News Stories

What is your first and last name?

Justin Parnjan

Which school do you attend?

Brooklyn Center High School STEAM

What groups, activities or sports have you been involved in throughout your high school career?

I've been involved in BCCS Asian Club as President for two years, the Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education (ARISE)'s Minnesota chapter as a Youth Leader for four years, Founder and Script Writer of Centaur Broadcast, Student-Aide for Grow-Your-Own's Work Study during my Junior year, Co-President of National Honor Society, and was a Student Ambassador Consultant for NHCC TRIO Upward Bound. Outside of BC, I participated in organizations like the Coalition for Liberated Ethnic Studies, ThreeSixty Journalism's Capitol Reporting Workshop, Macalester College's PRE@Macalester, and Carleton College's Summer Liberal Arts Institute.

What is your favorite memory from high school?

My favorite memory is celebrating Asian Heritage Night every year at BC. As an event that highlights Asian culture and the Asian American community in Brooklyn Center, it is exhilarating to see a core aspect of who I am celebrated. It is also a testament to the hard work BCCS Asian Club, both its leadership and members, put into the planning each year!

Is there a staff member who has gone beyond for you? If so, who? How have they gone beyond?

Both Ms. Choua and Ms. Hayden are the definition of a package deal, and I could not imagine my success today without both of them. I knew Ms. Hayden since 6th grade and Ms. Choua since 7th grade, and both of them became adults I could trust and lean upon for support. Ms. Hayden helped me find my story and voice to illustrate my struggles with being Southeast Asian American into a personal essay before the school year began. Meanwhile, Ms. Choua was always there to help me process tough emotions and experiences while pushing me to figure out what support and next steps I needed. Both Ms. Choua and Ms. Hayden are not just college and career coordinators, but are the support duo that go beyond pushing students to their goals. I cannot shout out one of them without the other, they are the package deal that delivered my success today.

As Centaurs, we stand front and center. What do you stand front and center for?

I stand front and center for youth-centered education and action. I fell in love with ethnic studies because of its focus on minority experiences in America. Additionally, it allowed me to take control of what I was learning inside the classroom through books, film, and case studies. Outside the classroom, I witnessed student organizations within BC advocate and create the changes, events, and pride they wanted to see in our community. From now and forever into the future, I will advocate to put youth in the center of curriculums, institutions, and decisions because of my love for ethnic studies and student organizations. We can transform OUR communities not only through OUR studies but also through OUR organizations, and for that to happen, youth must be supported to pursue the changes they desire in our communities.

What are your plans after graduation?

I plan to attend Macalester College as a Posse Foundation scholar and I’m pursuing a major in sociology with two minors in Chinese and educational studies. Ultimately, I want to become a secondary social studies educator who centers future students' lives and perspectives into what they learn within the classroom and provide resources for them to apply their knowledge into collective action.

What advice would you give someone just starting high school?

The way you may envision the outcome of your goals may not always happen as you hoped. There will be bumps, mistakes, and failures, but that should not discourage you from reaching your goals. If you envision what you want tomorrow to look like, then continue to push forward until you see it happen. It does not matter how many missteps it took to get there, there will always be a tomorrow.