2008 New Leaders Summer Interns
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Tiffany Liao
Hometown: Saratoga, CA
Age: 19
School: Swarthmore College
Interests: Journalism, Writing, Literature, Sketching, Good Food with Good People and People-Watching
Internship: Fenton Communications
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Tiffany, a rising junior at Swarthmore College, is pursuing a degree in English Literature with a minor in Latin American Studies. Tiffany is a strong advocate for fair and accurate media representation of minorities in the U.S. as she firmly believes that how minorities are perceived is closely tied to how they are portrayed in mass media.
An editor of her college newspaper and the multicultural publication, Tiffany has used her position to increase the visibility and strengthen the voice of diversity groups on the printed page. She has worked to increase channels of communication between the intercultural groups and campus publications. Tiffany continues to pursue her interest in journalism and writing by working with professional publications such as YM Magazine and The San Jose Mercury News.
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"Media content and portrayal of U.S. minorities are critical civil rights issues because of how keenly the media influences public support for policies associated with minority groups."
- Tiffany Liao,
2008 New Leaders Summer Intern |
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| More about Tiffany |
What are you most passionate about?
I believe in the power of media to combat negative minority stereotypes and to promote diversity. Diversity already exists in America; it shouldn't have to be forced into the spotlight. While it is crucial to be enacting change on policies that continue to marginalize U.S. minorities, it is also key to focus on how the attitudes that allow these policies to be enacted and supported are formed. Media content and portrayal of U.S. minorities are critical civil rights issues because of how keenly the media influences public support for policies associated with minority groups.
You're stranded on a deserted island. What is one book or album that you can't live without?
One book I can't live without is Interpreter of Maladiesby Jhumpa Lahiri. Her stories, populated richly with living, breathing characters, really speak to my experience as a first generation Asian-American woman. In her stories, Lahiri grapples with issues of citizenship, transnationalism and Orientalism in an accurate and accessible way. Plus, the language she uses in her short stories is just so well-honed and finely crafted that it would be a pleasure to read the book regardless of these themes.
What do you hope to take away from your experience as a CPL New Leader?
Minorities need to be represented in our media, but not in the roles carved out by others. I feel that as I have found my way to establish my own identity and views. As a CPL New Leaders Intern, I hope to gain the knowledge and skills I need carry out my responsibility to confront the negative stereotypes and images of minorities in the media.
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