Motto: “You will 100 percent of the shots you never take.” -Wayne Gretzky
Julie Pham was born in Cu Chi, Vietnam and immigrated with other waves of “boat people” to America. Her family established a Vietnamese in-language newspaper in the Rainier Valley/South Seattle area called the Northwest Vietnamese News, in 1986. She described her time at the newspaper as an integral experience that shaped who she is.
After graduating from Newport High School, Pham studied history at UC Berkeley and earned a doctorate degree from Cambridge.
Since 2009, she served as chair of the MLK Business Association, promoting small business and economic vitality. She formed SeaBeez, a capacity-building program that brings together local ethnic media. She also served as the PR/Marketing chair for the National Association of Asian American Professionals – Seattle chapter (NAAAP-Seattle), a leadership development organization.
For the last three years, she has been the Vietnamese community representative on the Celebrate Asia! Seattle Symphony to raise awareness of classical arts within Seattle’s diverse Asian community.
In all of these capacities, Pham worked in various fields to uplift APAs. She said she contributes back having learned the example from her father who started the Vietnamese newspaper, observing the need to advocate for APA leadership positions, wanting to give back to a community that has supported her, and as a personal philosophy to learn more from others and sacrifice where she can.
Julie Pham will receive our CVA Tatsuo Nakata Youth Award on May 16.
Read other 2012 CVA Awardee Spotlights:
CVA Awardee Spotlight 2012: Dean Wong
CVA Awardee Spotlight 2012: Pramila Jayapal
CVA Awardee Spotlight 2012: Gloria Lung Wakayama
CVA Awardee Spotlight 2012: Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church
Click HERE for more information on the 2012 CVA Award Dinner @ Tea Palace on May 16th!
