Growing up in a small, predominantly Caucasian village in New York, Calla "became more sensitive to the lack of Asian American representation in media, and as a result, had a greater desire to find characters with stories like [her] own”
Filmmaking is Calla’s dream, but equal representation in media is her passion. As a Film & Television Production major at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Calla is working to pursue both. Growing up in a small, predominantly Caucasian village in New York, Calla "became more sensitive to the lack of Asian American representation in media, and as a result, had a greater desire to find characters with stories like [her] own”. Working to promote more Asian Americans on and off-screen, she emphasizes, “I really want to tell stories of people without a voice”. While this group includes Asian Americans, she is also interested in documenting other peoples and cultures whose narratives have been excluded from popular media. Calla hopes that her films will one day “show young Asian boys and girls that their stories matter” and “make audiences see others in a new light”. She firmly believes that greater and equal media representation will lead to wider acceptance and understanding of minority groups.
Adopted from Huanggang, Hubei in 1999, Calla found CCI in middle school and enjoys being on the Board because of the community support and dialogue. Her advice for younger Chinese adoptees? “It is okay to have mixed feelings regarding your adoption. Your feelings are valid. You don't have to go through it alone.”
Humans of CCI profiled on Facebook in 2017.