From Hong Kong to Little Tokyo

LTSC had the pleasure of hosting USC Visiting Scholar Sin Shuen Tam as an intern with our Social Services team in 2024. A third-year student at Lingnan University in Hong Kong majoring in Cultural Studies, Sin Shuen has always been interested in social work, welfare, and NGOs. Described by Director of Service Programs Peter Gee as “beyond fantastic”, she was paired with LTSC for almost a year through the W.T. Chan Fellowship program’s partnership with the USC U.S.-China Institute. At the end of the year, we had the chance to speak with Sin Shuen about her time at LTSC and her first experience in the US.

What was eye-opening for you at LTSC?

This was my first time in the states, and I realized that there are so many Chinese-speaking clients who cannot access resources just because they have language barriers. This upsets me, so I wish there are more Chinese-speaking social workers that can help them to reach resources.

One time, we had a Chinese-speaking client who wanted to shift their insurance plan from Plan A to Plan B, which is a different company. We were stuck for a long time only because the phone waiting time was too long. And because there is a limited time in every appointment, I could only just do a little in every session. Then one time I decided, “Okay, we’re gonna finish it today,” so I spent three hours in their Little Tokyo apartment on a lot of phone calls with them. The client was happy with the results.

Did your experience interning here inform what you want to do in the future?

I found out that I really like to work with people and connect to the community. By bonding with the community, it makes me kind of want to work harder for someone who is in need. I think I will definitely develop my career on the social welfare side.

Vivian, Kosumosu’s program director, gave me a lot of opportunities to have a glimpse of the work. I had a lot of growth from this personally and professionally as well.

What personal growth did you experience while working here?

From the personal aspect, I learned about boundaries, because in Hong Kong, no one taught me about it. Here, because we’re working with clients, boundaries are something important so that we protect ourselves. It’s not about distancing from each other in a negative way, but because we want to protect each other so that our relationship will not become weird.

The second thing would be self appreciation? In the US, I think the culture is very positive. If you did something good, someone will validate your effort. But in Hong Kong, we focus more on our weaknesses, like, “Oh, you did this wrong. You should improve that.” So I think the working culture here is good for me, because I developed a lot of confidence during my work. And also, I learned how to appreciate myself. Like what Vivian said, if there is no one to validate you, you should validate yourself.

What’s unique about the service that LTSC provides?

One thing about LTSC is the diversity. In Hong Kong, usually, an NGO will just focus on one service target and in one very narrow aspect, like housing and that’s it, but at LTSC, we do have many departments and many projects going on. I’m really surprised by it. And also our working environment, like every colleague, is very positive, it’s a very supportive environment. We encourage each other to become a better person.