JeffreyM Employee Highlight: JoLee Melink

As we continue to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, we had the pleasure to sit down with one of our employees and staff member, JoLee Melink, one of our Recruiters on the JeffreyM Staff, to hear about what AAPI Month means to her.

• What does Asian American and Pacific Islanders Month mean to you?

Asian American and Pacific Islander Month is a time to celebrate the many diverse cultures that make up this group of people. During this month it is important to remember and raise awareness to the the history of AAPIs, their accomplishments, sacrifices and challenges that each of these distinctly different communities have faced. For me as an Asian American Adoptee, this month is significant as I learn more about the rich history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, reclaim/preserve and celebrate my birth culture, and find solidarity within the community!

• Are there any specific events or traditions that are important to you during this time or throughout the year?

Food! If you know me, you know I’m a big foodie and a lot of my traditions have centered around this. Growing up one of the cultural traditions my family always celebrated was Lunar New Year. We would order Chinese takeout and decorate the kitchen with that year’s zodiac animal! As an adult, I have continued to celebrate Lunar New Year by making traditional foods that represent wishes for the new year, like dumplings for wealth, Nian Gao (rice cakes) for prosperity, and noodles for a long life. For Autumn Moon Festival, we eat mooncakes and honor the moon as it symbolizes unity. Even something as small as saying “itadakimasu” or “jal meokkesseumnida” (similar to bon appetit) before eating with my fiancé nods to his ancestral roots in Japan and Korea. It has been exciting to incorporate these traditions as we continue to learn to make and eat traditional foods from each of our ethnic identities.

We love recipes from these cookbooks and websites:

• The Woks of Life https://thewoksoflife.com/
• Maangchi https://www.maangchi.com/
• The Betsuin Cookbooks: https://hawaiibetsuin.org/cookbooks/

• How can the community celebrate and bring awareness to Asian American and Pacific Islanders Month beyond just this month?

The community can continue celebrating and bringing awareness to Asian American and Pacific Islanders by learning more about AAPI history and traditions, supporting AAPI-Owned Businesses, volunteering and supporting AAPI causes, and being an ally and standing in solidarity with AAPIs and all marginalized communities.