LEAP into Dara's Story

If you were to meet the 15-year-old Dara and tell her that she would grow into a leader for the Laotian community, she would simply shake her head and say, “No, I’m going to be an artist.”

She didn’t consider that her artistry would expand beyond storyboards. That her idea of what an artist should be was confined to pen and paper. She was stuck between what she should be doing versus what she could be doing. 

An artist could be someone who sparks conversation and emotion through paintings, but that doesn’t mean that is all they should be. An artist could be a storyteller, a community healer, a mentor, a curator, or an advocate for change. A person’s artistry can manifest in various facets of their being; there is no one way to be an “artist.”

I am an artist, but not in the traditional sense I had believed I would be. Beyond my canvases, I paint the future of those around me. I dedicate myself to fostering the growth of others, as my mentors had gracefully modelled for me. I grew into being the leader I needed to be, the leader I wanted to see in spaces that never included my community. I not only wanted to provoke conversation with a painting, but to engage others in dialogue about how that change can become tangible. And thus, my artistry took on various forms over the years.

Immersing myself in youth programming during my undergraduate career, with a focus on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) leadership building, I conducted workshops not just on college attainment and social change, but healing through art.

I later found myself to be the Lao-American student advocate on campus, storytelling through data disaggregation, charts, and report writing. I even presented to the Chancellor on the disparity of recruitment and retention for Southeast Asian students in higher education and designed the AAPI Data Report and AAPI Mental Wellness Guide. 

I dreamed of a space for Southeast Asian creatives to be highlighted on campus and made it a reality with UC Berkeley’s Ethnic Studies Library by curating an exhibit and collaborating with local artists.

Afterward, I continued to carry my Lao identity and the tools I had developed from these experiences into my corporate career as a Data Analyst and later in Operations Management. I had grown into becoming an artist of storytelling in various forms, no longer confined to pen and paper.

In all honesty, I could not have done this work without the support of student organizations, student development centers, non-profit organizations, and AAPI mentors around me–all of whom poured their heart into cultivating leaders of tomorrow.

In a full circle moment, I reflect on how many young leaders and current professionals have found themselves in the same “in-between” of what they should do versus what they could do. How many have lingered in what they believe should be done, and instead challenged what they could become? I return to my roots as a Lao Community Leader through my role at Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP) because I believe that everyone can become a leader in their own ways with the right support systems. Whether they be an artist, a working professional, an educator, or a wanderer of the in-between, LEAP dedicates itself to supporting the leaders of tomorrow through comprehensive programming and workshops that integrate the lived experiences of the AAPI community into tangible strategies for leadership growth. I am humbled to continue my journey as a community leader, healer, and artist through my work as a Program Coordinator at LEAP, and I implore you to consider supporting my journey and LEAP through a donation for this Give in May. Your donation will go directly to supporting our signature programs, one of which, LEAP Emerge, supports rising college seniors in preparing for workforce challenges and assisting their transition into competitive careers or internships. That is just one of the programs here at LEAP, but our work impacts folks from a wide range of industries, including higher education, corporate, and non-profit sectors. 

I thank you for taking the time to learn more of my lore as an artist and community leader, and hope you consider supporting LEAP this Give in May. 

In community and power,

Dara S.