, every school day The Cardinal will feature a prominent and historical Asian American or Pacific Islander, living or dead, who has worked toward change, advancement, and/or world peace. Some of them are heroes, and some are unsung heroes, who deserve recognition, and have made a contribution to society.

May 16, 2024

May Ying Chen was born in beautiful Boston, Massachusetts in 1948 and was the daughter of Chinese immigrant parents. Growing up in a multicultural environment, Chen developed a passion for social justice from a young age. Chen obtained her BA from Radcliffe College and her master’s in Education from the University of California of Los Angeles. While living in California she had taught in adult and high school classes. Chen taught subjects related to Asian and Asian American studies at the California State University, Long Beach. She also founded her own daycare center in Los Angeles, Chinatown.

Chen retired in 2009, before she was an officer and a founding member of the AFL-CIO’s Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), and was also the International Vice President of UNITE HERE. Chen has worked on The Immigration Project, the first union that established a legal advocacy section for immigrant workers, and helped members with US citizenship applications and sponsorship petitions on behalf of family members. Chen moved to New York City with her husband and two children in 1979. She worked for the Chinese Committee of Local 6 (the Hotel, Restaurant, Club Employees, and Bartenders Union) during the 1982 garment workers’ strike in New York’s Chinatown.

About the Contributor

Emanuel Cruz, Staff Writer

Emanuel Cruz is a junior at Hoover High School. He was born on April 13, raised in San Diego, California, by his parents who immigrated to live the American Dream. He has two older siblings but he will be the first one in his family to graduate from Hoover, as the class of 2025. He also has two cats that he treasures and loves. He doesn’t really have a plan after high school but does want to attend SDSU. He wishes to have a career and is inspired by both his sister and brother.

Outside of school he enjoys watching movies and of course playing video games. His current favorite movies are Everything Everywhere All At Once, Interstellar, and La La Land. As for his video games, they are Roblox, Good Pizza Great Pizza, and Mario Kart 8. But something else that he absolutely loves is FOOD! His favorite dish is chilaquiles with a cold glass of Iced Tea.

He hopes to work in the medical field, but can’t decide on which career. What he does know is that he wants to help people whether that be helping them physically or mentally. He is currently in FACES and in Cardinals Interact which are programs that will expose him to decide which career is the best option for him.