Essay by Mateo Mar

Mateo Mar finds inspiration in his grandfather, James Mar, who helped found Cathay Post #186. Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, Mateo has been inspired to serve his community through volunteering and creating his own small business stringing tennis rackets. He has also been involved in a student-run business where he was elected CEO and oversees the donation of all proceeds to local and international causes. Mateo plans to study business and computer science at either the University of Washington, Purdue University, or Georgia Institute of Technology in the fall.

Snap! The captured prisoners of war break the lock to their cell and escape by jumping out of the moving cattle train and then scattering. The Germans are in pursuit, but a French Indo-Chinese tribe sees the American and disguises him in their traditional clothing so that he can sneak back to General Patton’s company. With the help of several local villages, he is able to eventually rejoin the American forces. 

This was the story of my grandfather, James Mar, who fought in WW2 as the first Chinese soldier drafted from Seattle. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for acts of bravery. However, it is not only his bravery in WW2 that inspires me, but also, I aspire to reflect the profound impact he made on the community around him after he returned home from the war.  After the military boat docked back in Seattle, my grandfather attempted to join a local American Legion post but was denied on the basis of racial discrimination. In 1946, he then took initiative and helped found the Cathay Post #186 for minority soldiers.

As the acting commander of the post, the U.S. government commissioned him to find the families of many deceased Chinese soldiers to give the families closure. This turned into his life work as he would later become a funeral director for a local cemetery for over 60 years. His dedication to helping his community that faced discrimination and hardships due to language barriers was evident in every aspect of his life. During this time, he also took over his family’s Chinatown dry goods store which he utilized as a hub for many immigrants to receive help and approach him to translate legal paperwork and documents. The store also served as a marketplace where people could purchase or sell burial plots. Not only did he use his business as a community meeting place, he also used his profession to help support local businesses. For each funeral arranged, he would support and help purchase flowers for the family from Garland Florist, a local Japanese flower shop, for floral remembrances. This was a way for him to give back to the stores near his shop. 

Reflecting on the mission of the NVC Foundation, “Honor the past and educate the future”, I recognize how my grandfather embodied this principle. His resilience, leadership, and unwavering commitment to service through his businesses and profession has profoundly shaped my own aspirations by inspiring me to use my current and future career opportunities to support my local communities. Inspired by his legacy, I look forward to using my interest in business and computer science to pursue entrepreneurship. My goal is to pursue this career by supporting and partnering with local communities as my grandfather once did, exemplifying okagesama de—”I am what I am because of you.”

In light of my grandfather using his local business in his community, I have also turned a hobby of mine into a local business endeavor. I started stringing my own tennis racquets to repair strings broken on the court as a way to reduce my own personal costs involved for a favorite hobby of mine. In high school, I turned this into a local business where I helped my hitting partners and friends by providing them reduced prices for restringing their broken racquets. This small business has served as a way to connect with my tennis hitting partners and help them with broken strings. I now have a local network of friends and family that I provide my service to. I learned to make my business a pathway to help and connect with many in my community. 

Additionally, I have worked on a larger project this past year as the CEO of a 32-employee student-run business called Mercer Trade Incorporation: an international business that is split into Eastern Hemisphere, Western Hemisphere, Local, Data Analytics, Marketing, and Philanthropic subsidiaries. Our business runs sales to represent different cultures around the world. As the elected CEO of the locally run company, I oversee the donation of all the proceeds from each sale to local and international causes that support our business’s vision to be a socially responsible student led company. Our largest sale this year was a Christmas Tree Sale where we partnered with our local youth and family services to help support our community. We earned over $20,000 for our youth and family services in the sale which will be used for youth education and family assistance.

Beyond the money raised for our youth and family services were the lessons I learned about community-oriented business projects. The opportunity to partner with the directors of the Youth and Family Services helped me learn about the inspiring initiatives that our business would help support. I was also inspired by how my team and I rallied over 200 community volunteers to help support our fundraiser. The willingness of the community volunteers to support us was overwhelming and leaves me wanting to help the community all the more. During the tree sale, I also helped facilitate partnerships with local stores by helping them sell handmade ornaments. Inspired to imitate my grandfather’s story in my educational and professional activities, I learned to use my local entrepreneurial opportunities to build relationships and make lasting connections with the community members that surround us and simultaneously contribute to the well-being of the community. 

My grandfather used his store and his profession to help the marginalized community around him. My grandfather passed away over 10 years ago, but his impact lives on through the testimonies of the many community members in Seattle. As I look to continue to pursue business, computer science, and entrepreneurship in college and beyond, my focus will also be on supporting the local communities around me. I am what I am today because of my grandfather’s influence in my life and in the community he served.  I look forward to honoring his legacy of service by being a community-first businessman in the future.