PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Raymond John believes everyone deserves a shot at a quality education. His upbringing shaped that belief.
“I’m the son of two Korean immigrants. My parents did not really speak English very well. They worked a bunch of odd jobs growing up,” he remembered.
His parents ultimately saved up to buy a house situated in a top Virginia school district. Later on, John was accepted to the University of Pennsylvania.
“I’m sure this is a common story for a lot of people: I had thought I was gonna be a doctor or a lawyer, or go into finance or potentially engineering, which was the alternative third choice for a lot of Asian Americans,” he said.
Instead, he wanted to break the mold and start a nonprofit. But first, he had to explain that to his parents, who had different expectations.
“I did not know how to say those words in Korean, so the only thing that could come to mind was the direct translation, which was ‘no money.’ So I just said I’m gonna do ‘no money.’”
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John is the co-founder of the Philly-based nonprofit called 12+, which partners with schools in Philadelphia and Camden to help students pave a path to post-graduation success — whether that’s college, a trade school or employment.
“We want them to be able to have agency to choose for themselves which path is best for them, but we want to be able to provide them all the choices and to support them along those choices as early as possible,” said John.
In the last decade, 12+ has expanded and is currently helping around 3,000 students.
John also co-founded the city’s first and only Vietnamese specialty coffee roastery in the city, Càphê Roasters in Kensington, which supports the 12+ mission and brings people together.
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“It’s a community-oriented space,” John said. “There’s so many people from all different backgrounds and walks of life that come through our doors.”
Some of those who have gone through the 12+ program have worked at Càphê. Each employee has a picture on the wall of someone meaningful in their life — a grandparent, a parent, a friend.
“The Asian American community in particular — their families, whatever your definition of a family is — your family means so much to you and plays a huge part of who you are today,” said John, “and that’s the same with me and my parents.”
Throughout Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, KYW Newsradio is celebrating the contributions of these diverse and essential communities with an audio series called “Asian Americans Making Their Mark.”
Asian Americans are a diverse group comprising more than 30 ethnicities and nationalities and are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States. This series, led by KYW’s Denise Nakano and Tim Jimenez, recognizes their history, culture and achievements in the Philadelphia region at a time when AAPI communities are seeing a rise in anti-Asian speech and activity across the country.
Join KYW throughout the month of May as we celebrate the journeys, cultures and unique life experiences of people from Philadelphia’s AAPI communities.