If you live in a metropolitan area, the chances you’ve had a Sprinkles Cupcake are pretty high. With locations in nine states and nationwide delivery, Sprinkles Cupcakes is a go-to option for those seeking a sweet treat. Its chief marketing officer, Michelle Wong, spoke with Natasha Jung at Gold Forum in New York City. They talked about what it means to be a leader in the AAPI community and how her Asian heritage and upbringing helped her succeed professionally.
Being a leader in the AAPI community
Wong attributes being brought up in a household of women who firmly believes in equity and equality, and having a strong position for Asian women empowered her to be proud of her Asian heritage and identity.
As a professional involved in the AAPI community, Wong is proud of the connection and openness the AAPI community has for the work it’s done to support each other. She notices that some people want to see change and act on it by uplighting people with them.
“As leaders, the more open you are, I think the more other people give back to you… Especially in our community, when we really need to be seen and then supported, everything that I feel that I might have given to this wonderful AAPI community, I have received tenfold.”
Finding belonging and support
Wong shares that finding people that look like you is important when trying to navigate thoughts about uncertainty, identity, and belonging might complement your experiences and help sort through those feelings.
“There certainly have been times in my life where I felt like my Asian identity is and sometimes didn’t feel like a superpower [and] that was really hard to navigate through,” says Wong. “But I think wherever people are in their identity and how they feel about themselves, the easiest thing I have found is just actually just to connect with other people.”
Wong also recognizes that the Asian diaspora is very diverse and supporting others isn’t a single solution. Hence, the “gold standard,” a term coined by Gold House, is individual. Wong shares what she defines as greatness: “greatness is how you treat other people who you’ve helped along the way; it’s such an important skill to have.”
Strength in our Asian heritage and stories
As a third-generation Asian American, Wong encourages people to tell their stories to share the AAPI community’s generational impact in the United States. “Our roots in America run so deep… I had very vivid memories reading about Staten Island, but there is no mention of Angel Island,” says Wong. “We’ve really had a really strong and beautiful hand in getting us where we are today.”
When asked about her heritage, Wong recalls the impact her grandmother, an actress who immigrated from Hong Kong, had on her growing up. She shares, “some of those tenets that she instilled in me was about being present and really showing up, and that was everything about being on time, how you looked, being prepared, and just it just made you really strong and stable.”
Although Wong is a confident executive, there are still situations where she doesn’t feel super confident. To combat those days, she thinks of the lessons her grandmother taught her, “if people were going to come at you really hard to knock over or to push you around because you knew what you were doing, you had to be confident in who you were. You’re presenting yourself in a way that people couldn’t ignore you.”
Wong is a distinguished executive and leader connecting professionals and speaking at industry events. You can follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram.
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