Some long-overdue chapter and website updates

Hey AAJA Philly members! It’s been a minute (er, a couple of years) since we’ve updated this website. But better late than never, right?

In line with our mission to support local AAPI journalists communities, we are reviving this website so that chapter programs, resources and information are easily accessible to both members and the general public. We added information about chapter leadership, bylaws and AAJA’s code of conduct. We’ll also be posting event announcements and scholarship opportunities more often.

We’re still going to communicate via the AAJA Philly email list, but posting updates publicly makes it easier to share information with non-members and maintain a record of chapter activities. If you’re not on the mailing list, email aajaphiladelphia@gmail.com to join. We’re also active on Twitter — follow us!

So, just to quickly recap the last couple of years for the record …

We hosted the 2017 convention and it was a blast!

NBC10’s Denise Nakano and (now-CBS News correspondent) Ramy Inocencio emceeing the 2017 convention gala.

NPR’s Kat Chow talks with chef and author Eddie Huang.

We held a number of local events

We held a dinner to welcome The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Lenfest fellows.

A panel on audio storytelling and podcasts at Penn’s Kelly Writers House, moderated by our very own Alex Lewis (right) and featuring (from left) Kathy Tu of WYNC’s “Nancy,” Neena Pathak of The New York Times’ “Still Processing,” and Laura Starecheski of Reveal.

The womxn of AAJA Philly held a meetup at the Pen & Pencil Club.

A student journalism panel was moderated by our chapter’s own Anh Nguyen, featuring Temple students Maggie Loesch and Siani Colon, Penn student Madeleine Ngo and Bryn Mawr student Sofia Colosimo.

We celebrated Lunar New Year with dim sum at China Gourmet.

We won chapter of the year for 2018!

With the 2018 Chapter of the Year award are (from left) President Juliana Reyes, then-national advisory board representative Sameer Rao and then-treasurer Alex Lewis.

AAJA Philly members represent after winning Chapter of the Year honors at the 2018 convention in Houston.

And we had another strong showing at the 2019 convention

Another strong showing by the Philly chapter at the 2019 convention in Atlanta.

Special congratulations goes to AAJA Philly members Nydia Han of 6abc and Julie Shaw of The Philadelphia Inquirer — both had work recognized in this year’s AAJA National Journalism Awards!

And a big THANK YOU to longtime sponsor John Curley, who continues to fund scholarships each year to help our members to attend the AAJA national convention.

We also welcomed a new student chapter at Temple!

A group of AAPI students at Temple University launched a student AAJA chapter in the spring of 2019. It’s open to all Temple students, including non-AAPI and non-journalism majors. The chapter is led by Rjaa Ahmed, Kathy Chan, Matt Altea, Issalina Sagad and Tanjeen Twinkle. We’re so excited to see students getting involved in AAJA — about a third of AAJA members globally are students.

Keep your eyes out for more events coming soon … and if you’re not a member yet, you should really consider joining!