Name and Position at Region Ten: Anne (Hwang) Blair, Program Manager at Access and Adult Clinical Servies (AACS)
Where are you from? I was born in Taipei, Taiwan. I immigrated with my family to southern California when I was 6 years old, and grew up there.
What drew you to the mental health field? I don’t remember what first drew me to mental health, but I remember what drew me back after the birth of my son. As I contemplated whether to stay home and be a full-time mother or get back to work, the Washington Navy Yard shooting happened. Twelve people were killed and it was a stark reminder that while I can have a wonderful time and experience being a stay at home mom, I would be one less foot soldier in the battle for people’s lives and their mental health. Getting back to my work as a therapist became a tangible, real way that I could create a better future for my son, which is what I want for him. So I said to my baby, “Mama’s gotta get back to work!”
What are some of the highlights over your professional career? A highlight of my professional career is whenever clients let me know what their time with me has meant to them. It is always amazing to hear and never gets old. When you see clients transform before your very eyes, it is an enormous privilege to bear witness to that.
What do you enjoy about your work at Region Ten? I very much enjoy the staff and interns here at AACS! They are a talented and dedicated bunch of people. I am also enjoying the work of solving problems and thinking creatively about how we can do things better to support both our staff and the people we serve.
What does Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month mean to you? For me, Asian American/Pacific Islander Month means paying attention to the stories and histories of other people who are different from yourself. I am going to be in a play this month at Live Arts that is based on the events of the San Francisco riots of 1877 that targeted Chinese immigrants. It has a sci-fi twist to it and is called AhWing and the Automaton Eagle. Come check it out if you can! Also, if you have not discovered Cafe 88 yet (across the street from Region Ten’s Peterson Counseling Center right next to Integral Foods) you are missing out! I can speak my native Taiwanese with the woman who owns the shop there, and it is a wonderful anchor to my roots.