 Aloha! Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening. Welcome back to A Nation of Immigrants, a bi-weekly interview program featuring the lives of immigrants, knowledge, diversity, and inclusion. Rotary by St. Tank Hawaii, King Street Law Office, and US-China Cultural Media Group. Our guests share their life stories, journey to the United States, and their contributions to the cultural diversity. Today, we are particularly thrilled to have the honorable Judge Wendy D. from New York City Civil Court. Judge Lee, welcome. Thank you very much. Well, we are so honored to have you to be our guest, and we are in this, particularly in this Spring Festival special for 2024, the Year of the Dragon. First, happy New Year, Judge. We wish you a very prosperous and successful New Year of Dragon. Happy New Year to your child, and happy New Year, everybody. Thank you, Judge. Well, Judge, you have been an active and influential member of the Civil Court of the City of New York. During the past five years, you have published more than 70 judicial opinions in civil and criminal cases in Brooklyn, Chris, and Manhattan. You are a full believer in the principle of fairness, compassion, and equal treatment for all under the law. You have been serving our community very well, and as you are running for the next surrogate court judge in the county of Queens, I'm so happy to learn that you are a graduate of Peking University, my alma mater. You also have a degree from Harvard University and Oxford University. You won election to the court in 2018 after a long and illusory career in private law parties. You are also a four-generation immigrant. It's known that you are running for the surrogate court judge in Queens County. When elected, you will be the first woman, the first minority, and the first Asian-American surrogate court judge in the county of Queens, and the first Asian-American surrogate court judge in the city of New York, and in the entire state of New York. This is just amazing, Judge Lee. I'm also a graduate four-generation immigrant, and I'm also a graduate of Peking University. I'm particularly interested to hear you journey to the United States. When I came to the United States, I was 28 years old, and I wouldn't say it was a cultural shock, but there were a lot of adjustment need to be done. I'm curious, Judge. How was your first impression of the United States, and how did you experience at the Peking University School of Law, shaped your perspective on law and justice? Thank you very much, Chang, for your kind words, and it is always my pleasure to connect with Peking University and alumni, especially because Peking University Law School played a vital role in shaping my perspective on law and justice. It is thanks to the academic environment and overall exposure to the diverse legal tradition that brought in my understanding of the law. The program in Peking University shaped my view on law being a tool for motive fairness, and they believed that the law should be accessible to all, regardless of anybody's background and in the country of origin. So my experience at Peking University led the foundation for my commitment to fairness, which continues to guide me to these days in my career as a judge. And of course, when I came to the United States, I was already 28 years old. Similar to you, I faced the unusual difficulties that migrants encounter, such as adopting to the whole new culture and the legal system. With that being said, I also quickly realized that it was also a land of opportunity where I could utilize my legal expertise to make the positive impact. And this life transition I had at the age of 28 reinforced my belief in the importance of equal access to justice. And the lead addressed the legal needs of our immigrant communities. It is an experience that drive me and gave me the passion for serving our diverse communities today. Very well said, Judge. Thank you so much. What motivates you to run for the position of surrogate judge, surrogate court judge in quiz? And how do you envision your role in this capacity? Thank you. The motivation behind my decision to run for the surrogate court judge in the kind of queens is deeply rooted in my commitment to fearless compassion and the equal treatment for all. I believe that the surrogate court is a place where this principle should be upheld, especially when it comes to matters of inheritance, guardianship, and the family. I envision my role as one of ensuring that justice is served, families are protected, and the rights of all individuals, regardless of the background, are respected. Very well said. Thank you, Judge. Giving you background and understanding of immigrant struggles, and how do you plan to address the unique legal needs of immigrant communities in quiz and in New York? Well, as you know, I'm an immigrant myself. I first can know how daunting it is to go to the courtroom and how difficult it is to navigate the court system. So in my own professional life, I was often told that I should not do wrong, just like in 2018 that someone told me that I shouldn't run because I have the accent and I was not born in the United States. So in the reality, it is that a queen is a melting pot. We do have unique challenges and legal needs that I plan to fulfill. And of course, my first step would be to create a more inclusive and accessible legal system by working to provide language access and to have more equipped interpreters in our court system to help our immigrants to navigate the legal system, especially the surrogate court is about the living, it's not about the day. So I want to make sure our families that are going through the difficult time will receive the assistance they need in order to move on with the life. Thank you. Yeah, I remember when I was in China and the family, the friends, they always try to avoid court at all costs. Engaging litigation, initiated litigation is just a sinkable. But in the United States, so we consider going to the court is just a common normal. It's very, very normal. But anyway, looking at your resume, judge, you have received education in three countries, in China, in the United States, and the United Kingdom. How has your diverse educational background influenced your judicial philosophy, especially in the terms of your understanding of fairness and compassion in the courtroom? Well, thank you. I think my diverse educational background has deeply influenced my judicial philosophy. It has taught me that fairness and compassion are essential and should be at the core of every decision I make. The interaction between different legal systems and cultures have taught me the importance of understanding and respecting diverse perspectives. In the courtroom, I believe in treating everyone with dignity and ensuring that justice is not only bland, but also compassionate. And because of my cultural background, I will be able to understand the difficulties that the litigants face when they come to my courtroom. So I think that with compassion and understanding is a key for the litigants who come before me. Yes, thank you very much. We elected you will be the first Asian-American surrogate court judge in New York. And we very much look forward to celebrate. How does this potential milestone mean to you personally and professionally? Thank you very much. And I think it's a criteria. Can you believe it that we don't have any minority? We don't have any female surrogate court judge in the kind of queens? And we don't even have the Asian-American surrogate court judge in New York, New York City. And we don't even have the Asian-American surrogate court judge in the entire states of New York. And it's already 2024. So the upcoming milestone of becoming the first Asian-American surrogate court judge, female judge in the entire state of New York means a great deal to me personally and professionally. It is an opportunity to break barriers and to provide representation to underrepresented communities. It is a chance to inspire others, especially young women of color to pursue careers in law and in public service. And this milestone is a testament to the progress we have made towards a more inclusive and diverse legal system. Thank you. Of course, that will be a milestone for New Yorker as well. Judge Lee, we were introduced by a mutual friend, another Asian-American lawyer in part of the city of New York. And I heard from many other Asian and Chinese-American lawyers talking about you, everybody is very highly about you. And because you have been a mentor to many young professionals and law students. Could you tell us more about your role as a mentor? And you mentioned that be a role model for younger generation? And why do you believe it's important to engage in community in this professional way? Right. So in 2018, I was successfully elected to the bank. So and this year, I'm running for Queen Syracuse School Judge. And I want to have my campaign as example to our young generations, especially to me, I came here at the age of 28. So it's much older compared with lots of immigrants who came to this country to study. So I want to show them that if I can do it, you can do it as well. Right. So I came here, I went to school. I started my legal career at CDE Austin in New York at the associate and it became law firm partner at international law firms. So and then eventually I became judge. And with my career experience, and I want our young people to know that if you can do it, you can do it as well. So mentorship is something that I actively incorporate into my lifestyle and hold dear to my heart. It is essential to guide and inspire the next generation of legal professionals. By engaging with students and professionals, I hope to instill in them the values of justice, fairness and community service. And it's important to bridge the gap between the legal profession and the community we serve. So mentorship in itself helps me to create a stronger, more informed and with a compassion legal community. And thank you for that. Thank you, judge. In addition to mentoring to young professionals, you have been teaching your legal educator as well. You've been teaching at Osford University and but legal education is changing. It's not at the same time or same teaching methodology you and I received legal education some years ago. I still quite vividly remember the so-called method my professor engaged during the class discussion. How do you think, how do you view the change of legal education and do you believe legal education can continue to prepare our younger generations for the reality of the current day legal system? So believe it or not, when I was much younger, when I was in my teenagers, I thought I would become a teacher. So of course, I was a teacher at I was a teacher at Oxford University St. Catharines College and I love that experience and I believe that law school is about more than educating on statues and cases. And it is the first and foremost about investing in students in a way that develops them into professionals not only with a sense of commitment to justice but also appreciation of the interaction between law and other disciplines and professions. And in our ever-increasingly globalized world, it also means developing the global awareness and preparing them to function in a multi-cultural and globalized environment. I still remember that when I went to take the California bar examination at the time with the three days examination, the first day is writing, second day multiple choice, the third day is another ethic writing. So I think the way that law school examination, especially in California, is that the third day of the examination, there's no real statues, there's no casebook, it's just a hypothetical case, hypothetical statues and then the students have to just know how to write in a persuasive way and then you just pick a position and you argue for it. And then that's the most important thing about law school is about the logic. It's about the preparation, it's not about remembering the statue or remember just to read something and then repeat it in the examination rather is a thought process. So it's all about preparation, about the logic, about the appreciation of the law and other disciplines. Thank you very much, Judge. Thinking like a lawyer, that's exactly what we say, thinking like a lawyer. But I wouldn't say I had a pleasant experience at law school for three years, but if I had an opportunity to go back to law school, I would do it in a hard bit. I think it's the best education I have ever received and I have been tremendously benefited by the legal education in the United States and the training and transition me from an artist to a lawyer and I agree everything you just said. Now, Judge Lee, you will soon become the first Asian American judge in the circuit court in France. As a move by the shaker, you're running for this position, running for a circuit court judge, which means you have visions. You have a long-term vision for the court. What are your long-term goals for Queen's Circuit or Queen's County's Circuit Board and how do you plan to implement the changes that reflect your values of fairness, compassion, and equal treatment? Right. I think looking ahead, my long-term goals for Queen's Circuit Court are centered on making it a beacon of fairness, compassion, and equal treatment. I plan to implement changes that overall enhance the accessibility and streamline process and ensure that the court works towards serving the needs of our community. At the end of my term, I want to look back and see that the court has become a place where people feel hurt and respected and where justice goes beyond just a word into a left reality for all one step at a time. So, especially that I would like to enhance the language assistance in the court system because some of the immigrants or some of their families, they went to the court, and some of the parents might not speak English. So that justice delayed is justice denied. And we want to make sure that everyone, regardless which language they speak and where they're from, they can have the access to the court that they can be heard and then the case can be handled. And I want to make sure that everybody will receive the equal treatment under the law. And thank you. So true. Thank you, Judge. We normally conclude our program with two difficult questions. I'm joking, two questions to our distinguished guest. And I'm going to ask you the same two questions. The first question is assuming time travel is permitted. You could travel back 20 years to your early twenties and fresh out of college, fresh out of picking university school of law. And now you're meeting your younger self. What would advise, what kind of advice you would give to yourself? What wisdom you have now you would like to share with a younger, Wendy Lee? Well, that's rather a difficult question. And I wouldn't think of any other way to live my life the way it is now for me because freshly out of the law school from picking university, the only goal I have is to become a lawyer, a good lawyer, and become a good lawyer at international law firms. And I made it. And of course, being a lawyer, the only goal is to be a partner at international law firms. So I did it as well. So I guess I picked one direction and I run for it and I go for it. I guess that would be the same thing I would do even if I have a second life and being a judge and to help everybody. This is so true. This is the best answer I've ever heard because it was said that in a parallel universe, a different us is doing a little bit of a different thing. But by pure serendipity, we are sharing the same, you know, visions, same, same compassion of life. The next question is about recommendation. As a judge, I don't know how much the spare time you have for reading and watching movies and watching Netflix. But anyway, the question is, are there any particular book or movies you have enjoyed and deeply resonated with you? And you would recommend it to all of us? Well, that's another difficult question because most of the time I'm reading the law books. But I do think there's a good book. It's called Civil Procedure. Young lawyers, how to navigate a court system. Of course, Civil Procedure is important to help the young lawyers to understand how the court works. So that's one book that I could recommend. And in terms of the movie, I do like the movie Titanic a lot. I still remember that before I came to the United States, the Titanic was first on internationally. And I love the music over there. And of course, that if you ask me a different question as to which paintings I like, I would have lots of answers for you. Because when I have a spare time, I paint. I did oil paintings, watercolors, and, you know, I like the shade. I like the light. So that's something that I spend most of my leisure time if I do hard to paint. And of course, I also go ski. So if you ask me a ski question, I will have a lot to talk about. Thank you. Thank you, Judge. That's wonderful. We are entering the, we have already entered the year of Dragon. And this year, according to Chinese astrology, will be a year of a big change, innovation, creativity, but also potentially turbulence. But anyway, during the holiday season, we celebrate everywhere in the world for Chinese communities and many other Asian communities. How do you celebrate? How did you celebrate this spring festival in New York, Judge? Well, this is during my campaign season. So I actually went to quite a few parades, and I went to quite a few Lunar New York celebrations. And in the city of New York, either in Queensborough, in Brooklyn, in Manhattan, there are lots of gatherings for the Lunar New Year. And it's wonderful. It's a place and it's a time for us to get together with our families, our friends, and communities. I think this year is a wonderful year for change and a wonderful year for happenings and a wonderful year to get things done. Especially that we will elect the first Asian-American figure as their guest judge in the entire state of New York. And I'm very excited. Absolutely. Well, we hope for the best and we're formally believed you will be elected to the bench and make another milestone as the first Asian-American judge in Queens and Serigate Court judge in Queens and in New York. Well, we are reaching the end of our program today. Again, thank you so much for your time, Judge Lee. And during the holiday season, Lee, I wish you a very prosperous and a wonderful New Year of Dragon and a Gongxi Fa Cai. Gongxi Fa Cai. Thank you. Thank you, Chen and Sam here. And wish everybody a happy and healthy Lunar New Year. Gongxi Fa Cai. Long Nian Da Ji. Long Tan Fu Yao. Seng Ti Jian Kan. He Jiao Huan Le. Xie Xie. Thank you, Judge Lee. Thank you. Same life time. Aloha. Thank you very much.