1990 Institute unveils speakers for 2026 Roots & Wings youth symposium

The 1990 Institute will hold its second annual Roots & Wings Youth Symposium on Sept. 19 at the College of San Mateo, with Yul Kwon, Dion Lim, Deborah Liu and other Asian American leaders speaking to teens, parents and educators. The free event will focus on identity, resilience, money, career choices and leadership, with a media day schedule and registration now open.

Why it matters: - The free symposium is aimed at youth ages 14–21, plus parents and educators, at a time when many students are weighing identity, career paths, financial confidence and mental health. - The event brings together Asian American leaders across media, technology, entrepreneurship, education, public service and wellness for direct, practical conversation with young people. - The program is designed to create cross-generational dialogue that can shape how families and schools talk about success, purpose and resilience.

What happened: - The 1990 Institute announced the speaker lineup for its second annual Roots & Wings Youth Symposium. - The event is set for Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, at the College of San Mateo Theatre in San Mateo, California. - The symposium theme is “Pathways to Empowerment.” - Attendance is free. - Breakfast and registration begin at 8:15 a.m., and programming runs through 5:00 p.m. - Youth, parents and educators can register for the event. - The first 60 youth registrants are eligible to receive two tickets to the San Francisco Giants vs. Minnesota Twins game on Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

The details: - The opening Trailblazer Keynote Panel will feature Dion Lim, Emmy Award-winning journalist, author and activist; Deborah Liu, co-founder of Ember AI and former CEO of Ancestry; Evan Low, president and CEO of LGBTQ+ Victory Fund; and Dave Lu, founder of Hyphen Capital. - Career Pathfinder Conversations will include Steven Kan of Alphabet, Rajen Sheth of Kyron Learning, Thien Pham, Sora Lee of JIYU and Hustle & Heart, Andrew Chau of Boba Guys, Cameron N. Sasai, Maggie Xie of Red Envelope Collective, and Hudson Liao and Zeien Cheung of Asians Are Strong. - Life Skills Workshops will feature Jia Jiang on turning rejection into opportunity, John Wang on culture, identity and personal brand, and Lindsay Bryan-Podvin on money stories and financial confidence. - Parents and educators will have separate programming with Dr. Rona Hu of Stanford Hospital, Dr. Helen Hsu of Stanford University Counseling & Psychological Services, Dr. Gwenn Lei of the San Mateo County Office of Education, Stacey Wang of Yu Ming Charter School, Jeremy Chan-Kraushar of The Asian American Education Project, and participants from YURI Education Project and GoodforMedia. - Parent and educator sessions will cover edu-tech, social studies, multilingual learning, youth and social media. - The day will close with a fireside chat with Yul Kwon, vice president and general manager of Paradigms of Intelligence at Google and the first Asian American winner of Survivor. - The event includes media access for designated portions of the program, with select speakers and 1990 Institute representatives available for interviews. - Private breakout sessions and community conversations will remain closed to media coverage. - Media check-in is set for 8:30 a.m. at the registration desk in front of the College of San Mateo Theatre. - Media-accessible programming windows include breakfast and registration, opening remarks, the Trailblazer Keynote Panel, a special film presentation, lunch, an afternoon film presentation and the keynote fireside chat. - Media credentials and interview requests go to Sandra Pan at ys@1990institute.org with “2026 Youth Symposium Media Request” in the subject line. - The 1990 Institute describes itself as a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a 36-year history focused on advancing Asian Americans and promoting understanding of contemporary China through education and leadership networks. - The organization’s website is More information. - Its social media links include LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and X.

Between the lines: - The speaker mix signals an effort to show multiple routes to leadership, not just one elite career track. - The focus on money, identity, technology and emotional well-being suggests the symposium is trying to meet teens where they are, not just inspire them from a stage. - The separate parent and educator track points to a broader strategy: influence the support system around students, not only the students themselves.

What's next: - The symposium will take place Sept. 19, with youth, parents and educators expected to attend in person. - Media coverage and interviews will be limited to designated portions of the day. - The first 60 youth registrants will later be eligible for the Giants-Twins ticket offer tied to the event.

The bottom line: - The 1990 Institute is using a free, high-profile youth symposium to connect Asian American role models with the next generation around career, identity and resilience.