Our Team

Hi! We’re a team of passionate Columbia professors, students, and alumni.

We believe it’s important to share positive and inspiring stories in the midst of recent anti-Asian violence and hate — and we want to do it in a way that brings fun and joy.

As members of the AAPI community, we also recognize the importance of representation in media, entertainment and all other fields where harmful stereotypes persist.

After months of hard work, we present… Trailblazer Heroes! This strategy card game features a diverse set of modern and historic AAPI heroes who are making impactful contributions in our communities. We celebrate trailblazers like activist Fred Korematsu, broadcast journalist CeFaan Kim, actor Daniel Dae-Kim, fashion designer Ashlyn So, investigative journalist Lisa Ling, CEO and coder Samaira Mehta, and many others. In the game, our heroes use the strength of our culture and history to stand against critical issues facing our communities.

This game is a brilliant way to share with others inspiring stories about Asian culture and celebrates the many accomplishments and contributions from the AAPI community, both past and present.

By honoring the achievements of these trailblazers, we encourage the next generation of leaders to follow in their footsteps. Join us on this journey!

Our Misson

We are ALL trailblazer heroes.

We celebrate heroes in the AAPI community (and their allies) and seek to inspire new heroes of tomorrow. 

Heroes can be seen in the spotlight, or they can be found in ordinary places doing incredible things.

Our mission is to launch a movement that promotes courage, resilience and impact. The Trailblazer Heroes initiative encourages us to embrace our uniqueness, gifts and strengths, maximizing our full potential. Each of us is a part of a beautiful tapestry — wonderfully made and capable of flourishing and redefining the realm of possibilities in the world. As pioneers, we step out bravely into the unknown and trailblaze new paths, inviting others to join us in the adventure.

Our vision is to inspire and empower trailblazers (and their communities) by creating a platform where their lives and stories are celebrated.

We promote who our heroes are and what they do by creating greater visibility and broadening their reach.

How we do this:

  1. Inspire for Impact: share stories of trailblazers and heroes (i.e. pioneers, pathfinders, innovators, ones who blaze a trail to guide others, or ones who forge a new path through the wilderness) as a way to inspire new trailblazers and the heroes of tomorrow
  2. Spread the Movement: Use games, social media and other formats to connect, build bridges and share the stories of our trailblazers.
  3. Reinvest and build: Support AAPI initiatives, businesses and artists while also providing proceeds to nonprofits such as Apex for Youth, Gold House Arts Foundation and others.