From all of us at Mochi Magazine, we wish you and your family a Happy Chinese Lunar New Year! This year is the year of the Dragon, a symbol of ethnic identity and authority. While the year of the Rabbit was sweet and kind to us, we hope that the Dragon will bring us good change and strength.

The University of California (UC) school system is known for enrolling a large proportion of Asian Americans. However, in the wake of state budget cuts to education, the number of Asian Americans attending UC schools is actually on the decline.
Increasing numbers of out-of-state and international students are replacing Asian Americans on California campuses due to their ability to pay nearly twice as much as in-state residents. At UC San Diego, the number of freshmen from China increased from 16 in 2009 to 200 in 2011, while the number of Asian …

It’s been two weeks since Kim Jong Il died and a week since his fiasco funeral, but questions about what kind of man he truly was still remains. Like any rogue state, there is no way of knowing what really goes on in North Korea. A cultish nation driven by unrelenting admiration and devotion for their “Dear Leader” is all we know of North Korean culture. Unlike their southern neighbors, there aren’t any North Korean pop stars, models, or actors; we don’t know what kind of music they listen to, …

Whenever you take a satisfying sip of your favorite drink from Starbucks (hello, pumpkin flavors at Christmas!), ever stop to wonder who guides the overarching vision behind the mega-successful coffee company?
Meet Clara Shih. At just 29, she’s the newest addition to the Starbucks board of directors, taking Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s place. As a young woman and Asian American, Clara is an anomaly in the world of corporate boards. According to a 2010 study conducted by the Alliance for Board Diversity, Asian/Pacific Islander women make up less than 1% of Fortune …

While international models grace the cover of the fashion glossies each month, our favorite cute and cuddly cat Hello Kitty shines in a double cover of this month’s ELLE Taiwan. The magazine is celebrating its 20th anniversary. But why Hello Kitty? She may not be a model, but Hello Kitty is more popular than ever, teaming up with Sephora to launch a line of cosmetics and perfume and collaborating with Forever 21 to create a Limited Edition Super-Cute Girlie Collection of clothing, intimates, jewelry, and accessories. But that’s not all. …