Assistant Director, Asian Pacific American Student Development (APASD)
How long have you been at Berkeley?
I’ve worked at Berkeley in two separate terms, but both at APASD! I started in 2017 as a 900-hour contracted program specialist and then served as the interim APASD Assistant Director for a few months in 2018. I returned to APASD in 2020 after being hired for the permanent position.
What do you love most about working here?
As a third-generation settler in Berkeley as well as a scholar of Asian American studies, I love being able to honor our local movement history by connecting our students to the transformative community organizing happening all across the Bay Area and beyond. Through this work, I try to embody a quote from Grace Lee Boggs: “You cannot change any society unless you take responsibility for it, unless you see yourself as belonging to it and responsible for changing it". I love being able to be part of a student’s journey of making critical connections and seeing how they tend to those relationships and responsibilities even after they graduate.
What's your job?
I am one of two Assistant Directors in APASD, and I specifically manage the Asian American Political Activation (AAPA) program. I started this program in 2021 both in response to the way the term Asian American in mainstream discourse was being distanced from its political origins as well as to respect the growth and disaggregation of APASD - especially to honor the development of two programs - the South, Southwest Asian, North African Initiative and the Pacific Islander Initiative
Within the AAPA program, I lead an introductory Asian American Studies seminar for 1st year students as part of the BLOOM Asian American Community program as well as collaborating with our student staff to lead MOVE: Asian American Community Organizing Fellowship, Critical Southeast Asian American Studies curriculum development, and our newest program, Sowing Seeds, Empowering Ecosystems - a program designed for students to explore Asian American Studies through the lens of environmental justice, settler colonialism, Indigenous sovereignty movements, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
What's a great day at work look like for you?
My best days at work are when I really get to feel the magic that is being in community. I look forward to every Tuesday since it’s our joint seminar day so all the interns and pro staff across our three program areas are together in one room! I love being immersed in the laughter and joy of everyone getting to catch up with each other, as well as having the space to ponder the thought-provoking discussions that our interns lead.
Where's your favorite place on campus?
Lawrence Hall of Science Whale!
Fun fact about me:
I’ve been so moved by the work of Dr. Robyn Rodriguez, that I am starting my own farming journey! I’m currently volunteering at a farm in the North Bay and one of my favorite things to grow is daikon. Processing daikon reminds me of all the days I spent in my grandma’s kitchen, and I hope to become an expert pickler like her!