Through the Prism with Khin Mai Aung

Khin Mai Aung is the Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic at Generation Citizen. She has practiced civil rights, immigrant rights, and education law for over two decades, and brings to Generation Citizen many years of experience supporting youth organizing through action planning and legal supports, as well as deep experience with policy making and advocacy. Before coming to Generation Citizen, she was Executive Director and Assistant Counsel at the Office of Bilingual Education & World Languages in the New York State Education Department. Khin was born in Yangon, Myanmar, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and three children. Khin is also a writer and volunteer activist focused on civil rights in Myanmar.

What is one of your earliest memories of the power of human connection?

I was four when my family immigrated from Myanmar/Burma to Malaysia. I didn't speak any English at first, but I had fun memories of playing with new friends once I started school. I don't even remember how we communicated, but we managed to have such a good time out on the playground!

Another memory is as a young lawyer, one of my first jobs was conducting legal outreach for senior citizens at a nonprofit legal aid organization. I can still recall the powerful stories from the many people that we served, fleeing Communist China or Vietnam, making a new life in the United States, and starting families here. I think about their stories when I reflect on the arc of my life since then and as I have lived through the various life stages they had shared with me.

What values guide your personal life and your work?

I think in both professional and personal endeavors, it’s important to remain true to and consistent with your values.

The values I hold dear are integrity and purpose, meaning being true to your word, treating others as you would like to be treated, and always striving to have clear lines of communication. With that being said, I also value flexibility, knowing that things don't always go according to plan and that there may need to be adjustments made. You may have to do things you don't want to do, but you can carry out those actions according to your values.

And last but not least, fun! I believe we should strive to incorporate a bit of fun into every day, even when we are working hard. I'm a big believer in incorporating small moments of joy even when you're busy like planning an office potluck or having an occasional parent volunteer meeting for my kids' school in my yard with refreshments.

When did a person or experience change your mind about an idea or belief?

My time working in government expanded my mind about all the different factors that go into making educational policy. I can't pinpoint any one particular shift, but the experience gave me new perspective on just how complex education policy is, like how union rules can impact corrective actions for districts violating regulations or how procedures for opting out of mandatory testing can incentivize or disincentivize participation. It made me take a broader view of policy and has taught me to step back and see issues from all vantage points before making a final decision or choosing a course of action.

What are you working on right now?

Generation Citizen's Mid-Atlantic site is at a great place! Since emerging from the pandemic, our site has grown exponentially in New York City and downstate New York. This year, we expanded to Western New York and Philadelphia, so I've been traveling a lot the last two months to host Civics Day in these new anchor cities where students showcase their projects at the end of the semester. We're looking forward to expanding even further across New York and Pennsylvania next year.

I've enjoyed getting to know our cities, and in particular, the local cuisine. The Burmese food scene in Buffalo is amazing!

What is giving you hope? What positive visions do you have for our future?

This sounds corny, but I love that our Generation Citizen classes can come together on an issue of importance in their class and community. At the beginning of the semester and the consensus building process, students often throw out so many disparate issues: school food, school safety, neighborhood safety, environmental health, you name it. And gradually, each class reaches consensus around which issue to focus on and create an advocacy campaign around. In addition to fostering trust in our democracy, it's an amazing community-building process.