May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It’s a time to pay tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success. We invite you to engage in a panel discussion with Jennifer Pascua and other members of the Asian Pacific American community by listening to their journey to West Michigan, how they proudly share their culture with others, and what is being done to elevate their presence.

Watch the recorded program now!

This program was located at the Holland Museum Spark!Lab on Thursday, May 19 from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Free, adult Cultural Lens Program. Donations appreciated.

Speaker Biographies

Jennifer Pascua (Moderator)

Asian Pacific American Heritage Panel Discussion-Jennifer Pascua Jennifer Pascua is Lead Community Relations at Spectrum Health with a focus on relationship management in the Community Partnership team at Spectrum Health. She is also the Founder/Owner of Halo Halo Multimedia, LLC-a Fillipino-American family-run freelancing group offering a mix of micro media services serving and elevating BIPOC and women entrepreneurs and disability and non-profit organizations. Jennifer is also an Adjunct Professor at Hope College’s Communication Department. She previously worked as a Content Engagement Manager at Serendipity Media and spent more than 25 years in Broadcast Journalism as a Host/Anchor/Reporter, including 13 years at WZZM. Jennifer holds a BA in Communications from Northern Illinois University and a MS in Communications from Grand Valley State University.

Bing Goei

Asian Pacific American Heritage Panel Discussion-Bing Goei

Bing Goei was born in Jakarta, Indonesia and lived in the Netherlands until he immigrated and arrived in Grand Rapids in 1960. He is the CEO of Eastern Floral and the Goei Center and has served Chair of the Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce, the Chair of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, and the Director of the Office for New American in Governor Snyder’s administration. Bing has been awarded many professional awards including the Business Hall of Fame of Junior Achievement West Michigan, the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year for West Michigan in 2005, the 2014 City of Grand Rapids “Champion of Diversity” award, and the Grand Rapids Chamber “Diversity Visionary Award” in 2011. He has been married to his wife Jean for 53 years and is the father of 5 and the grandfather of 15.

Ace Marasigan

Asian Pacific American Heritage Panel Discussion-Ace Marasigaan

Ace Marasigan emigrated from Manila, Philippines, and has made Grand Rapids his home since 1993. He resides in Grand Rapids with his wife and their son. Inspired by his son, Ace created the Grand Rapids Asian Festival in 2017, an annual event that brings together many West Michigan Asian-Pacific groups in a cultural celebration. Ace also founded many firsts cultural events in the city, including the first exhibition matches by real sumo champions, the first Dragon Boat racing in the Grand River, GR Lunar New Year Celebration, and Filipino Lantern events. During the pandemic, Ace and his team spearheaded many communities’ food drives and the Asian drive-thru events to encourage the community to keep moving forward.

Ace continues to work at the Grand Rapids Asian-Pacific Foundation, the parent group of the festival. With a focus on community building and supporting Asian small businesses and start-ups, the latest Asian business the foundation helped now has products at four different Meijer stores. Ace is a connector who devotes much time to his community. In recent years, Ace retired from a long tenure in banking. Ace is now proud to work with The Ace Team, powered by 616 REALTY offering his services as a real estate professional.

Stella Michael

Asian Pacific American Heritage Panel Discussion-Stella Michael

Stella Michael is an impact-driven and purpose-filled leader. She was born and raised in a small town in India. She graduated from BITS-Pilani, one of the Ivy leagues in Technology and Engineering in India, with a dual degree in Computer Science and Biological Science. She went on to work at multinational companies such as Qualcomm, Cypress Semiconductor and Samsung before she moved to the US. She currently serves as the Director of CRM Platforms and Applications at Spectrum Health. She is passionate about using technology to solve problems while staying connected to the vision and mission of the organization. She is the co-founder of Asian American Community Engagement (AACE), the Asian Inclusion Resource Group at Spectrum Health. She is also the Chairman of the board of West Michigan Asian American Association, a non-profit that supports the needs of the Asian communities. She is an advocate for international students, immigrant workers and women in the workplace and in technology. She is a busy mom of three little kids and enjoys spending time with her family.

Pujita Sieplinga

Pujita Sieplinga has a passion for finding innovative solutions to move people forward, which she shares with a variety of volunteer organizations in the community. She built her career winning awards in multiple companies for successful strategic initiatives, most recently being recognized as a PNC Market All-Star in 2020. Pujita was raised in West Michigan and graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s in Organizational Communication and minors in Business and Social Psychology. She returned post-college and still resides in West Michigan. Pujita is currently an Assistant Vice President and Consultant for PNC Organizational Financial Wellness. She serves as Inaugural board Vice President for PNC’s Western Michigan Multicultural group. As a member of Inforum, Pujita is also co-chair of one of their Affinity Groups.