Ascend Orange County Post-Engage Meet & Greet

Ascend Orange County’s Post-Engage Meet & Greet is the OC chapter’s reconnect night after Ascend Engage: members, newcomers, and allies meeting over food and conversation in Newport Beach. Ascend’s national franchise gives the room a clearer audience filter than a generic OC happy hour, and the Circuit maps OC into the Los Angeles metro for Asian-diaspora professional density from Irvine to the coast.

Thursday, August 27, 2026, 4:30-7:30 PM PDT at Wara Kitchen (5000 Birch Street, Suite 150, Newport Beach). The listing promises food, refreshments, boba, and informal intros for people who attended Engage or are newly exploring Ascend. Confirm ticket tiers and RSVP status on the Ascend page or the chapter’s site-ym registration mirror before you drive the 405.

Go if your work or network sits in Orange County and you want pan-Asian professional peers without forcing a DTLA evening. Skip if you need SoCalBio lab density, ACG dealmakers, or a founders pitch night the same week. Same-day SoCalBio UCLA and ACG Women of ACG rooms are different graphs; do not mash them into one calendar block.

Arrive with a one-line role and chapter goal (membership, mentorship, or industry peers). Parking and Birch Street suite access vary by building; check the RSVP confirmation for door notes.