Past Events Archive
APIMEDA Programs and Services has had many events in the past and been able to spotlight different speakers.
Guest Speakers
- Dr. Amy Wong - Stories of Survival: Discussion on Asian American College Students Mental Health (Co-sponsored with Counseling and Psychological Services, the Cross-Cultural Center)
- Dr. Amy Wong joined us to speak about Asian American college students who experienced suicide ideation from a strengths-based perspective. She shared some of the research that appeared in her book Stories of Survival: The Paradox of Suicide Vulnerability and Resiliency among Asian American College Students.
- Dr. Wong is a sociology lecturer at San Diego State University. She completed her Ed.D at USC and her book Stories of Survival is based on her doctoral dissertation, which was nominated with distinction by the Rossier School of Education.
- A Conversation with Michelle Hanabusa
- Michelle Hanabusa joined us for an invitation only event to discuss grassroots social media movements and activism
- Michelle Hanabusa is the founder and creative visionary of the Los Angeles based streetwear brand UPRISERS. She is also an entrepreneur and award-winning AAPI community advocate. She also co-founded Hate Is a Virus, a non-profit that works with community partners to dismantle racism and hate against Asian Americans.
- Dr. Alfred P Flores - Book Talk with Alfred P Flores: US Settler Militarism and CHamoru Survival in Guåhan (Co-sponsored with Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies, Ethnic Studies Department, Muir College)
- Dr. Alfred Flores joined us to discuss his book, Tip of the Spear: Land, Labor and US Militarism in Guåhan, 1944-1962. In the book, Dr. Flores examines how militarization of Guåhan (Guam) was enacted by a minority settler population to solidify the Us government's hegemonic presence in Oceania. The book utilizes narrative that emphasizes CHamoru resilience and survival.
- Dr. Flores is an assistant professor of Asian American Studies at Harvey Mudd College
- Jim Sano and Dr. Jim Lin - Bridging Horizons: A Dialogue on Pioneering Paths in Academia and Conservation (Co-sponsored with the UC San Diego Career Center, the World Wildlife Fund)
- This event was a moderated conversation with Jim Sano and Dr. Jim Lin to share their experiences as one of the few and first Asian Americans within their respective fields of academia and conservation.
- Jim Sano discussed working as a park ranger at Yosemite National Park, his experience as President of Geographic Expeditions, and being a board member of conservation non-profit organizations.
- Dr. Jim Lin discussed his journey as a math professor teaching the first Asian American studies course at UC San Diego and advocating for Asian American Studies to be an approved minor in the 1980s.
- Gan Suebsarakham - Meet the Co-Founder of Pop Pie and Stella Jean's (Co-sponsored with the LGBT Resource Center)
- This event was a conversation with Gan Suebsarakham, co-founder of Pop Pie and Stella Jean's (San Diego based eateries), discussing how Gan began their business as well as how they have worked to incorporate a community mindset that serves both the local San Diego community and the LGBTQ+ community.
- Dr. Amanda Assaolone - Unpacking the In-Between: Critical Perspectives of Adoptee Awareness and Advocacy (Co-sponsored with the Asian Pacific Islander Student Alliance, Transracial Adoptee Tritons, Associated Students, Eleanor Roosevelt College)
- Dr. Amanda Assalone joined us to discuss how her adoptee journey has empowered her to engage with adoptee rights groups and advocate for adoptees without citizenship. She also offered suggestions on how to support transracial adoptees as they navigate their own adoptee journey.
- Dr. Assalone is a Korean American transracial and transnational adoptee who is actively involved in civil rights and advocacy organizations that support communities of color. She is a founding member of the Korean Adoptee Association of Georgia (KAAG) and a member of the Engagement Committee for Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN). Professionally, she served as the Research Manager for the Postsecondary Education Research Center (PERC) and acts as an Adjust Assistant Professor in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Her work centers around research and policy initiatives that aim to address postsecondary access and equity barriers for low-income students and students of color.
- SEAAster Scholars Collective (Dr. Jacqueline Mac, Dr. Malaphone Phommasa, Dr. Varaxy Yi, Latana Thaviseth, Linda Pheng, Dr. Davorn Sisavath)
- This was a virtual discussion, bringing together Southeast Asian American (SEAA) women scholars and practitioners in higher education to discuss SEAA student, staff, and faculty experiences.
- Raja Gopal Bhattar - Coloring in Queerness: Identity, Mindfulness and Healing Through Art (Co-sponsored with the LGBT Resource Center, Associated Students)
- Dr. Raja Bhattar joined us to facilitate a workshop on mindfulness, meditation, intersectional identities and healing using coloring books. Dr. Bhattar is a nationally recognized higher education leader, advocate, consultant, and author.
- Malaka Gharib - Keynote speaker for APIMEDA Programs and Services 5th Anniversary Celebration
- Malaka Gharib joined us for a conversation on identity and her own experiences as a first generation Filipino Egyptian American. She also shared and discussed excerpts from her graphic novel, I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir.
- Malaka is a writer, journalist, and cartoonist. She was the winner of an Arab American Book Award for I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir, which was also named one of the best books of the year by NPR.
- Dr. Marissiko Wheaton & Dr. Mei-Ling Malone - Black + Asian American Solidarities
- Both Dr. Wheaton and Dr. Malone joined us for a discussion sharing about their own experiences as half Black and half Asian American, in addition to discussing how we can develop critical connections among the Black + Asian American community.
- Dr. Wheaton completed her Ph.D in Urban Education Policy at University of Southern California. Her research and practice specialize in equity-oriented leadership, identity development and organizational change. Above all, she takes pride in her love for family and community and remains engaged through mutual organizing
- Dr. Malone is a professor of African American studies at California State University, Fullerton and the faculty advisor for the Black Student Union. Professor Malone is most passionate about motherhood, wellness, and actively creating a more humane world.
- Yavilah McCoy - Growing a Multi-Faith Campus Movement for Racial Justice Leaders Workshop (co-sponsored with the Cross-Cultural Center, Black Resource Center, UC San Diego Hillel)
- Yavilah is the CEO of DIMENSIONS Inc. As a Jewish woman and person of color, she has designed numerous tools and methods that enable students and educators to be better citizens of the world.
- Dr. OiYan Poon - Fractures in AAPI Panethnicity: Racial Politics and Discourses of Demographic Data
- Dr. Poon is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education Leadership in the School of Education at Colorado State University. Her research focuses on racial politics of college access policies, affirmative action, and Asian Americans. During this talk, Dr. Poon discussed the campaign for ethnically disaggregated data.
- Film Screenings and Conversation with Filmmaker Quyen Nguyen-Le (co-sponsored with UC San Diego EDI, SPACES, LGBT Resource Center, Cross-Cultural Center)
- Quyen Nguyen-Le is an award winning queer Vietnamese American filmmaker from Los Angeles, California
- Student Workshop with Yemen Blues (co-sponsored with ArtPower, Cross-Cultural Center)
- Yemen Blues is a contemporary music group formed by Ravid Kahalani and Omer Avital in 2010. Yemen Blues combines Yemenite music with funk, blues and jazz. This event was an interactive workshop with Ravid Kahalani speaking about "New Age Culture Music".