Issue: 675   Date: 07/31/2003 Who we are and why we're here - YOCA-STL at a glance

Young OCA representatives and Senator Jim Talent

By Rich Yueh, SCAnews Junior Editor

As a sub-group of OCA, the Young Organization of Chinese Americans (YOCA) is targeted at a specific audience: the Chinese and Asian American youth of today's America. YOCA focuses on the mainstream issues facing teenagers such as negative stereotypes and racial peer pressures. In addition, YOCA also helps aspiring youth become successful leaders in the community and in the business world with the use of leadership training sessions and guest speakers.

The current president of the YOCA-STL chapter is Grace Horng. She will be a senior at Parkway Central High School. Other members of the senior staff include Vice President Eric Li, senior, Parkway Central, and Treasurer Cece Cheng, senior, John Burroughs. The junior staff includes Vice President David Horng, junior, Parkway Central and Treasurer Jessica Ouyang, junior, Parkway West. The Executive Board is made up of Secretary Xiaoqian Liu, junior, Parkway West, Public Affairs, Rich Yueh, senior, Parkway West, Communications, Eric Hsu, senior, Parkway West, and Activities Director Angela Lin, junior, Parkway West. This year's Executive Aides are Jimmy Pan, Parkway West and Anna Fung, John Burroughs. In its second year of existence, YOCA-STL plans to participate in the Ronald McDonald program, the World's Fair 2004, and Toastmasters for leadership excellence.

The Organization of Chinese Americans, Inc. (OCA) is a non-partisan, non-profit cultural awareness group consisting of Chinese Americans. Founded in 1973, OCA is concerned with the rights of Chinese and Asian American 
citizens across the nation. Some primary objectives of OCA are to promote active participation of Asian Americans in both civic and national matters, eliminating prejudices, stereotypes and ignorance of Asian Americans, and to 
promote the cultural heritage of Chinese and Asian Americans. For more contact information, please visit www.oca-stl.org.