2023 Conference Theme: “Celebrate and Amplify Our Voices”

Location: Portland State University

Date: April 25, 2023, 8 am to 3:15 pm

Conference program:

Registration & Breakfast
Opening Program
Workshop #1
Lunch
College/Career Fair
Workshop #2
Workshop #3
Closing Program

2023 AAYLC Programming and Schedule

Opening program keynote speaker: Jasmine M. Cho

Jasmine M. Cho is a Pittsburgh-based artist, author, and cookie activist most known for using portrait cookies to elevate representation for Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders. Her work has been exhibited at the Heinz History Center in tandem with the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and featured internationally on media outlets that include NPR, CBS This Morning, and The Korea Daily. She is also a Food Network Champion, TEDx speaker, and the Founder of Yummyholic, an online bakery specializing in adorably delicious small treats.

Jasmine has received numerous accolades including CREATOR of the Year by the Pittsburgh Technology Council, the Small Business Community Champion Award by Citizens Bank, and was also awarded a Mayor’s Proclamation declaring Jan. 28th, 2020 as “Jasmine Cho Day” in the City of Pittsburgh. Expanding to traditional fine art while pursuing art therapy studies, Jasmine wrote, illustrated, and published her first children’s book Role Models Who Look Like Me: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Made History.

While managing the stressors of owning a small business, Jasmine became more aware of the therapeutic impacts of baking. Believing that mental health services should be as diverse as the communities they serve, she is now exploring the frontiers of research-based bake therapy with hopes to make the kitchen a more accessible and empowering space for creativity and healing for all people.

Learn more about Jasmine on Facebook, Instagram, and on her website!

Closing program performer: Alana Rich

Alana Rich is a genre-fluid pop artist. Combining timeless sounds and influences with her abstract view on the world, her songs leave the listener with a mystifying energy. Though Rich’s sound is undoubtedly danceable, her lyrically enigmatic approach is what sets her apart from most modern pop artists. Rich's innate ability to deliver dynamic top-lines through her velvety tone will stick with you, indefinitely.

Rich has independently written and released a handful of singles within the past years, which has garnered her over half a million streams, an artist spotlight at the NBA Trailblazers halftime show, performance feature on major news television stations, as well as a handful of global brand collaborations (Raycon Global, Beatstars). She was named one of the the Top 25 Independent Artists to Watch (Music Connection Magazine) and continues to show her versatility off-stage as the founder of Pop Fever, a premier music & arts showcase that amplifies AAPI voices in the creative industry. Her latest single, Savor, is now available for streaming on all platforms.

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Rich began her career at the age of 14, performing acoustic music and releasing cover songs on YouTube. She quickly amassed over 1 million views and has since developed her pop-rooted sound. She has performed at Portland Fashion Week, the Portland Art Museum, a Nylon Magazine event, Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, amongst other venues. Rich has also shared the stage with notable artists across genres, including R&B artist Jojo, Michelle Branch, Arnel Pineda of Journey, and Richard Marx, to name a few.

Learn more about Alana and hear her music on Instagram and all digital music streaming platforms.