Rising Voices: A Panel Conversation

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Event Type:

Intergenerational

Age Group:

All

Program Description

Event Details

Formerly Latina Voices, Rising Voices is a series of programs offered by Pikes Peak Library District that celebrate the accomplishments, successes, and cultural riches of the diverse people in our community – people whose voices should be heard. Please join us for a panel discussion featuring several local community members including Luisa Graff, Kim Nguyen, and Peter Choi. 

Learn more about the panelists below.

Kim Nguyen

Le Kim Nguyen emigrated from Vietnam to America as a child. Her family endured many hardships to achieve their dream in a new home. Overcoming all odds, Kim flourished and exceeded her highest hopes and wildest dreams.  

She earned a BFA from LSU in 1990 and a Master of Science in Art Therapy at Mount Mary College in 1996. She has worked with adult mental health population since 1986 through different organizations and hospitals. She’s an intuitive/expressive artist who uses her paintings to heal and raise awareness. She has facilitated numerous workshops, classes and retreats in California, Colorado, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine. She served on the Imagination Celebration board, contributed to the Colorado Springs Asian Committee, and curated for the Hillside Community Center ARTSpace Gallery.  

Kim was named a 2014 Woman of by the Colorado Springs Business Journal, among other awards. Currently she works at Divesus Health – art therapy services. She teaches parttime expressive techniques for veterans, fallen soldiers’ and veteran family members at Bemis School of Art at Colorado College. She’s also one of the spiritual directors for the Colorado Springs Catholic Diocese. 

Peter Choi

Peter W. Choi joined the News 5 team as a Multimedia journalist in July 2024. Peter's career began at Arirang TV in South Korea, where he was a bilingual reporter covering the Korean peninsula and international news. His multicultural background brings a unique perspective to his reporting. After two years in Seoul, Peter pursued local journalism at KXLY 4 News Now in Spokane, covering two devastating wildfires, homelessness, and regional and state legislatures.

Peter was born and raised in South Korea and graduated from Seattle Pacific University, where he studied Communication. When Peter is not in the newsroom, you can catch him beatboxing and singing.

For any news tips, email him at peter.choi@koaa.com. You can also find him on Facebook, Instagram, or X @peterwjchoi.

Luisa Graff

Born in Lima to an American father and a Peruvian mother, Luisa escaped the country by herself at age 12 when the government was overthrown and all major industries nationalized by then dictator “Juan Velasco.”

Her father was originally from Colorado and she made her way to Colorado Springs – joining her older sister and an elderly aunt to “start over.” It would be years until the family was re-united. Speaking but a few words of English but in need of money, she smiled her way into part-time work at a local jewelry store.

A spring-board diving scholarship enabled her to attend college, and not long thereafter she earned honors as the first female Gemologist in the Western United States certified by the Gemological Institute of America. Gaining valuable experience as a minority shareholder at the same store where she worked as a young girl, Luisa struck out on her own in 1999 and established “Luisa Graff Jewelers.”

Luisa Graff Jewelers grew rapidly, attracting national attention for sales success and yielding many invitations for Luisa to speak at different national forums. The store ranks among the top independent jewelry retailers in the country, with a single location in Colorado Springs.

A self-described “science nerd,” Luisa believes in knowing and teaching the gemology behind the jewelry as a basis for assessing quality and value. She travels all over the world to find unique items that evidence high quality. Supported by a very capable staff of 29 professionals she considers family, her goal is to deliver on the promise made to every customer of “Helping You Be Unforgettable!”

If you would like to know more about Luisa’s back-story, you can watch her presentation at the Air Force Academy on You Tube. Search “Luisa Graff at Air Force Academy”