Annc: Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld, LLP focusing on business law and commercial litigation, is proud to support Rob on the Road Region Rising.

More information available at murphyaustin.com.

Rob: Coming up on Rob at Home.

This is Alexandra Huynh, the new 2021 National Youth Poet Laureate from Sacramento.

Alexandra says her superpower is sharing her story.

Alexandra's journey to the national stage and her words of inspiration, next.

Annc: And now, Rob on the Road, exploring Northern California.

Rob: It is such a pleasure to have Alexandra Huynh join us right now on Rob at Home.

Great to see you and congratulations.

Alexandra: Thank you so much for having me, Rob.

Rob: I'm thrilled that you're here.

A lot of us at PBS KVIE are thrilled that you are here, and I have to just start at the top with "“How does this feel?"”.

Alexandra: I would say that the one word that always comes to mind is "overwhelming".

And I think that it's a natural reaction to everything that's been happening.

Of course, I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity.

And at the same time, I think that I'm being challenged in ways that I never have been before.

And I'm really trying to work to stay grounded in the community that got me here in the first place, because I don't think that this win or this surge in media attention is necessarily a testament to how valuable my voice is necessarily, but also that, you know, people are giving me a space to speak my truth.

And I think that that is something that I'd like to replicate as much as possible.

So, in being here with you today and in speaking to other people, I just want to make it abundantly clear that I don't believe that I'm exceptional.

I am just one of many young people who have a vision for what the world can and should look like, and I have been incredibly privileged to be able to share that vision with you all, but that I'm...

I'm certainly not the only person that we should be listening and opening our... our ears to.

Rob: What part of this, uh, new position, accolades, what have you is the most overwhelming?

Alexandra: I would say the most overwhelming part is having to talk about myself.

As a young person, I'm always shifting between what I'm interested in at the moment, but I...

I do believe that there is a core to what is important to me: community, and really making people feel that they have a safe space.

And it's been a really interesting experience to try to see what kind of themes come through in all of these interviews.

And, um, and trying to remind myself that I have permission to change my mind, and I have permission to change as a person, even if I feel that people are watching me because at the end of the day, the most important thing is that I am acting in alignment with my own values.

Rob: You have a mighty community behind you.

Uh, that has really been a part of... of your entire process.

Talk to me about this truth of yours, the people with you.

Alexandra: Yes, absolutely.

Um, well, I just wanted to thank you for asking this question, because I think in trying to understand any individual, it's important to really dig into the communities that have influenced the way that they move through the world.

And my family and the Vietnamese American community has certainly been one of those grounding forces in my life.

So my parents immigrated from Vietnam to the United States and they settled in Sacramento, which is where I'm calling from today.

And I have been really lucky to be able to be surrounded by a really robust Vietnamese American community ever since I was young.

So I grew up with a lot of pride in my culture.

And the... the emphasis on community and really taking care of the people that you love and being conscientious about your impact on the world has really influenced the way that I work in any space that I enter.

So, poetry in one way has been a way for me to really tell my story, not just because I want people to pay attention to the issues that I think are worth highlighting, but because I want to make them- I want to inspire them to tell their own story.

I think that the... the political part about the work that I do is not necessarily what I say, but the fact that I dare to say it, the fact that I dare to share it and I- In that way, I kind of enter every space with... with the intention to see change and lead by example.

And so, the Vietnamese American community, the Buddhist youth organization that I've been a part of has really taught me how to... to lead with people in mind and not with- not necessarily with an image in mind, because I think that visions change, but they always should be directed back towards the people you're trying to serve.

And with that in mind, I think that Sacramento Area Youth Speaks has been an incredible place of service for the Sacramento region and I didn't get involved with this organization until I was in my junior year of high school.

And that was when I joined my first ever poetry slam.

So, they were hosting, uh, their annual citywide poetry slam and preliminary rounds were being held at my school.

And I remember walking into that room, not knowing a single person and I was terrified.

I almost turned around and did not come back, but I'm so glad that I stayed and that my sister told me that I should stay because by the end of that two hours with that room full of strangers, I felt that I had found a new family.

Rob: I am going to put you on the spot, but you don't have to.

Just going to throw it out there in case you want to.

Do you have anything poetry -wise you would like to share with us today?

And either answer is okay.

Alexandra: I think I do.

Rob: Okay.

Great.

Alexandra: Yeah.

Rob: Wonderful.

What would you, um, what would you like to... to share?

Alexandra: I have a poem called Love Poem For The End Of The World.

Rob: Wow.

Alexandra: And I...

I actually wrote it right after I had won the title for the National Youth Poet Laureate, because I was feeling...

I was feeling overwhelmed, and I just so badly wanted to shift the focus from myself to the people that are important to me because at the end of the day, I think this is who I'm doing this for.

Yes, it is a privilege to be able to... to tell my story and to have people listen, but I don't think that I do this just to find some sense of self-worth, but also because I believe that the time that I'm putting into this can positively impact my community.

So, I wrote a poem, a love poem for the people that I love and I don't typically write love poems.

I feel that they can be a bit sappy, but I kind of just let myself go there this time, because it was a way for me to kind of cope with the pressure of being the National Youth Poet Laureate because I'm not doing this alone.

And I never have been.

And so this was a good reminder of that.

Rob: We'’d love to hear it.

Alexandra: Okay.

Love Poem For The End Of The World.

Should the end of the world come, tell them we've already seen it.

The traffic parted and the people went indoors and everything became very blue, which could be a reference to our screens, I suppose.

But I more mean the film on my tongue, the lacing of my shoulders.

I think I heard the opposite of an echo sitting down inside of myself for the fourth time last week.

I keep thinking too slow.

I keep trying to say my name, but there'’s static.

I keep tripping on the step stools which I think is supposed to ground me.

And what better way to fly then to have done it by accident?

Because that's all this is and I hope you don't think me a pessimist.

I'm just saying Bob Ross would be very pleased with what we've created as everything else came unstuck.

So should the end of the world come, tell them we're not scared.

You see, worlds end all the time.

This moment is a world.

This poem, a world, and there will be infinitely many after it.

The sun is just a burning body, but it makes this here, this seeing your face possible.

How wondrous it is that we have memory to weave these stars into constellations!

There is a pattern we burn into the night sky and we alone can make it beautiful.

So listen now while our hands are still raw with magic.

Mold all that you can.

Build something, break it down, then build again.

And when you finally look up, smile at the people standing beside you.

Thank you.

Rob: Thank you.

We are so lucky.

I am so lucky that you have decided to share your voice.

Because words matter.

And as you referenced in your poem moments matter.

And you are someone who is truly making them count.

Alexandra: Thank you so much.

Rob: When you just told us that story, what does it make you feel?

Alexandra: Makes me feel like I've come to accept that there is no point in my life when I feel like there's going to be a steady sense of happiness, and that's okay.

I think that everything in life comes in waves, but with that impermanence, there is, uh, an enduring sense of hope that things will get better.

And they always will, and then they will get worse, but then they'll get better.

And I think the thing that brings me equilibrium is knowing that there are people that I can hold on to throughout all of it.

And that's the point of all of this.

Everything is going to go to dust someday and I'm okay with that, in knowing that while I'm here, I will be able to make connections with people and that will be my legacy.

I'm not concerned necessarily with how many awards I win or how many people hear my poems.

But the simple fact that when they hear it, it makes them feel like they're less alone because they never were in the first place.

Rob: I see how fundamental that is and your journey.

You're going to Stanford.

You're an incoming freshman where you will get to build on your sense of community.

And you're studying engineering?

Alexandra: Yes.

Yes.

Which can kind of seem like an unconventional choice.

Uh, you might expect me to really dig deep into English literature classics.

But for me, what I want out of my education is a particular skillset and engineering I think, is going to allow me to really hone in on my problem -solving skills and to think about things in a way that I've never had to before.

And I want to challenge myself.

I want to do something hard and I accept that there's going to be some suffering that comes with it, but I know that I'm going to have an amazing support system there.

And I'm not sure if I'm going to be an engineer as my lifelong career, but I know that coming out of my undergraduate years, I'm going to feel ready to... to tackle problems in a way that I wouldn't have been able to had I not been exposed to this engineering curriculum.

Rob: Is engineering, for you, going to be another tool in helping build a better world just as poetry has been for you?

Alexandra: Oh, absolutely.

I think that engineering is amazing because we get to not only imagine the world that we'd like to see, but actually bring it into fruition.

And I think as many opportunities as I can get to use my imagination for good, and to do something about it, that is what's going to bring me fulfillment because I have a tendency to let my mind kind of run wild.

But in... in knowing that I've brought myself a lot of grief by overthinking situations or by living a reality that perhaps hasn't even happened yet or doesn't exist, it's a testament to the fact that I have a lot- I have a capacity to direct that into something worthwhile.

And engineering, writing poetry is two of the ways that I can make that happen.

Rob: Just the fact that you're aware of that is phenomenal.

Many people go through their entire lives and we don't realize how loud the voices are in our heads and how much time we spend ruminating on these thoughts.

Um, and that's the power of telling story, because when you tell your story, what I have found is you set other people and yourself free.

It's a double blessing.

You talk about when you write, um, what you are for not necessarily against, and you can talk about what you're for in a way that still shows what you're against.

Um, in this area, I want to bring up your truths because when we set the intention for this interview, you said that your truths are very important.

So, Alexandra, what are your truths?

What are your pillars?

Alexandra: I really appreciate this question.

And I think that it's not one that I get asked very often.

My truth.

I think my number one truth is that I want to make people feel capable of creating positive change.

And that starts with believing in yourself, as cliche as that sounds.

I think that I've grown up with a really negative perception of myself and I...

I recognize that that can be so damaging to... to the goals that we set for ourselves because at the end of the day, if I'm not able to take care of myself, how am I supposed to take care of the people that I love?

And I think that to anyone listening to this, I want to say that it is worthwhile to take that time, to understand yourself and be forgiving with yourself because that kind of energy is what's going to radiate to other people and encourage them to do the same.

Because I've...

I've come to realize that I have to live with myself for the rest of my life.

That voice inside of my head is never going to go away because it's fundamentally me and I cannot be afraid of that.

And I think that writing poetry for me and encouraging other people to share their stories is a way to become less afraid of yourself because you can't really be afraid of what you know.

So how do we dig deeper into that.

And I...

I also want to encourage the people to not tie themselves to one sense of identity, because I think- I honestly think that the more we search for the truth, the farther we get from it.

And what I mean by that is the quicker we are to... to buy into an idea or to follow, uh, a piece of information that has been deemed as the truth, that's... that's when we really get into a space where we can start compromising our own values.

So, I think it's always important to not only be looking for... for new truths within yourself and without yourself, but also to come back to yourself often.

That's my truth.

That it's possible to have a truth that has many sides.

Rob: I would love to just ask you and... and... and challenge you with this for a moment and... and to go with me on this, okay?

That anyone who, um, hears you speak, hears your story, your truths, uh, is proud of you.

Are you proud of yourself?

Alexandra: I am.

I think that this past year, but this- these past few months specifically, when I've had the opportunity to talk about how it is I got to where I am.

I've come to realize that I've come a long way from the shy little girl that I was when I was six, seven years old.

I remember that I...

I used to cry at the prospect of meeting new people.

And whenever I was sitting in class, I would finish my work early and I would just observe.

And I had an instance in fifth grade where I had written poetry for the first time formally and I loved what I wrote and I wanted to share it with people, but I didn't because no one asked.

And that's all to say that I think for my entire life, I've known that I had something to share, but it took me a long time to build up the courage to do it.

And if speaking up as a muscle I think these past few years have allowed me to really develop that muscle.

Rob: At the end of the day, what matters most to you?

What do you feel is it that must be shared from you?

Alexandra: In this moment, these past few days, I've been thinking a lot about empathy.

I think it's important to distinguish from sympathy because most people have the capacity to feel bad when something bad happens to someone that they know or someone who's a complete stranger.

But I think empathy comes at a point where you challenge yourself to try to understand something that perhaps you've never experienced before.

It can be so easy to believe that your perception of reality is the truth, but at the end of the day, no one knows the truth.

And it's important to instead when you disagree with something that's happening, believe that your feelings are valid, but also turn to curiosity instead of anger.

And I think empathy helps with that to help explore other perspectives so that we can find a middle ground.

Because I do believe that there is a shared sense of humanity that we can all get to.

And that starts with not just hearing what people have to say, not just creating those spaces, but actually listening and thinking critically about how what they're sharing relates to you, because it does in some way.

Perhaps not in a way that you expected to, but there is something to be learned from every single person.

And I think when we approach... approach conversations like that, not trying to win the argument, but trying to actually understand, that's when we're gonna be able to live a little bit more harmoniously.

Which I think is- which can sound like a cliche word, but I think harmony is actually very difficult to accomplish, but I think we can do it in this lifetime.

Rob: I am so, um, I'm blown away by you.

You are really a remarkable human being.

And you know, one of the things when I described this show is that it's about human beings helping others being human.

And you really do define that down to the letter.

And I thank you for that.

Alexandra: Thank you so much.

It's been an honor to be on this show.

I remember when I was little, I would turn PBS on and just watch whatever was on TV, because it was just incredible to me that I had access to this educational resource.

And to... to know that there are going to be other young people who are seeing my face on this channel is an incredibly full circle moment for me because the programming on PBS KVIE has quite literally been a major factor into shaping who I am and the level of curiosity that I carry with me in any space I enter.

So, thank you.

Rob: That is phenomenal.

And you are exactly why we do what we do.

Exactly why.

Thank you so much.

It's great to see you and I will, uh, follow you throughout all the years and all your, um, days ahead.

Thank you so much.

♪♪ Annc: Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld, LLP focusing on business law and commercial litigation, is proud to support Rob on the Road: Region Rising.

More information available at murphyaustin.com.