All posts by Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So

ADR Advisor Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So is Professor of Sociology at UNM-Valencia and a scholar/practitioner of inclusive pedagogy. She also consults on DEI initiatives and program evaluations. Before moving to New Mexico, Julia worked for the Dallas College in Texas where she successfully expanded a $30-million privately-funded endowed scholarship program county-wide. She is a past President of the Texas Diversity Council and a past board chair of the Asian Chamber of Texas. Julia’s passion is to raise one’s cultural competence of those that look and speak differently from them. In her free time, she volunteers at the Bernalillo Metropolitan County Court as a certified mediator and answers the crisis/suicide hotline for a local crisis center.
ADR Advisors, Authors R-Z, Gender

Misgendering: Is It a Big Deal? – by Julia Wai-Yin So

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I live in New Mexico—a liberal state where people respect each other’s gender identity.  It is also a state where everyone, including the members of TNG (transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse) community enjoy the privilege of publicly sharing their preferred gender pronoun or personal gender pronoun (PGP). At any given professional meetings, it is a common practice that people would introduce themselves followed by their PGP. I, on the other hand, rarely mentioned my PGP. I am not a member of the TNG community.  At the same time, I do not see the need to announce my PGP. To me, my gender is no one’s business. If I want others to know my gender, I will introduce myself as such and let others know. As for addressing others, I will respectfully ask when unsure and honor their individuality and dignity. 

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ADR Advisors, Authors R-Z, Trends 2025: Chaotic Times

TRENDS 2025: Inclusive Excellence – by Julia Wai-Yin So

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My 1,2,3 ANALYSIS

) 1 or 2 issues that are personally most vital to me in 2025.

For decades at the end of the Fall semester, faculty, staff, and students from colleges and universities in the nation leave the campus to enjoy the winter holiday. This year, many of them left with a sense of uncertainty, unsure how lives would be when they return in the spring.  I live in New Mexico—an immigrant and woman friendly state. I work for a public state university that, for over a century, has proudly opened its campus to faculty, staff, and students of various backgrounds. Most meaningfully, I work for the Division for Equity and Inclusion that runs programs to ensure everyone is treated with respect and dignity. My personal motto–Inclusive Excellence—aims to understand, respect, appreciate, and value each individual’s background and what they bring to our community. Inclusive Excellence is not just vital to my wellbeing as well as my professional growth, it is vital to our nation’s strength and world leadership.

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Academic Articles, ADR Advisors, Authors R-Z

The Effects of SCOTUS Decision on One University – by Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So

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The Supreme Court’s decision on the two college admission cases in June 2023 has left the 3,400+ colleges and universities in the country (both private and public institutions of higher education) rushing to review and revise their admission practices. By declaring the admission policies of Harvard University and the University of South Carolina had violated the Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment, the ruling essentially ended decades of race-conscious admission practice (which was permissible under Affirmative Action policy) in colleges and universities across the country. 

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ADR Advisors, Social Issues

Stereotype and Character Assassination – by Julia Wai-Yin So

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Having worked in the US for the last 40 some years, I was once a target of character assassination (CA). That experience prompted me to write this article to raise awareness that being a member of a minoritized group can put us at an additional risk of being targeted. This article explores the association between stereotype and character assassination.

Gordon Allport’s The Nature of Prejudice defines stereotype as an exaggerated belief associated with a category (i.e. a social group). Whether positive or negative, it is when one applies the group characteristics to a member of the group while ignoring the uniqueness of the specific member.  This article focuses on the use of negative stereotype of a social group to attack the character of a member of the same group. Many times, this baseless accusation can have serious negative consequences on the victim, especially when it is turned into an act of CA. 

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Authors R-Z, Social Issues

Microaggression and Stereotype – by Julia Wai-Yin So

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You were at a house-warming party hosted by your immigrant friends from Mexico who just bought their first home. Your excitement was genuine. As you hugged your friend and his wife, you said, “I am so happy for you and your new home, especially in this neighborhood. Unlike other Latino immigrants, you are so accomplished.”

Your comment might have meant to be complimentary. Unfortunately, your Latino friend might have felt you just insulted his entire ethnic group. According to Dr. Derald Wing Sue from Columbia University, such remark falls under microaggressions–verbal, behavioral, or environmental slights that reflect the speaker’s conscious or unconscious stereotyping certain minoritized groups. Other examples include complimenting the English spoken by an Asian, or congratulating a college graduate while saying “You made me proud. I don’t think I have one black friend that has a college degree”. Though meant to compliment the recipient; such comments sadly also insult the ability or intelligence of the social group which the receiver belongs to.
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Authors R-Z, Education, Social Issues, Trends 2021

Let’s Deconstruct the Stereotype – Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So

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In the 1960s, sociologist Harold Garfinkel founded a new field of inquiry called ethnomethodology. As such, Garfinkel uses the term indexing to describe how we depend on whatever information and experience we have to make sense of every social context. We call this social cues. For example, when a man in the US meets a person who is wearing a dress and a pair of high heels while carrying a lady’s purse, the man instantly concludes that this is a woman and therefore will instantaneously interact with this person according to the social etiquette between a man and a woman.

Garfinkel calls such mental exercise indexing. When we are unaware of social cues because we have not had interaction with members of a particular social group, we would depend on the common information available, whether true or not. This is when stereotyping comes into play.

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Authors R-Z, Race & Ethnicity, USA Culture

Understanding Asian American Communication — by Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So

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Do you recall the first time you stepped into an international business reception at a major hotel and found yourself amidst a sea of Asian faces? If so, you may also have noticed a diversity of Asian cultures and conversations  in some incomprehensible languages: Cantonese Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Malay, Mandarin Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, and perhaps others.  If you have been put off when people in your presence have spoken a language other than English, you are not alone.

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Around the world, Authors R-Z

Asians Celebrate the New Year – by Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So

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The first day of the year in the lunar calendar is to many Chinese, Koreans, and Vietnamese who live outside their home countries, the most important festival of the new year that they celebrate.  Other Asian ethnic groups may join the festivity in their neighborhoods even though they observe their owe New Year days.  For example, the Thais honor their Songkran (Water Festival) in April or the Gujaratis celebrate theirs the day before the Asian Indian Diwali (the Festival of Lights) in late October or early November.  As for the Japanese and Filipinos, they choose to observe the Gregorian New Year.  With this festive day around the corner, let’s look at some of the New Year traditions of Chinese, Koreans, and Vietnamese.

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Race & Ethnicity, USA Culture

Chinese Americans: Railroads to Fiber Optics – by Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So

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ASIAN AMERICANS IN THE USA

Asian Americans comprise about 5.6% of the United States.  Among them, the Chinese Americans, with 3.79 million—constitute the largest Asian ethnic group in the U.S. Most of them arrived at this country in three separate immigration waves, each characterized by its own set of reasons for migration.

The first wave took place during the Gold Rush in California as part of the 1800s immigration wave.  The Chinese immigrants were primarily laborers from Southeast China. Some came voluntarily with the intention of returning to their home village with wealth and prestige; others were kidnapped and bought as Asian slaves. This article will follow the story of Chinese Americans and the challenges they still face.

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Authors R-Z, Race & Ethnicity, Social Issues

Do you laugh at stereotypes? – By Julia Wai-Yin So, PhD

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Do you recall the last time you heard a casual remark about the stereotype of one particular racial/ethnic group? These are not blatant racist jokes, but stereotypical comments such as:

“White men can’t jump.”
“Latinos are lazy.”
“Blacks are better runners.”
“Natives are drunks.”
“Asians can’t drive.”

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