Claudia’s Welcome

By Claudia Han, Part-Time Virginia Middle School Youth Facilitation Coordinator

Photos & Media courtesy of Claudia

Hi Everyone!

My name is Claudia Han (she/her/hers), the new Part-Time Virginia Middle School Youth Facilitation Coordinator. I am so excited to share with you a little bit more about myself, and can’t wait to meet you all at future AALEAD events, field trips, programs, and so much more!

Let’s get some of the basic information down! I was born in Tampa, Florida, but I would consider Massachusetts as my home state. I am Korean American and the third child out of five kids (shoutout out to the middle kids)! I attended the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) and earned my Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing in May 2023. I moved to Virginia two years ago and am looking forward to meeting and empowering youth within my community!

This is a picture of my two older sisters in New York City,  one of our favorite cities to visit.

A fun fact about me is that I did Taekwondo growing up! This is a picture of me when I was younger with my four siblings.

Here is a more recent picture of my four siblings and me.

Now, let’s dive deeper into why I am doing this work and how I ended up here at AALEAD. I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood while being surrounded by some members of my own community. It wasn’t until college that I truly embraced my identity as being Asian American, specifically Korean-American. Growing up, I would find ways to fit in because people would comment on how I looked. I would occasionally hear comments such as “Go back to your own country”, which confused me since I was born in the United States. I never had a true and strong community of surrounding Asian American peers until college. In college, I joined the Korean Student Association, where I advanced to serving on the executive board. My organization did a lot of collaboration work with other Asian American student organizations on campus, including the Cambodian-American Student Association, The Filipino Club, the Vietnamese Student Association, and so on. Through those connections, I made lasting friendships still dear to my heart. They understood the challenges I experienced and shared the beautiful joys of my culture. From that moment, I knew what the power of community truly meant.

This is a photo of a few of my closest friends celebrating my older sister’s birthday.

This is a photo of some of my closest friends at a general body meeting at the Vietnamese Student Association.

As I approached my college graduation, I was looking for a career that would provide meaning, and the mission of AALEAD spoke to my heart. AALEAD programs are something I wished I had when I was younger, and I am thrilled to be a part of an organization that is aligned with my personal values. I can’t wait to build relationships with youth and their families and to be the person to encourage and support them. I want to ensure that they will be able to have that community at an earlier age than I did. It truly makes a difference when someone is able to understand you without having to explain yourself.

I am looking forward to this next chapter of my life here at AALEAD. My heart is filled with so much gratitude to be surrounded by people who are so passionate and deeply committed to the work that they are doing, and delighted to be joining an amazing team and family!