Join us as LA native, Wendy Chung, Founder of WAPOW talks about how she started the bilingual print magazine and envisions it to be a resource to share information and highlight personal stories in a time of rapid neighborhood change and urban development in LA's Chinatown.

ABOUT WAPOW

WAPOW is a bilingual print magazine in LA Chinatown centered on storytelling, civic engagement and cultural stewardship. WAPOW is published seasonally with 10k copies printed each run, shared in Chinatown and affiliated Southern California communities. It is structured as a service learning project, engaging a multigenerational team of contributors to research, write, illustrate and distribute each issue.

WENDY BIO

Wendy Chung (鍾佩晶) was born and raised in Monterey Park, a suburb of Los Angeles. She grew up visiting LA Chinatown with her family on weekends, eating pho and exploring the bustling plazas. Wendy is a second generation Chinese American. Her parents came to Los Angeles in 1979 as Vietnam War refugees. Her professional background is in urban planning, mass communication and local economic development. In the past, she has worked in local government, specializing in economic development, civic engagement and housing issues. She is currently transitioning into family business, taking over her parents' 30-plus year-old electrical supply house.

Wendy is passionate about community engagement and creative media. In 2017, she created WAPOW, a bilingual print publication in LA Chinatown that engages a multigenerational team of volunteers to produce a magazine highlighting local Chinatown news and culture. Prior to starting WAPOW, Wendy first got involved in Chinatown organizations through her graduate studies at USC. In 2016, as part of her Dual Master's in Urban Planning and Public Administration, Wendy completed an independent research project examining local economic development in Chinatown, where she remains involved as an active member of Chinese Historical Society of Southern California and Chinese American Citizens Alliance. Wendy's Bachelors of Arts is from UCLA in Anthropology and Communication Studies.