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.
Authors R-Z, Race & Ethnicity, Social Issues

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

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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Authors R-Z, Commerce, Of Women, Race & Ethnicity, USA Culture

Asian American Women Executives You Should Know — by Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So

To honor the success of Asian Americans in this country, I would like to highlight the professional lives of five prominent Asian female executives.  They have demonstrated a sense of pride in their own heritage and that this has not diminished their professional success in the western world.   They are among the most powerful women in the U.S.

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Authors R-Z, Race & Ethnicity, USA Culture

When Minorities become the Majority — by Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So

Not long ago, Texas made history.  It became a majority minority state. In other words, the minorities together make up more than 50% of the population. Here in Texas, diversity is a buzzword. Not only does it attract attention, it gets people excited, who now want to jump on the bandwagon to organize diversity initiatives such as cultural sensitivity training or setting up a diversity council.

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Race & Ethnicity, USA Culture

American Koreans and Healthcare – by Dr. Julia Wai-Yin  So

The nation is crying out for universal health care reform to provide adequate health insurance for the diverse citizens in the nation.  Yet, American diversity includes a group of individuals who remain silent as they continue to face limited access to health care because of their limited English proficiency (LEP).  A study released by the Kaiser Family Foundation in April, 2008 indicated that during 2004-2006 almost one third of non-elderly Korean Americans in the US do not have health insurance.

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Around the world, Commerce, Race & Ethnicity

Chopsticks Made in the USA – Dr. Julia Wai-Yin So

To many of us, the idea of using two sticks with one hand to pick up a piece of chicken or vegetable from a plate or bowl and putting that same piece of chicken or vegetable into our mouth without dropping it is beyond one’s imagination. However, this is what one out of every five people in the world does at mealtime on a daily basis. These people with such dexterity with chopsticks live in what we call “chopsticks nations” such as China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.

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