Celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Month by reading colleague stories
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Month. This month, we recognize AANHPI colleagues by sharing their stories.
Miwa Deering, School-Based Outpatient Therapist at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), is passionate about her role and her background.
It was May 2, 2022. During the orientation program for new colleagues called “Connections,” we were welcomed as “colleagues” instead of “employees.” In that moment, on my first day, I felt included and welcomed by LVHN.
Sometimes I am misunderstood as a different ethnicity and I will declare my ethnicity as Japanese so people understand that I do not speak their language. This happened a lot when I lived in South Korea and Italy. So, I know how to say “I am Japanese” in Italian, Spanish, Korean and English.
Japanese rice and miso soup make me think of my family because these foods remind me of my childhood. I love those food because I know now that I was loved and cared. It is a realization when I became a parent how much effort has been placed to have homemade food day in and day out. Japanese rice and miso soup are the staple and very simple food but cannot complete a meal without them. When I sip miso soup, it calms my ki 気.
