Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month

From a slum in the Philippines to president of a university, UVU's Astrid Tuminez tells her story.

Making sure everyone feels welcome and safe

Lessons from the Aral Sea and developments at the continental rift in East Africa.

Guest: Lea Salonga, Tony-Award-Winning Broadway Performer Tony-award winning Broadway star Lea Salonga recently visited BYU as part of the Bravo! Performing Arts Series. Salonga blazed a trail for other Asian women on Broadway as the first actress to perform the lead role of Kim in “Miss Saigon” and the first woman of Asian descent to perform the roles of Eponine and Fantine in “Les Miserables” on Broadway. Her most recent Broadway appearance was in “Allegiance,” which Salonga says was a “show that we as Asian people needed to do. To be able to say, yes, you see Asian faces, but these are Americans on this stage.” Salonga's new album, "Blurred Lines" is out May 5.

Keeping songbirds has been a practice in Southeast Asia for nearly 300 years.

Guest: Jennifer Lee, PhD, Professor of Sociology at the University of California Irvine and Co-author of “The Asian American Achievement Paradox”  Of all ethnic groups in the US – including native-born whites – Asian Americans have the highest household median income and education level. That probably doesn’t surprise you. Asian Americans are the country’s “model minority” group. Their culture places high value on educational achievement. Their hard-driving “Tiger Mothers” see to it Asian American children get good grades, develop stunning musical abilities and end up at Ivy League schools.

The Eyres are on the road, or in the air, today as they visit from Dubai.

Guest: Matthew Christensen, PhD, Director of the Chinese Flagship Program, Professor, Asian and Near Eastern Languages, BYU, and Author, “A Geek in China” China is involved in much of the Trump Administration’s maneuvering right now – both on trade and North Korea. But, despite its prominence on the world stage and prevalence in our daily lives as the manufacturer of basically everything, China is not well-understood by Americans. Here we explore “what makes China quintessentially China.”