Stevens’s Asian student associations kicked off Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month last week with a celebration hosted in Bissinger. With food catered by local Asian restaurants and music from APIDA artists, the event was a unique chance for students to connect with and share their heritage while fostering a strong community.
This event was organized by the Office of Undergraduate Student Life, and support came from many Asian-led student organizations and fraternities, as well as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility (DEIBA) Committee of the SGA. The celebration featured a keynote from Amy Yip, life coach and author of Unfinished Business: Breaking Down the Great Wall Between Adult Child and Immigrant Parents. Her speech explored the roots of generational trauma and how it shapes both personal and professional growth, emphasizing the role of empathy in the healing process.
Before becoming a life coach, Yip began her career the way many immigrant parents hope their children start their careers: climbing the corporate ladder at a major firm. She worked several jobs before becoming a developer at Google where she later rose to a position of management. In her speech, Yip told the story of how she left her job and moved to Ghana with her husband to do volunteer work, hiding these actions from her parents until she was caught.
Now as a coach, she sees the same pattern in clients from immigrant families, as many of them either rebel against their parents to pursue their dreams or stifle them until their parents are no longer in their lives to object. The lack of honest dialogue between immigrant parents and their children, Yip argues, is what keeps so many trapped in lives of quiet compromise, broadening the divide between generations and perpetuating cycles of resentment and regret.
Amy’s speech explored how trauma extends beyond emotions, influencing both biological and developmental pathways that can be passed down through generations. For example, research shows that mothers directly affected by 9/11 gave birth to children with abnormally low cortisol levels, a stress hormone deficiency that can disrupt healthy stress responses later in life. Developmentally, she explained that individuals exposed to repeated trauma often adopt one of three coping strategies: emotional numbing, victimization, or hyper-aggression (fighting). These adaptive responses can persist throughout adulthood, shaping how individuals navigate relationships, process emotions, and interact with the world around them.
Yip shared how her upbringing affected her personal development and professional life. As a child, she was conditioned to suppress her individuality and avoid standing out. As a developer, this behavior was a benefit, as she was highly efficient and compliant. However, when she transitioned to management, the same traits backfired. Her reluctance to open up with colleagues made her appear cold and unapproachable, damaging team dynamics she was now responsible for maintaining. Breaking free from her conditioning was crucial in helping her advance her career. Only by unlearning these deeply ingrained behaviors could Yip evolve from an efficient worker into an effective leader.
Amy’s book on generational healing dismantles eight pervasive myths, or deeply ingrained cultural beliefs that fuel conflict in immigrant families and make healing from trauma more difficult. Through a blend of personal narrative and insightful analysis, she unpacks each myth’s origins, sharing her own struggles with these beliefs while giving voice to her parents’ perspectives. By exposing how these false narratives operate, she creates a roadmap for breaking cycles of pain and rebuilding authentic connections across generations. Her speech detailed the intergenerational unpacking process and how tracing her parents’ trauma histories explained their parenting behaviors, transforming her anger into understanding while maintaining boundaries. She revealed how behaviors like emotional suppression or conditional approval weren’t personal choices, but survival strategies passed down through their experience.
Those who attended this celebration got to not only immerse themselves in APIDA culture but also get a sense of the level of vulnerability needed to heal from the pains of the past. Kurt Festin, Public Relations Chair of the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), led the side chat with Amy following the speech, and the questions he and other attendees asked provided further insight into aspects of generational healing.
“To me, intergenerational healing is a long, imperfect process requiring empathy in the conversation. This healing leads to a stronger, more purposeful connection with your family and culture,” Festin said. With lessons of patience and understanding, there was a lot to take away from Amy’s speech, and there is much to learn from her book as well. She closed her speech with the quote: “As you claim your generational wounds, don’t forget to claim your generational strengths”.
