Meet Nicolas Kiet Quach | Library Board President

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicolas Kiet Quach and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicolas, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I was beginning to get involved politically, it was definitely not easy. As a young person in politics at 14, I found myself being the youngest person in the room and it was intimidating. In these environments, there are higher expectations in order to receive the same level of respect as the other folks in the room because you’re young.

As a result, I found myself developing an unhealthy relationship with my balance between work and life. I had an internal conflict to work towards a point where I would receive the same respect and acknowledgment as the other people in the room. In three years, I began as an Intern to serving as the youngest Library Board President & Library Trustee in the United States where in comparison, many of my colleagues on the board are older by more than threefold.

It is important to acknowledge in this case, it wasn’t just an unhealthy relationship between my work and life, but that my life balance included my childhood. As a young person working in politics, I didn’t believe that childhood could co-exist. More than often, I missed out on once-in-a-lifetime experiences because of my prioritization of work over these experiences like hanging out with friends or attending a high school party. Even online, I felt that I couldn’t show that I was, at times, a reckless and silly teenager because I was, but that side was never reflected. I’m no longer working on weekends which has set a strong boundary between work and life for me. While I might be in politics for the rest of my life, I don’t want to be in the United States Congress at 80 and regret that I didn’t live the once-in-a-lifetime high school experiences because those are not for the rest of my life.

Today, I’m still learning to find that balance and struggling with my internal conflict, but I’ve worked to reflect on my experiences and am now realizing that my age is an asset, not a liability. Regardless of my work or achievements, I’ll never receive the same level of respect as the other folks in the room and that’s okay because my ability to bring a unique perspective to the table in order to apply that perspective to modernize organizations I serve and build coalitions to advance our communities.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Growing up, I never saw myself in politics. In many immigrant households, the rhetoric is that community work and anything outside the realm of academics aren’t important. As the son of a Vietnamese refugee who grew up in a working low-income household and like many others in our community, I grew up in an environment that wasn’t built upon generational wealth or relatives who had access to higher education.

As a result, I never had access to transportation to further my involvement and struggled with my political identity growing up in a conservative working-class family. Although I wasn’t raised in an environment that always encouraged my involvement, I knew I wanted to make an impact that would last beyond my individual involvement. I always felt connected to our community because of my family’s story of immigrating to America in the 1970s in search of a better life which they found in the City of Alhambra, where they’ve lived for the past four decades. Our city is a city of immigrants and one of stories and cultures. The high school that my family graduated from is the same that I now serve as Junior Class President and will graduate from next year.

When the pandemic hit, that’s when everything changed. I didn’t need access to transportation in order to get involved or the support of my family to understand that this was something I had to do. That’s when I reached out to Alhambra Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez who had just been elected, and on December 2nd, I officially began my involvement as an Intern. Since then, the internship has been more than a learning opportunity, but a mentorship, friendship, and support system.

In March of 2021, Mayor Pérez appointed me to the City of Alhambra Youth Commission where I was later elected as the youngest Commission President in city history propelling my involvement which offered me an opportunity to understand what it means to make a difference in our community. From the passing of Hero Pay to stricter tobacco restrictions to the removal of the elector requirement for city commissions, I carried my family’s story of creating a better life for our family and knew I was creating a better life for thousands of families in Alhambra.

It is important to acknowledge that it took me a long time to answer the question of “Why am I doing this work?,” but I thought back to my origin story and where I began. I’m fighting for 13-year-old Nick who stuttered when he spoke, 14-year-old Nick who got involved in things he wasn’t passionate about because he never saw his politics as an option, and Nick in middle school who thought he would never be in ASB because it was always a popularity contest. Most importantly, I’m fighting for my family who didn’t have the same opportunities I had as immigrants in the 1970s with limited English and never saw college as an option. I look back on the challenges that I faced and continue to face as a young person in politics and know that I’m carrying my story with me to begin and continue a movement where we are securing a future where youth can see a reality where they are the changemakers of today.

Today, I no longer serve as President of the Alhambra Youth Commission, but now serve as the President of the City of Alhambra Library of Trustees – the youngest Library Board President & Library Trustee in the United States. In addition, I serve as an Executive Board Member of the California Young Democrats & California High School Democrats. Professionally, I work as the Communications Coordinator for Student Voice, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit which works to advance educational equity across the country, and most recently was the Field Director for the Project Super Bloom PAC.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I think we’ve all had this discussion, but when folks ask me where I see myself in ten years, it would definitely have to be in Alhambra. As someone who has deep roots in Alhambra after my family immigrated to America in the 1970s and has been living in the city for the past four decades, I could never see myself leaving.

If my best friend was visiting the area, they would definitely never see themselves leaving either. Most of the restaurants in Alhambra are family-owned small businesses and have been around for decades. We would begin by visiting the Alhambra Farmers Market followed by grabbing brunch at Yang’s Kitchen which sources many of its ingredients from our farmers market. Afterward, we would likely visit the businesses along Main Street and go thrifting followed by a tour of the Alhambra Library for which I serve as a Library Trustee. For lunch, we would go to Charlie’s Trio, an Italian restaurant in Alhambra, and then head over to Factory Tea Bar in San Gabriel to grab boba & snacks while playing pool. To end off the day, we would grab dinner at Jazz Cat, a hotpot restaurant in San Gabriel, and return back to Alhambra for dessert at Afters Ice Cream or Fosselman’s Ice Cream which has been in Alhambra for over a century and has remained as a single location. After we get our dessert, we head to the rooftop of the 1st Street parking structure in Alhambra to get an amazing view of Downtown Alhambra.

There’s so much more to the City of Alhambra especially because of our tight-knit community of supportive & friendly neighbors and a city that is largely made up of immigrants who carry their own stories and cultures.

It is impossible to understand the nature of our unique Alhambra community in a week, but you’d definitely fall in love with our community in less than a week.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
When I reflect on where I am today, I think back to my origin story of the son of a Vietnamese refugee who grew up in a working, low-income household that didn’t grow up in an environment that wasn’t built upon generational wealth or relatives who had access to higher education.

As a result, I never had access to transportation to further my involvement and struggled with my political identity growing up in a conservative working-class family. It wasn’t until the pandemic that everything changed. I no longer needed access to transportation to get involved. That’s when I reached out to Alhambra Mayor Sasha Renée Pérez who had just been elected as our city’s youngest Mayor at 28, and on December 2nd, I officially began my involvement as an Intern.

When I first met Sasha, she always said that I had her 110% support and she has been committed to that from the first day I joined #TeamSRP. When I first met her, I asked for her endorsement for Freshman Class President and she immediately endorsed me. That year, I won by two votes. If I needed a ride because my family was working, she would immediately offer without question. If I questioned if I was ready or old enough to get involved, she would be there as a mentor, friend, and support system to have these important discussions.

Her unique personality and energy is contagious which is why it’s so easy to understand why our community values her leadership despite her young age. In the San Gabriel Valley, those in politics have labeled this large and diverse coalition of young people that she has built as “Sasha’s army” and they’re not wrong. She has not only been committed 110% to my leadership, but the leadership of those in our community to uplift and develop new young leaders.

Throughout this internship for the past three years (which might be the longest internship I’ve ever heard of), there hasn’t been a memory that I will not carry with me for the rest of my life; every event, every carpool, every lunch has been a core memory. There are not enough opportunities, pages in a book, or words to express how grateful I am and the amount of gratitude I have for Sasha. The butterfly effect explains that small changes in one state can result in larger differences in a later state. If Sasha had never taken me on as an Intern, those large differences would’ve been the difference in transforming the dream of the son of a Vietnamese refugee who grew up in a working, low-income household into a reality.

Thank you, Sasha. You’ve always been my #1 supporter and I will always be yours with my 110%. This internship continues to be an honor of a lifetime. You’re not just a symbol for Alhambra or young people, but the definition of what true good governance means. I am grateful for these experiences and the second family that I’ve found in you, Matt, Matthew, and our community. You’re going to be an amazing State Senator.

In addition to Sasha, there are so many people that I want to recognize in supporting my involvement regardless of the barriers that came with it. I am thankful for Matthew Rutzen, Amir King, Stephanie Li, Mayor Jose Sanchez, Jessica Maldonado, Jennifer Tang, Mayor Adele Andrade-Stadler, Abel Bourbois, Alton Wang, Lee Hanacek, Joleen Bakalova, Nathan Morton, Vincent Hon, Iren Lam, Andy Taing, Ava Memarzadeh, Alex Valvida, and countless others. If I went through the reasons, we’d be here for a very long time, but all of them have contributed to where I am today and they know how grateful I am for their friendship & community. Most importantly, I am grateful to my family for their unconditional support in my journey these past three years. There are not enough words to express my gratitude.

Website: nicolaskietquach.com

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