Scarlett Luo, a student at Edmonds-Woodway High School, and Grace Go, a graduate of Mercer Island High School attending Cornell University, joined forces to co-author Mia’s Family Tree: Leaves of Legacy– a children’s book celebrating Asian American Heritage Month. 

The book follows the story of Mia as she dives into her heritage as an Asian American while working on an assignment for school to create a family tree. Throughout the story, Mia learns of her Korean and Chinese American ancestors’ contributions to Washington’s history. The book aims to celebrate Asian American heritage, delving into how the two identities intertwine to shape the state and nation’s history. 

Go said the idea for the book came to her in high school while hosting West Mercer Elementary’s first Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month assembly. 

“I looked around at all the Asian kids in the audience, especially knowing that Mercer Island School District is nearly 30% Asian American, and I felt like I was doing them a disservice,” Go said. “I realized I wasn’t celebrating their full identities. I was focusing on culture from ‘over there’ — different religions, traditional customs in the East — but not the American part of who they are. And that honestly kept me up at night. I mean, I grew up in Idaho. What was I doing up there on stage wearing a traditional Korean hanbok? It didn’t feel authentic to the Asian American experience I knew.” 

Go approached Scarlett Luo, an activist for representation of Asian American culture in K-12 education with groups such as the Asian American Education Project. The two then partnered with Massimiliano Shao – an illustrator and student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Verona, Italy – to bring the story to life. 

Luo was born and raised in Washington and her parents moved here from China to attend the University of Washington. Go’s roots are also in Washington, but her parents moved from South Korea so her father could pursue higher education in New Jersey. 

The pair say one of the challenges Asian Americans face most is the feeling of being “othered”– largely stemming from a lack of education about AANHPI history in U.S. schools. 

“As an Asian American high school student, some of the most prominent issues I see in my high school – such as stereotyping, racism and mental health issues for Asian American youth – all stem from the way Asian Americans have been taught in school,” Luo said. “With the teaching of AANHPI history not being taught in school, many AANHPI students will grow up feeling ‘othered’ as their culture and heritage wasn’t recognized and/ or appreciated.”

Luo said the contributions of Asian Americans to U.S. history and culture are often overlooked, which is one of the reasons she and Go were prompted to create this story. 

“There’s a huge lack of emphasis on the American aspect of our Asian American identities. Diversity is beautiful and necessary, but we also need to focus on what unites us across racial lines — the fact that we are all American and share common values,” Go said. “Many of the challenges our community faces come from being ‘othered’ and made to feel like foreigners, when in reality, many Asian American families have been here for generations and have contributed to the success of this country in so many ways.” 

The duo wants to invite all readers – no matter their heritage – to use this story as a chance to learn about and celebrate the diversity of the U.S. and “delve deeper” into their family story. 

This is only the beginning of Go and Luo’s journey as authors. The two plan to write more as they continue advocating for Asian American representation in education and work to “strengthen Asian American identity and the contributions we’ve made to this country across all generations.” 

Luo, a junior at Edmonds-Woodway, works with several organizations to advocate for inclusion of AANHPI curriculum in schools. This includes hosting a professional development session for teachers and staff in the Edmonds School District. She’s also a member of the district’s Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee. 

Outside of her time at Cornell, Go works with students in Edmonds School District and has won multiple awards for her work in podcasting. She was also named one of PBS’s 2024 “Up-and-Coming Storytellers Under 20.” Go also shared her family’s story of achieving the American dream on PBS’s “On Our Minds” Election 2024 podcast. 

Their book, Mia’s Family Tree: Leaves of Legacy can be purchased on Amazon for $7. 

— Contact Ashley at [email protected].