5: Beyond the Bamboo Ceiling | Jerry Lee

We’ve all heard of glass ceilings before, but do you know about bamboo ceilings? The term “bamboo ceiling”, like “glass ceiling”, addresses underrepresentation in leadership roles, but as opposed to highlighting women, it accentuates Asians in the Western workforce. Given stereotypes of being intelligent, hard working, and humble, Asians are often dubbed the “model minority”. Though really, “sticky floor” discriminatory employment practices are applicable to women, LGBTQ2+, and other minority groups alike — Asian people of colour included. 

And Jerry Lee is fully cognizant of this stark reality. 

As a young Asian professional climbing the American corporate ladder, Jerry shares his journey breaking the bamboo ceiling and beyond. From humble beginnings of independently funding his college degree, Jerry elaborates on how core Asian values, such as respect and hard work, have propelled him in quickly scaling the corporate ladder irrespective of the accompanying inevitable and paradoxical challenges he’s faced. And as accomplished as Jerry is, he attributes his ability to thrive and not only survive to more than just his merit, but to his communities of support as well. 

More about Jerry: 

Jerry is currently the youngest Strategy & Operations Manager at Google. He is from Torrance, California and graduated summa cum laude from Babson College. Outside of work, Jerry hosts workshops on financial literacy & professional developments and is starting his own Korean tapas food business. 

Follow Jerry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jehakjerrylee