HARRISON, Sports & Social Chair
What drew you to TAP and why did you decide to join the board?
I was approached by a former TAP board member after a TAP climbing event at a gym I frequently visit. I love meeting people when I climb and the idea of opening another channel for myself to meet others and help others to make new bonds is exciting.
What do you hope to accomplish in your role? New event ideas?
I would love to help members pursue a more active lifestyle and build lasting relationships with others through the blood and sweat of team games. I think it’d be fun to introduce a Mario Kart or a beer pong/flip cup league. I’m hoping to also bring on camping trips when the weather gets warmer.
What is your favorite aspect of Taiwan?
FOOD is the obvious answer here. I’m a huge foodie and I love eating all types of Taiwanese street food (i.e. Lu rou fan, stinky tofu, oyster omelette, and the list goes on). Another big reason I love eating different types of food in Taiwan is so I can distinguish how to adjust my cooking at home to taste more traditional. Night life comes in a close second though 🙂
What would our membership be most surprised to learn about you?
Tough question. I only know how to sing one Chinese song? Tong Hua.
JORDAN, Design Chair
What drew you to TAP and why did you decide to join the board?
I was introduced to TAP through Jess Yeung whom I met this past summer in a UX Design class at General Assembly. At the time I was looking for community-related opportunities and after hearing Jess’s experience on board, I knew that I had to be involved. I decided to join because it was an invaluable opportunity to promote community and Taiwanese culture to an audience of larger scalability. As an added bonus, I get to be surrounded by folks who can empathize with my bubble tea cravings!
What do you hope to accomplish in your role? New event ideas?
I’d like to establish a stronger brand presence on a national level and also push the envelope in terms of creative content. I’m also planning to assist other board members on any ongoing events/projects that are in need of creative sprucing. As for new event ideas, I’m pretty excited to help organize anything related to food — I could see a rendition of various food competition shows such as Chopped, the Great British Bake-Off or Iron Chef America to be incredibly fun!
What is your favorite aspect of Taiwan?
For me, Taiwan exists as a conglomerate of memories and adventures that have played a significant role in developing my personal identity. As a result, it’s difficult for me to pinpoint a single aspect that accurately depicts the love and appreciation I have for the country. However, if I were to really settle on one I’d probably say Taiwanese lifestyle. There is a carefreeness and simplistic outlook to approaching life over there that I find rather endearing and almost refreshing. Every time I go back, I’m constantly reminded that you really don’t need that much to attain happiness.
What would our membership be most surprised to learn about you?
It’s been a low-key dream of mine to start my own dumpling cart business. I used to joke with my friends that if design doesn’t work out I’d just move to Taiwan, start a dumpling cart business and be 100% satisfied with life. If anybody out there is interested in helping me make this a reality, we should definitely talk 😉
SARAH, Community & Advocacy Chair
What drew you to TAP and why did you decide to join the board?
My good college friend invited me to a TAP dinner the day I moved to New York. Both the board members and attending members were very friendly and welcoming. Thus, I found out that TAP-NY was a great organization for getting out, meeting people, and doing things in NYC. As I attended more events, I got to know more about myself, including my own interests and places I’d like to visit (aside: TAP is a great community that knows where to eat!). So when the opportunity came around to apply for the board, I realized that it would be a great way to give back to the community that gave me so much! Because I wanted to host events that resonated with our membership and benefited the greater New York community, I decided to pursue the position of Community Service and Advocacy Chair.
What do you hope to accomplish in your role? New event ideas?
I would like to bring more variety to TAP volunteering events, especially through partnering with more organizations in the city. Mental health in the Asian American community is an important topic that we have yet to address, so I would love to host events raising awareness and building skills among our community. I also think it would be great to meet and engage with local Asian American politicians, so that our members know what’s going on in this great city of ours. Too often, we live inside our own bubbles. So to be an engaged citizen, I think it’s important to take part in opportunities to learn about our community .
What is your favorite aspect of Taiwan?
I have two favorites that go hand-in-hand! Back in college, I had two friends (sisters!) who were proudly Taiwanese-American and were happy to share their food with me. The older sister is an amazing home chef, and the younger is her steadfast sous chef. They invited me to their Lunar New Year dinners and many other meals at their house, which were filled with so many delicious, Taiwanese foods. We made so many great memories together. They even have a “blackmail” photo of me struggling to eat a whole shrimp (head, shell, guts, and all!). It’s not pretty. And so, I love the friends that I’ve made (new and old!) and the food from Taiwan!
What would our membership be most surprised to learn about you?
I’m a huge nerd and love games! Party games, board games, console games–especially console games! I fangirl over the “Chocobros” from Final Fantasy XV. I gush on and on about the art and design of Persona 5. I get way too into Overcooked. I also keep the music of Nier: Automata on repeat at work.
ANDY, Tech & Membership Chair
What drew you to TAP and why did you decide to join the board?
I’ve met some great friends through TAP. The events are always fun and I saw joining the board as an opportunity to grow that even more and hopefully bring a similar experience for new members.
What do you hope to accomplish in your role? New event ideas?
As the incoming tech chair, there are a lot of things I hope to accomplish in 2018, the major one being improving tap-ny.org and making it robust and easy to use. As for new event ideas, I think it would be cool to have a board game event. I know Ben likes board games so maybe this will happen!
What is your favorite aspect of Taiwan?
Probably how convenient everything is.
What would our membership be most surprised to learn about you?
Related to the last question, I actually haven’t gone back to Taiwan in over 20 years! I plan to fix that in 2018.
MIKE, Social Chair
What drew you to TAP and why did you decide to join the board?
Outside of attending many great TAP events in the past, I’ve also been visiting my parents in Taipei each year and have developed a deep fondness for Taiwan, its people, and its culture. I’ve always enjoyed bringing people together and would now love to apply that passion towards building an even more supportive, vibrant community in NYC.
What do you hope to accomplish in your role? New event ideas?
I hope to improve the overall quality and accessibility of events for TAP, through a combination of finding diverse venues, improving communication, or introducing fun activities. Hoping to launch some more low-key get togethers in addition to new TAPpy hours.
What is your favorite aspect of Taiwan?
The clean, timely, and safe MRT system.
What would our membership be most surprised to learn about you?
I enjoy eating vegetables.