“Jiyoon Chung is the executive director of Apex for Youth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Asian American youth from low-income and immigrant backgrounds. She joined the organization in 2011 and has led its growth, expanding its reach 25 times over while shaping its strategic direction and operational efficiency. She has overseen the development of impactful core programs that provide mentorship and access to critical resources for underserved youth, fostering their personal and academic growth.
Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
My parents continue to serve as my biggest inspiration in my life and the work that I do. They have modeled care and love for people, from family members to strangers on the street, since a very young age. Even when we didn’t have that much materially growing up, we experienced an abundance of love and joy in our home and learned to be generous with what we had to support and uplift others.
Is there an AAPI-owned business or organization that you would like to spotlight?
Apex for Youth empowers Asian American youth from low-income and immigrant backgrounds to unlock their potential today and a world of possibility tomorrow. 1-in-2 Asian American youth live in or near poverty in NYC. Our holistic approach is expertly tailored to our youth’s age, racial identity, and socioeconomic background. Our programs provide impactful mentorship and access to critical resources that would otherwise not have been available for 2,500 youth and their families.
What is the proudest moment of your career so far?
I’m incredibly proud of the support that Apex for Youth and I continued to provide to our community during the pandemic. Like other nonprofits, we faced uncertainty and many challenges. However, instead of having to close our doors, we grew. We replaced our annual gala with online fundraising, immediately transitioned our in-person programs to virtual, and surveyed our families on their growing needs, leading to our launch of vital mental health services for our youth.”
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