APAPA's Annual Membership Drive & BBQ on June 14th, 2014 at Yin Ranch proved to be an eventful day for the fourteen PLAY (Promoting Leadership in Aspiring Youth) members who attended. Their main objective was to interview Mr. C.C. Yin, one of the founders of APAPA (Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association). Not only is Mr. Yin an active supporter of Asian Pacific and Chinese American communities, he is also a successful Chinese-American entrepreneur and the owner of twenty-six McDonalds' restaurants in Northern California.

         Before the interview, PLAY members toured the vast property of Yin Ranch. There were green fields, trees, and an artificial lake with a large three hundred sixty degree fountain. Near the parking lot were archery and shooting ranges. And the most memorable attraction, at least for the kids, was the zoo. The kids and parents were thrilled by the peacocks, rabbits, parrots, chickens, llamas, horses, and donkeys. Some small kids took extreme pleasure ripping leaves off nearby bushes and feeding them to the donkeys.

When Mr. Yin was ready for the interview, he and APAPA's Bay Area chairman, Albert Wang, led us into Mr. Yin's lavishly furnished lake house and into a private conference room overlooking an indoor swimming pool. With Mr. Yin sitting at the head of the conference table with Mr. Wang and former Congressman David Wu, PLAY members took the remaining seats.

           Thereafter, Mr. Yin shifted the interview to include his companions, Mr. Wang and Mr. Wu, as well. Mr. Yin praised them as his inspiration after he immigrated to America from Chengdu, China forty-eight years ago. His wife, Regina, was likewise introduced as his "life-long teacher". When asked how he made the transition from an engineer to an owner of McDonald's restaurants, he humbly replied that after he was laid off when he was a chief engineer, he wanted a more reliable and stable source of income for his wife and his three daughters. He decided to go into business by purchasing his first McDonald's restaurant in Oakland. Additionally, he convinced his wife to quit her job as a social worker, a position she'd held for sixteen years without any promotion, to join his business by improving Oakland's dangerous neighborhoods. Looking back on those memories, he emphasized on the importance of getting involved in one's communities, saying, "Once you come to America, you are Americans. [...] The responsibility to change anything is yours".

Mr. Wang, who is also a medical doctor, related to the unfairness of Mr. Yin and his wife's earlier situations by expressing that "America views Chinese as workers, not leaders". Mr. Yin similarly commented, "It's not that equal, it's not that democratic". Mr. Wang replied, "It's gotten a lot better...since our youth are lucky, they understand the culture better and can do more". Mr. Wang further specified that America needs some of its Asian youth to "do something different", not by just being doctors and lawyers, but by contributing more to their communities.

           Afterwards, Mr. Wu, who is currently an attorney, was asked if ethnicity matters in politics. He stated that during his terms on the House of Representatives, "Ethnicity, for the most part, doesn't play a role in the House". Furthermore, he recounted that in a competitive field such as the House, ethnicity is irrelevant. However, he warned, "Out in the congressional district, it may be a different story" with candidates' ethnicities' being a big deal to voters. He further explained that in order to overcome the ethnicity barrier among voters, people must become "more broad-minded", which Mr. Wang and Mr. Yin pointed out as a way for today's youth to make "a better America". They all agreed that today's youth should also participate in politics, contribute to community, and take advantage of the opportunities technology presents while balancing technologic advances such as biotechnology with ethics.

             When the interview moved towards the subject of leadership, Mr. Wu told an inspiring story of how he was "extremely shy in high school", but overcame it by pushing the boundaries of his comfort zone by speaking publically at every possible chance. He credited his transformation to him not wanting to follow someone else. Moreover, he voices that to be a leader, one must possess the skill of public speaking and be motivated not by parents or any other forms of pressure, but one's self. Mr. Yin agreed, stating that there are people who were born as leaders and people who became leaders through experiences such as public speaking.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLES LIANG

Mr. C.C. Yin (right), Albert Wang (middle), and David Wu (left)

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARLES LIANG

Mr. C.C. Yin (right), Albert Wang (middle), and David Wu (left)

            After the interview, a group photo was taken of the PLAY members with the three APAPA interviewees. Hands were shaken and pictures in smaller groups were taken. PLAY members were given black and yellow McDonald hats to in honor of this leadership-learning experience. Later, PLAY members and APAPA's other guests enjoyed dinner which consisted of McDonald's burgers, chicken nuggets, and apple pies, a perfect motif of Mr. C.C. Yin's success as a McDonald's owner. 

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