Colorado Asian Culture and Education Network

We were left incredibly inspired today! What a fulfilling way to end this year's AANHPI Heritage Month!!

Congratulations to this year's hero awardees! Let's keep going! It is beautiful what we are building together! ❤️

“Mental health is health,” says Dr. Nira Singh, a second-generation South Asian American psychologist.

Join us on May 30 as we recognize her 34-year career dedicated to ensuring immigrant and refugee communities receive care that honors their cultures, languages and lived experiences.

The daughter of immigrants from Rajasthan, India, she often describes herself as “made in India, born in the USA,” raised in Colorado at a time when South Asian culture was far less visible. Her family built community through cultural organizations, temple and a close-knit network of family friends—but outside those spaces, Singh was acutely aware of being different. Experiences of racism and exclusion—along with witnessing inequities—shaped her understanding of identity and the need for culturally grounded care.

That awareness became personal early in her career. After graduating from the University of Colorado Boulder, Singh worked at a domestic violence shelter, where she never saw survivors from Asian communities accessing services. She knew they were out there—but barriers like stigma, language and culturally misaligned care kept them from walking through the door. Determined to change that, she began building more inclusive pathways through grassroots partnerships and multicultural training.

Today, as clinical director of the Cultural Development and Wellness Center (CDWC) at Aurora Mental Health & Recovery (auroramhr.org), Singh leads a wide range of programs designed to meet people where they are. In addition to behavioral health services through its Asian Pacific and Refugee and Immigrant clinics, the center supports community members with education, workforce development, youth leadership, victim support and interpretation programs.
“Nira’s impact is both broad and deeply rooted.“

She’s led programs that reach thousands, but what stands out most is how connected she remains to the communities she serves.” Through her leadership, those programs have expanded language access and reimagined care to better reflect the realities of immigrant and refugee communities.

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We are so proud of our students for conquering their fears and reaching new heights!! Thank you for guiding us on a hike and climb these past two weekends with middle school and high school students from the Mongolian School of Colorado!

A huge thank you to for the Outdoor Equity Grant, which has allowed us to bring so many AANHPI youth into the outdoors to explore, connect, and appreciate Colorado’s natural spaces!

Come celebrate next Saturday, May 30, 2026 at the 17th annual Asian American Hero of Colorado Awards Ceremony! Congratulations to this local Filipino American creator and educator who has spent two decades sharing this art with us!

For Meta Sarmiento, storytelling is how he finds his place and helps others find theirs. As a Filipino poet, rapper, filmmaker and educator, he uses art to uplift voices that are often overlooked and bring people together through shared stories.

That journey began in sixth grade, when a language arts teacher showed him how writing could help make sense of the world and carve out space within it. Short stories evolved into poetry in high school, and eventually into a multidisciplinary creative practice spanning music, film and community programming.

“The limits of my words would become the limits of my world,” a college professor once told him. Sarmiento took that to heart, pushing himself to expand both.

Born and raised in Guam, Sarmiento grew up navigating a complicated identity. As a U.S. territory, Guam exists in a paradox—American, yet often invisible. Residents are U.S. citizens who cannot vote for president, and the island is often reduced to a tourist destination or military outpost.

That invisibility became a driving force. His work pushes back against flattened narratives, offering a more nuanced picture of Pacific Islander and Asian American communities.

Across nearly two decades, Sarmiento has built a career rooted in creativity and community. His poetry book “Tie Your Shoes Kid” was a finalist for the North Street Book Prize, and his film “A Thin Veil,” exploring the roots and erasure of Filipino art, was selected for the 2026 Colorado Dragon Film Festival.

As a musician, he raps in Tagalog and English, weaving together themes of identity, politics and solidarity. His performances—from local stages to international platforms like the United Nations Climate Change Conference—reflect his commitment to educate and mobilize.

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We have been out and about supporting our community this month! And we still have 1.5 weeks to go!!

Congrats to our AANHPI friends on all the many accomplishments during our Heritage Month! And a reminder that we deserve to be seen year round! 🫰

Mile High Asian Food Week Pop-up at
Ohana Medical Networking Event
Second Saturday at by
MHAFW After Party
Cafecito
Moonshot Showcase celebrating

We love seeing the community come together in so many ways!! 🥰

Next post: All of the May events at !!

Join and for some creativity, connection, and community-building at Social Fabric Hub!

We’re bringing together community members of all ages to co-create meaningful, Asian-inspired art installations that will live in the space.

This intergenerational gathering is an opportunity to share stories, ideas, and creativity while contributing to something lasting and beautiful.

Sunday, May 17, 2026 | 1:30pm to 3:30pm

67 Inverness Drive Unit C, Englewood, CO
Food from and drinks from will be provided!
No RSVP needed, just come!

We’ll be working on space dividers and partitions featuring elements like cranes, paper fans, and pinwheels that symbolize peace, celebration, and movement.

No experience is needed, just come ready to connect, create, and have fun. Thank you to for the support to integrate belonging, cultural vitality, and collaboration through art into our space!

Guests are also welcome to join for the Rooted and Resourced event from 10am-2pm! See other post.

As we kick off Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we present this year's Asian American Heroes of Colorado!

Since 2009, our community has nominated, selected, and recognized deserving individuals for their leadership, service, and contributions.

Now in our 17th annual year, please join us on Saturday, May 30, 2026 to congratulate this year's awardees:

Mary Nguyen
Founder/President, Olive & Finch Collective
Chair, Asian Chamber Foundation of Colorado

Meta Sarmiento
Poet, filmmaker, and educator

Dr. Nira Singh
Clinical Director, Cultural Development and Wellness Center Aurora Mental Health & Recovery
Board of Director, National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association

Nga Vương-Sandoval
Founding Executive Director, Refugees + Immigrants United
Judicial Officer Outreach Program Lead, Colorado Judicial Department
Human rights advocate

Lifetime Achievement Awards:

Jolie Noguchi
Third-generation Owner, Pacific Mercantile
Member, Japanese American Community Graduation Program

Christina Yutai Guo
Publisher, Asian Avenue Magazine and Rocky Mountain Chinese Weekly
Founder, Happy Living Adult Daycare
President, Chinese American Council of Colorado

Learn more and get tickets at: www.coloradoasian.org/hero-awards

📷: Dao Than