The Asian Book Bazaar on December 11, 2025, wasn’t just a marketplace; it was a high-profile gathering of some of Colorado’s most influential AANHPI literary and culinary figures, hosted by Colorado Asian Culture and Education Network at the Social Fabric Hub. The event featured a diverse lineup of creators whose work spans from award-winning children’s literature to investigative journalism and historical cookbooks.
What would it look like for Asian American children to feel confident as their authentic selves? Growing up between cultures often teaches them how to make themselves smaller rather than how to belong. This question is what Sophia Siong sought to better understand. Her story is about choosing wholeness in a world that so often asks Asian Americans to diminish themselves. Sophia Siong, is a recent graduate of Regis University, who is leading community research on how Hmong Americans find belonging. Just north of Denver in cities like Westminster and Thornton is where many Hmong American families reside. According to the Pew Research Center, 360,000 people in the United States identified as Hmong in 2023. Hmong are often seen as an ‘ethnic minority,’ which gives more reason to speak about and share their culture proudly.
For more than two decades, the Nathan Yip Foundation has carried forward a legacy rooted in compassion, vision, and the belief that where a child lives should never determine what they can become. So, each year the foundation hosts a Chinese New Year Gala to raise critical funds for rural education and recognize an outstanding member of the community. Nathan Yip was just 19 years old when his life was tragically cut short in a car accident. He was Linda and Jimmy Yip’s only child, remembered for his kindness, curiosity, and deep empathy for others. While traveling in rural China, Nathan saw educational inequity firsthand, telling his parents, “We can make a difference.” Jimmy and Linda Yip transformed grief into purpose. In 2002, they founded the Nathan Yip Foundation to honor Nathan’s dream and extend hope to children in underserved communities. While the foundation’s early work focused internationally, its mission soon expanded closer to home, where rural Colorado students faced many of the same systemic inequities. Over the past ten years, the Nathan Yip Foundation has become a trusted champion for rural education in Colorado, investing more than $1.4 million in locally driven initiatives. These investments have modernized science labs, expanded career and technical education, and strengthened arts and creative programs. Rural school districts across Colorado face compounding challenges: shrinking tax bases, declining enrollment, persistent teacher shortages, limited access to advanced coursework, and reduced mental health and student support services. These pressures stretch already-limited resources and force difficult tradeoffs, even as educators remain deeply committed to their students and communities. Beginning this year, the foundation is launching a multi-year grant model that will support 5–7 rural school districts in its first cohort. These sustained partnerships are designed to create deeper, more lasting impact that will empower teacher-led, district-supported teams to design innovative solutions aligned to local needs. The response has been extraordinary, with 46 rural school districts applying and requesting more than $3.4 million in funding. This level of demand underscores the depth of need across rural Colorado. That is why the 2026 Chinese New Year Gala is more important than ever. The gala will raise the funds needed to expand the foundation’s capacity. This year’s gala will honor Dr. Larry Chan for his extraordinary service to the Nathan Yip Foundation as a founding board member, and his 40 plus years to the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Chan embodies the values of service, generosity, and leadership that define this work.