Mon Yuck-Yu

Meet Mon Yuck Yu—a public health advocate and community leader dedicated to changing the narrative for immigrant families like her own and closing resource gaps. As the daughter of immigrants and raised by a single parent, Mon Yuck has been inspired by the strong, independent women around her to serve others with passion and purpose.

Mon Yuck is the co-founder and a member of the Board of Directors at the Academy of Medical & Public Health Services (AMPHS), a nonprofit organization founded in 2010. AMPHS is committed to addressing healthcare barriers affecting underserved immigrant populations, serving over 10,000 individuals annually. Mon Yuck started the organization after witnessing the health access inequities her father, an immigrant, faced while battling a terminal illness during her childhood. In her role, she has overseen strategic planning, operations, community relations, and development.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mon Yuck led emergency relief efforts, providing food and cash assistance while building a coordinated network of community stakeholders to support pandemic response. She has also spearheaded community safety initiatives in Sunset Park, offering bystander intervention training, self-defense workshops, safe zone planning, and arts-based unity-building programs.

Fluent in four languages, Mon Yuck showcased her translation skills during our self-defense seminars, seamlessly giving instructions in Spanish, Cantonese, and Mandarin. She also collaborated with me to translate a reading of Where’s Tuo Tuo at the AMPHS Lunar New Year Festival.

Currently, AMPHS is running the Give in May fundraiser to support organizations serving AAPI communities. This year, the funds will support their food program, which provides fresh food and nutrition education workshops for community members. For more information, please visit their website.