Oral history interview with Ernest Oon conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Stefani Evans, and Jerwin Tiu on February 16, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Oon recalls his childhood in Singapore, where his father worked on the Health and Sports Council for the Singaporean Government and his mother worked as a television assistant producer. Growing up, Oon recalls being very active, participating in everything from soccer to Tae Kwon Do. In an effort to continue his education without being being interrupted by Singapore's civil service program, Oon applied to college in the United States and ended up attending California State University. Although he was on the medicine track in Singapore, he switched to finance. After a series of jobs within credit banking, he is now a chief credit officer for Bank of Nevada. Throughout the interview, Oon reflects on the changes in his life living in different places, the street food from Singapore, and his unique tennis game.
This Asian American and Pacific Islander Day panel discussion, "Talking Stories: A Panel of the City of Las Vegas AAPI Committee," features six panelists and was moderated by Allycia B. Murphy, Deputy City Attorney, Office of the City Attorney, Criminal Division. Panelists include Cynthia Leung, Chief Judge for Las Vegas Municipal Court; Jennifer Rabanes, Recreation Coordinator at Centennial Hills Active Adult Center; Patricia Cabrera, Enterprise Records Officer, City Clerk's office; Joey Boquecosa, Equipment Operator, Public Works Department; Natasha Shahani, Senior Public Information Officer; and Gai Phanalasy, Multimedia Production Specialist. The panel was held at Las Vegas City Hall on May 11, 2023, following Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman's declaration of May 11, 2023, as "Asian American and Pacific Islander Day." Anticipating the proclamation, the City's AAPI employees formed the City of Las Vegas AAPI Committee to organize the City's first AAPI Appreciation Day at City Hall. The Committee invited several local AAPI performers, organizations, and social, cultural, and advocacy groups to celebrate, honor, and recognize the City's AAPI employees across all departments.