This episode of Candid Career Conversations features David Henry Hwang, who speaks about his experiences in the arts through his career in American theater, film, opera, and playwrighting. Hwang’s stage works includes the plays M. Butterfly, Chinglish, Yellow Face, Kung Fu, Golden Child, The Dance and the Railroad, and FOB, as well as the Broadway musicals Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida (co-author), Flower Drum Song (2002 revival) and Disney’s Tarzan. Hwang is a Tony Award winner and three-time nominee, a three-time OBIE Award winner, and a three-time Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He is also the most-produced living American opera librettist. He discussed how his work telling Asian American stories is relevant to the challenges the community faces in 2021 as well as how a career in the arts has afforded him the opportunity to change hearts and minds to foster collective unity over certain themes presented in his works.

This episode of Candid Career Conversations features Dr. Konrad Ng, who speaks about his experiences in the field of art, culture, and more specific to his academic work, creative media. He is currently the Executive Director of Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture, and Design in Honolulu, Hawaii. Before Shangri La, he was the Director for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. He took the time to discuss his experiences advocating for Asian Americans stories through cultural preservation and creative media, his background as the son of a Malaysian immigrant to Canada, and the power of media and storytelling in capturing the lesser known narratives and experiences of minority groups beyond Asian Americans within the United States.

This episode of Candid Career Conversations features Marc Futernick, MD, who speaks about his experiences in the field of medicine and his journey in becoming an Emergency Services Physician. Beyond his work at hospitals in the Emergency Room, he also discusses his passion for addressing Climate Change, the intersections between Climate Change and Medicine, as well as his non-profit work in support of his community in California.

This episode of Candid Career Conversations features Amy Lee Segami, who speaks about her experiences growing up in Hong Kong, studying and becoming an engineer in the United States, and the process of becoming a world renowned artist and respected businesswoman out of her engineering background.

This opening episode of Candid Career Conversations serves as a means for our listeners to understand the purpose, content, and anticipated schedule of this brand new podcast series hosted by the US-Asia Institute. This series will examine the experiences of prominent Americans from various backgrounds to assist youth and professionals in understanding the challenges and potential opportunities of the professional world.