On March 27th, California’s 73rd District Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris will host the 7th Annual "Women of the Year" celebration.
Yulan Chung, CEO of the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center (SCCCC), will be honored as the 2025 Orange County Woman of the Year for her contributions to Chinese education, multicultural exchange, and community service.
Yulan Chung shared that the SCCCC's work is guided by its founding mission and purpose.
She expressed gratitude for the support from the City of Irvine, the community, and the South Coast Chinese Cultural Association’s Board of Directors. She will accept this honor on behalf of the center and share the joy with all.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, California's 73rd District Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris will host an annual Women of the Year celebration every March to publicly honor four distinguished women in the 73rd District for their extraordinary leadership and service in our community.
Based on nominations from various groups, Cottie Petrie-Norris selected three inspiring women this year from Irvine, Tustin, and Costa Mesa.
Yulan Chung, the CEO of SCCCC, is the only Asian American woman to receive this prestigious honor.
Since 2013, Yulan Chung has served as the Principal of the Irvine Chinese School and the CEO of SCCCA. She has made significant strides in Chinese education, cultural exchange, and community service, impacting thousands of parents and students.
In recent years, she has led SCCCC in nurturing and cultivating Chinese-American cultural and artistic talent, and has been a key driver behind the establishment of Irvine Unified School District’s first public Chinese-English bilingual immersion elementary school.
Through various cultural and artistic performances, she has helped break cultural boundaries and enriched the community’s spiritual life.
For her distinguished contributions, she was nominated by the Irvine City Council in 2022 as one of the honorees for the city’s "Wall of Recognition" and was publicly celebrated.
Yulan Chung - Bio:
Yulan Chung is the Chief Executive Officer of the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center. Under her leadership, the Center has become one of the premier cultural institutions in the nation.
Yulan has received numerous recognitions and awards, including the City of Irvine Wall of Recognition in 2022 and the Fifth Overseas Teachers Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Overseas Compatriots Culture and Education Foundation (海華文教基金會海外師鐸獎) in 2022.
Yulan was the lead petitioner for the Irvine Chinese Immersion Academy, the first dual-language charter school authorized by the Irvine Unified School District in 2023.
She was also the driving force behind the establishment of the Asian American History Museum of Orange County (AAHM) in 2024.
The Museum will serve as an important cultural amenity and attraction within Grand Park of Orange County, while also creating a new national model for multicultural harmony.
Yulan holds a master's degree in Cultural Anthropology and completed doctoral studies in Multicultural Education at Lesley University.
加州第73選區州眾議員 Cottie Petrie-Norris 3/27將舉辦第七屆「年度女性」慶祝活動，南海岸中華文化中心執行長鍾幼蘭因在推廣中文教育、多元文化交流和社區服務有卓越貢獻，獲選為2025年度橙縣傑出女性，並將在活動中公開接受表揚。
鍾幼蘭表示，南海岸中華文化中心全力推動的各項工作，都源自中心成立的宗旨和使命，她要感謝公部門、社區各界、南海岸中華文化協會理事會的全力支持，她將代表南海岸中華文化中心接受這份榮譽，並和大家共同分享這份喜悅。
為慶祝婦女歷史月，加州第73選區州眾議員 Cottie Petrie-Norris每年三月都會舉辦年度女性慶典活動，公開表揚第73選區內，對社區服務與領導有卓越貢獻的傑出女性。
根據各方推薦，Cottie Petrie-Norris今年選出分別來自爾灣、塔斯汀和科斯塔梅蕯等4位鼓舞人心的女姓，其中南海岸中華文化中心執行長鍾幼蘭是唯一獲得這項殊榮的華裔美籍女性。
南海岸中華文化中心執行長鍾幼蘭自2013年開始擔任爾灣中文學校校長與南海岸中華文化中心執行長以來，在中文教育、推廣文化交流與參與社區公共事務上，表現積極、亮眼，影響力更及於成千上萬的家長和學生。
近年來，鍾幼蘭更帶領南海岸中華文化中心致力美國華裔文化藝術人才的孵化與培養、成為爾灣聯合公立學區授權設立第一所公立中、英雙語沈浸小學的主要推動力量，並透過各種文化藝術展演活動，打破文化界限，豐富社區民眾精神生活。
2022年，鍾幼蘭即曾因卓越貢獻，獲得爾灣市議會提名表決通過，成為爾灣“表揚之牆”人選之一，並接受公開表揚。
鍾幼蘭小檔案：
擁有文化人類學碩士學位、萊斯利大學多元文化教育的博士研究。現任南海岸中華文化中心執行長，在她領導下，該中心已成為全國領先文化機構之一。
曾獲得多項榮譽：2022年爾灣市表揚牆的表彰、2022年由海華文教基金會頒發第五屆海外教師終身成就獎。
鍾幼蘭是爾灣中、英雙語沈浸小學主要提案人。該校是爾灣聯合學區2023年授權設立的首所公立雙語特許學校。她還是2024年創立橙縣亞美歷史博物館（AAHM）推動者。該博物館將成為橙縣大公園內的重要文化設施，同時為促進多元文化和諧提供全新的國家範例。