Go to the right school. Become a doctor or lawyer. Marry a nice Asian. These are some of the hopes our Asian parents have for us. Knowing that they’ve sacrificed for us, we want to honor their wishes. But we also want to serve Jesus, and sometimes that can conflict with family expectations. Discovering our Asian identity in the midst of Western culture means learning to bridge these and other conflicting values.
Paul Tokunaga founded MELD (Multi-Ethnic Leadership Development) with the mission to “equip collegiate coaches and student athletes to thrive in our racially diverse world.” He is also a veteran InterVarsity/USA staff, currently serving as Executive Coach and Senior Consultant.
Paul is a coauthor of two multiethnic leadership books, as well as the author of Invitation to Lead. He is the lead creator of two 15-month intensive leadership programs to prepare potential senior leaders, InterVarsity/USA’s Daniel Project and the Prospective Senior Leaders Cohort. Paul also was lead creator for InterVarsity/USA’s Managing and Leading Ethnic Diversity course.