Empowering Southeast Asian advocacy: Voices of SEASON Conference leaders

February 21, 2024

SEASON is a two-day event featuring advocacy training workshops, keynote speakers, and community building activities focused on leading a lasting legacy.

The Southeast Asian Students for OrgaNizing (SEASON) Conference returns for its 5th annual gathering and its first year at UC Berkeley, inviting Southeast Asian students from across the nation to participate in a transformative two-day event. This year's conference, themed "LegaSEA: Leading a Legacy," aims to empower students to create lasting impacts within their communities and beyond. Undergraduates from all the UCs, CSUs, and community colleges are welcome to attend. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with inspiring keynote speakers, participate in advocacy training workshops, and connect with community leaders.

The conference is being hosted by the Asian American Political Activation (AAPA) program, which is housed in APASD, and is co-sponsored by the Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies program, Southeast Asian Student Coalition (SASC), and AANAPISI funds.

Here, we highlight the voices of four student leaders and their unique experiences, insights, and visions for the future.

	Spencer Douangphouxay Title: Executive Director (SEASON) and AAPA Programming Intern Organization: APASD Pronouns: He/Him Major/Minor: Double Majoring in Legal Studies and Media Studies and Journalism Minor Graduation Year: 2026 What is your involvement with the Southeast Asian communities (on or off campus) and what are some critical issues that they experience that are important to uplift? So far during my time at Cal, I have had the opportunity to be a part of APASD (Asian Pacific American Student Development office) and the Southeast Asian Mentorship program that has allowed me to interact and engage with high school students and underclassmen about higher education. Growing up, my parents have always taught me about the importance of education and the opportunities that it allows for social mobility and impact for our communities. SEA communities are disproportionately underrepresented in higher education, so to be a mentor for SEA students considering higher education and navigating college applications, potential careers, and professional development it brings me a sense of joy to uplift the future generation of SEA students to bring a social transformation for our communities that have been underserved. How does this year's theme "LegaSEA" connect to your experience as a Southeast Asian student and what sort of legacy do you want to leave for the next generations of Southeast Asian Students? My parents immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s after escaping Laos, torn by the civil war, to a refugee camp in Thailand. My grandparents were vendors in the streets of Vientiane, Laos and came to the U.S. for a better quality of life for their children and the next generation, myself. The fact is that statistically, we as SEA students in higher education beat the odds against us and our families. Most of us never received guidance throughout our academic careers and had to navigate higher education ourselves, yet we were still able to attend college or junior college. For me, the best way to honor the legacy of my grandparents and parents is to continue their work of giving a better life and future for the next generation of all SEA students. My hope with LegaSEA being this year’s theme is that the attendees are able to learn, grow, and feel invigorated to continue the legacy of our ancestors that has led us to the opportunities we have now and uplift and give back to our communities that has raised us to become who we are today.
	Lily Yang Title: External Director (SEASON) and AAPA Programming Intern Organization: APASD Pronouns: she/her Major: Marine Science Graduation Year: 2024 What is your involvement with the Southeast Asian communities (on or off campus) and what are some critical issues that they experience that are important to uplift? Most of my involvement with the SEA communities on campus are with APASD (Asian Pacific American Student Development), HSAB (Hmong Student Association at Berkeley),and SASC (Southeast Asian Student Coalition). Coming to college after recovering from a global pandemic, these spaces were the ones that helped me navigate college life as a SEA student. Why should students attend SEASON? I believe that it would be beneficial for students to attend because it is a great opportunity to engage and build a community with other campuses as well! It is a chance for students to expand their knowledge and experiences into a more diverse space. Additionally, I believe that SEASON will be a great time for students to reflect on themselves and their stories that connect them to their identity as Southeast Asian. This year's theme for SEASON is LegaSEA - how does this connect to your experience as a Southeast Asian student and what sort of legacy do you want to leave for the next generations of Southeast Asian Students? As a Southeast Asian student, many of the legacies left behind for me to learn came from the interactions I had with other community leaders who have left this space. Without their guidance and stories, I would have not found such a community here. With that being said, I want to continue the legacy of leaving a thriving and healing space for the next generations of SEA students. With this legacy that I plan to leave behind, I hope that it will continue to inspire others to make and take space while learning how to support others within the same and different communities that exist here on campus. I would like for the next generation to find purpose in their shared experiences through this year’s theme.
	Abigail Verino Title: Internal Director for SEASON & AAPA Programming Intern Organization: APASD Pronouns: she/her Major/Minor: Ethnic Studies & Legal Studies, Minor in Race in the Law Graduation Year: 2026 What is your involvement with the Southeast Asian communities (on or off campus) and what are some critical issues that they experience that are important to uplift? As a first generation Filipina American student, I feel that it is my responsibility to take space on this campus that wasn’t meant for students that looked like me. I am Co-Chief of Staff at Pilipinx American Alliance, Co-Cultural Director for Pilipinx Cultural Night 48, External Chief of Staff to Pilipinx endorsed ASUC Senator Lanah Duque, and an AAPA Programming Intern housed under APASD. It is important to uplift not only our need to take space, but to recognize how student organizing has the power to unify and build camaraderie in the SEA community. Why should students attend SEASON? Practicing the foundations of Ethnic Studies such as self-determination, students will have the opportunity to engage in impactful keynote sessions and participate in conversations surrounding healing. This year's theme for SEASON is LegaSEA - how does this connect to your experience as a Southeast Asian student and what sort of legacy do you want to leave for the next generations of Southeast Asian Students? Students of color are here at UC Berkeley because of the Third World Liberation Front, where leaders before us stood together in multicultural solidarity to fight to have space at this university. Being able to continue this legaSEA of organizing, camaraderie, and togetherness amidst the struggle, is something that I want to leave for the next generation of Southeast Asian students.
	Han Jade Ngo Title: Co-operations Organization: Southeast Asian Student Coalition Pronouns: she/her Major: Social Welfare Graduation Year: 2024 What is your involvement with the Southeast Asian communities (on or off campus) and what are some critical issues that they experience that are important to uplift? I’ve been involved in the SEA community for some time now. I was a mentee for the Southeast Asian Summer Institute (SASC SI) in 2019, and ended up becoming the Chair of the Southeast Asian Student Mentorship Program (SEAM) in 22-23. I am now the Co-operations Chair for the Southeast Asian Student Coalition (SASC). When first entering college, I wanted the opportunity to truly think about what I wanted as a SEA student, what goals and visions I had for the community, and what issues I wanted to learn more about that need to be addressed. SASC became a safe place for me to explore all of that! My experience with SASC has been the best way for me to understand myself and build some character while finding a community that supports my well-being and interests both on and off campus. Being part of the mentorship program was a way for me to give back to the community in hopes of building relationships and new leadership necessary for SEA visibility and social change. Why should students attend SEASON? SEASON is an opportunity to bring SEA college communities together to participate in advocacy training and coalition building. One of the best ways to learn is to look back at SEA achievements, heritage, and narratives. By taking experiences from the past, SEASON hopes to build off of foundational knowledge to address current challenges the SEA community faces today. This year's theme for SEASON is LegaSEA - how does this connect to your experience as a Southeast Asian student and what sort of legacy do you want to leave for the next generations of Southeast Asian Students? The theme LegaSEA strongly resonates with me when it comes to mentorship and building a two-way exchange of knowledge and resources between SEA college students and youth. I was once a mentee in SASC SI and I still remember the wonderful and exciting feeling of being able to learn more about myself, my history, and my community with the help of so many people whose lives were also impacted by programs like SEAM and other mentorship programs. It was those experiences I had and the things that I learned that drove me to return to this community and give back to it in the same ways that it had been given to me. Finding purpose, agency, and honor in serving your community is what LegaSEA is all about.