Celebrating AAPI Heritage Month

As we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we want to highlight some of our Renewal by Andersen team members within the Asian and Pacific Islander communities. We asked our team members to share about their culture as a way for others to learn more about #AAPI traditions, beliefs, and values, and how we see their cultures bridge over to the workplace.?

Dara Kaleiohi – Regional Manager

Why is it important to you to celebrate this month?

For me, the importance of celebrating Asian/Pacific Islander Month is to honor my Hawaiian ancestors and continue to educate others on the stark contrast between being a guest of the islands and Hawaiians who were born and raised on the Aina (land). The best part of celebrating cultures; it can create new relationships that may not have happened otherwise.

What are some traditions/cultural practices that you celebrate during this month?

Food is a big part. Some may not know that Hawaii is the number one consumer of Spam, yes I said Spam. Spam Musubi (formed and rolled just like sushi) is one of the top snacks on the go. We also make Kalua pig (smoked, shredded pork).

How do you bring your culture to work every day?

In Hawaii, we say someone has the “Aloha Spirit” or “It’s the Aloha Spirit.” Aloha not only means “Hello” and “Goodbye”, but it also means mutual respect and caring with no obligation in return. Ohana (family) is everything. In the Hawaiian culture, you are ohana, blood-related or not. We help when there is a need, we pay it forward, and we give more than we receive. I practice this every day with my teammates and customers.

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Tou Yang – Senior Talent Acquisition Partner

Why is it important to you to celebrate this month?

It’s an opportunity to shine a light on the accomplishments of Asian/Pacific Islander Heritage. We’ve made so much progress, but it becomes easy to not reflect and recognize the hard work put in by this group.?

How do you see your impact come alive?

Our mission is to be a world-class customer service organization, so anything I can do to help improve the experience is impactful. But my impactful is more meaningful when I see the success of my peers and colleagues that I had an influence on.??

How do you bring your culture to work every day?

The Hmong people are generally quiet, respectful, and considerate of others. We are also very intuitive and can read a room well. This helps me collaborate, engage, and connect with team members in a deeper and more meaningful way.

Amy Hwang, MBA, CSM – Operations Manager?

What is it about Renewal that makes you excited to come to work every day?

The people! The people and culture that we have here. We have a very diverse group; we do fun things here and we get stuff done. We have people coming from all these different backgrounds and it gives us a nice balance. You get different viewpoints; you get different thoughts when we're trying to troubleshoot so it is nice to see the diversity of thought and mindset we have here.

What are some of the major celebrations or events in your culture?

The Lunar New Year is a big deal for my family. It's a time for us to get together and spend quality time with our families. We also recognize and celebrate our ancestors in those before us and commemorate the sacrifices they have made for us.

How do you bring your culture to work every day?

I guess the best way to describe it would be to say, I bring my best self to work every day. Staying positive, showing that I care, and doing the best that I can at work. There are also times when I don't know the answer and I look to the team for help. Being real is important because there isn't just one person that always has the answer.

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Christopher Raddatz – Director of Brand + Creative

Why is it important to you to celebrate this month?

My family and I celebrate because it’s who we are, and it makes us feel more connected to our extended family overseas, and proud of the heritage we represent.

What are some of the major celebrations or events in your culture?

Certain milestones, birthdays, and anniversaries have very deep meaning. Because of this, they’re acknowledged with great respect, activity, and honor. Also, our ethnicity is based on a very defined hierarchy. The depth, richness, and cultural practices are driven by elders, and then increasingly demonstrated by the youngest generation. For us, although we’re Taiwanese, I would say that Chinese New Year is our biggest holiday, and on par with Christmas.

How do you bring your culture to work every day?

Through little glimmers or casual conversations, my background pops up here and there. I think that’s perfect. Everyone has a culture to be proud of, and if we all consistently share a little over time, we’ll benefit from greater awareness of the differences that make us stronger as a country, and human race.

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Nou Yang -?Value Stream Supervisor for the Casement Window Production Line

Why is it important to you to celebrate this month?

It is important for me to celebrate this month because it shows everyone our history and it lets people know about our culture, especially here at Renewal where there are so many different cultures.

What are some of the major celebrations or events in your culture?

One of our major celebrations is our Hmong July 4th Sports Freedom festival, a 2-day event celebrating when the Hmong people came to America after the Secret War. Also, the Hmong New Year celebration in November.

What is it about Renewal that makes you excited to come to work every day?

What makes me excited to come to work every day at Renewal is the culture and atmosphere. Everyone carries a positive attitude and works together to make things work all over the plant, as well as the constant strive for improvement all over.