Story #106: Carolyn Chou, BRYE Alum and Executive Director of Home for All Massachusetts

Carolyn Chou ‘13, a queer, mixed-race Chinese American organizer, served as the Co-Executive Director of the Asian American Resource Workshop (AARW) in Boston for 8 and now serves as the Executive Director of Home for All Massachusetts. In her role at AARW, Carolyn was deeply involved in advancing racial, economic, and social justice by empowering progressive Asian Americans, especially young adults, to take on leadership roles within their communities. Based in Dorchester, a neighborhood with a large Vietnamese American population, she was instrumental in supporting the organizing efforts of local Vietnamese youth, helping to strengthen their leadership skills and advocacy. One of her notable projects was the Dorchester Not for Sale initiative, a collective of neighborhood residents united to demand affordable housing, equitable urban planning, and access to good jobs for all. Now at Home for All Massachusetts, Carolyn leads the organization’s statewide efforts to combat displacement, increase community control of land, and advance housing justice. Drawing on her years of experience in grassroots organizing, she is at the forefront of advocating for policies that prioritize equitable housing solutions and empower communities to shape their own futures.

Read more about AARW here.

Read more about Home for All Massachusetts here.

Carolyn’s time with the PBHA played a significant role in shaping her commitment to community service and nonprofit work. Carolyn became deeply involved with PBHA’s programs, particularly those serving recent immigrant and refugee youth. As the director of the Boston Refugee Youth Enrichment Summer Program (BRYE), she not only planned and managed the camp’s curriculum and activities but also took on leadership responsibilities such as recruiting staff and coordinating field trips. This experience gave her invaluable insights into the day-to-day operations of nonprofit programs while also allowing her to envision broader goals, such as creating a positive, enriching environment for youth. Carolyn also mentored young women through PBHA’s Athena and Leaders! programs and served several officer roles including PBHA student President! These roles further solidified her passion for public service and leadership development, which would later inform her work in the nonprofit sector. Carolyn has often spoken about how her PBHA experience kept her grounded in her future career aspirations, focusing her efforts on advocacy and social justice work, particularly for marginalized communities. PBHA is so proud of Carolyn’s unwavering commitment to advocating for marginalized communities and is so grateful for her continued support of the organization as a board member.

Photo from 2012.