Association of Asian American Graduate Students

1. Association of Asian American Graduate Students Presentation to Graduate School Deans & Directors April 16, 2008

2. About AAAGS • Our organization serves as a network to improve the quality of life for graduate students who identify as Asian American. • Re-chartered in 2006, we offer a growing number of annual activities that focus on academic support, social networking, and community building. • Updates are via email: uw.aaags@gmail.com, blogger: www.aaags.blogspot.com and facebook

3. Fall Semester Terrace Mixer Kickoff Harvest Moon Festival Potluck Mentoring for Undergraduates Graduate Student Panel Leadership Potluck Activism Workshop Spring Semester Lunar New Year Potluck Dinner & Dialogue Asian American Film Festival Asian American Voices End of the Year Mixer AAAGS Signature Events

4. Informal events • Study groups • Celebration of academic milestones • Surrogate family for holidays • Informal dinners at local restaurants and members’ homes

5. Impact on UW-Madison Campus • Raises awareness on social and cultural issues about and among Asian Americans (email reaches over 90 graduate student members; facebook group has 65 members) • Increases graduate students networks across different fields/disciplines • Brings together grads, undergrads, faculty, staff, and community leaders/activists • Direct and indirect mentorship resulting in undergraduates pursuing fellowships and graduate school opportunities.

6. Future Goals • Continue collaborating with GSC • Foster networks with MGN and C-GRS • Increase awareness of AAAGS in the Graduate School • Continue building alliances with and amongst faculty • Continue fostering relationships with academic staff and administrators • Increase visibility among incoming graduate students • Institutionalize undergraduate mentorship program • Foster a better understanding of Asian American graduate students

7. Planning Meeting Spring 2006

8. East Asian Group Chinese Taiwanese Japanese Korean Hong Kong South Asians Asian Indians Tibetans Nepalese Burmese Pakistani Pacific Islanders Filipinos Hawaiians Indonesians Southeast Asian Group Vietnamese Hmong Laotian Cambodian Malaysians Singaporeans Thai Who are Asian Americans? (snapshot)

9. Terrace Welcome Mixer September 2006

10. International Students Chinese Taiwanese Japanese Korean Hong Kong Asian Indians Tibetans Nepalese Burmese Pakistani Indonesians Malaysians Singaporeans Thai Domestic Students Chinese Taiwanese Japanese Korean Asian Indians Vietnamese Hmong Cambodian Laotian Filipinos Hawaiians Who is represented at UW? (snapshot)

11. Dinner & Dialogue, March 2008

12. Targeted Populations • Federal Definitions: • African Americans • American Indians • Latino/Hispanic • University of Wisconsin Definitions: • African Americans • American Indians • Mexican Americans and Chicano/a • Puerto Ricans (mainland and island) • South East Asians • Vietnamese • Hmong • Cambodian • Laotian

13. Leadership Mentor Potluck October 2007

14. Graduate Student Connections • Individual Department • GSC—Graduate Student Collaborative • Predominantly Caucasian Students • MGN—Multi-Graduate Network • UW Targeted Populations • CGRS/GERS—Community of Graduate Research Scholars/Graduate Engineering Research Scholars • UW Targeted Populations • McNair Scholars Program (alumni) • Low Income and First Generation College

15. Activism Panel, November 2007

16. Testimonials The following are general themes that emerged throughout the member, staff, faculty, and undergraduates’ testimonials about the impact which UW AAAGS has had. • AAAGS fills the need for social and intellectual (academic) support at UW Madison • The Organization’s reach extends beyond touching the lives of just the graduate students it serves – faculty, academic staff, undergraduates, and community members also benefit from the activities and events • Coalitions and collaborations across different student groups are formed through AAAGS events • Members emphasize meeting individuals during their graduate career through a network of peers whom they otherwise would not get the chance to interact with

17. Graduate Student Testimonials Before the existence of AAAGS, there was no umbrella organization that could connect Asian American graduate students to one another and to resources and opportunities unique to us. We could turn to international student organizations, which are unable to attend to the challenges of being members of ethnic minority groups residing in America. Or we could turn to undergraduate Asian American student organization, which are unable to address the unique needs and challenges of graduate/profession school. The emergence of AAAGS provided a social, academic, and personal link for me to others who shared the same challenges of being a member of an ethnic minority group on a predominantly white campus, who shared a similar cultural background with me, and who shared the stress and strains of life as a graduate student. I’ve had the opportunity to meet individuals I never would have encountered across campus and build a network of support that couldn’t have been provided by any other campus organization. AAAGS not only fills a niche for individuals, but within the broader campus. It has helped build bridges across students, departments, organizations, and even reached out to the broader community. I’m so proud to have been a member of an organization that has so profoundly impacted my own life, the lives of many other graduate students, and has the potential for positive impact in the entire campus community. • Jackie Nguyen, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Educational Psychology

18. Graduate Student Testimonials AAAGS has been my family and support over the years and have enriched my graduate career both in my personal life as well as in my intellectual growth. I have been very impressed at our solidarity and swift mobilization in response to injustice or discrimination. AAAGS has been my support base to exchange knowledge, share fun experiences, and develop our careers together. • Amy Chung, Doctoral Candidate, Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Science Foundation Fellow  AAAGS fosters a diverse community of Asian American scholars and provides a safe space for discussions about race and ethnicity. Its community wide activities, such as Asian American Voices and the Lunar New Year Potluck, and its university wide activities, such as the Faculty and Graduate Student Dinner and Dialogue, reach out to other Asian American graduate students who would have been isolated or confined to their respective departments. Without AAAGS, my transition into graduate school would have been much more difficult because I would have lacked community of diverse scholars with which I could identify. AAAGS has provided me perspective on being Asian American and a graduate student, and I have gained many professional connections and life-long friends. • Emily Yu, Doctoral Candidate, Department of English

19. Graduate Student Testimonials AAAGS has been crucial to my success as a graduate student. Over the course of my doctoral studies in English literary studies, it struck me that I needed a community of scholars beyond those with whom I shared disciplinary training. AAAGS is one of the very few organizations that support my attempts to deepen the links between, for lack of better terms, intellectual and activist work. AAAGS gave me the opportunity to present a workshop on Asian American activism. I have maintained great relationships with junior and senior faculty members who have been invested in AAAGS programming. AAAGS has also connected me to its network of journalists with whom I have interviewed for magazines. Finally, by providing not only forums for intellectual discussion but also links to funding networks, AAAGS has allowed my research to extend beyond the university to such national conferences as the Association for Asian American Studies. Without AAAGS, my development as a scholar at the University of Wisconsin-Madison would have been far less rich of an experience.  • Ray Hsu, Doctoral Candidate, English Literary Studies and Creative Writing, Future Postdoctoral Fellow in Creative Writing, University of British Columbia

20. Graduate Student Testimonials It's been great to interact with other AAAGS members. As graduate students we all more or less have similar experiences in school even though our disciplines may be different. However, as Asian Americans we no longer relate only at the level of earning a graduate degree but also at the level of being Asian American and experiencing similar trials and tribulations in higher education. AAAGS provides one outlet to exchange ideas and attempt to answer and/or solve brewing questions or complications in our graduate educational experiences. • Kong Meng Xiong, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Biomolecular Chemistry in the Medical School During my time as an undergrad, AAAGS has served as a voice and example of education and activism for Asian Americans on campus.  Through their events and workshops, I have become more aware of the importance of graduate education, activism, as well as networking. • Riamsalio Phetchareun, Masters Student, LaFollette School of Public Affairs

21. AAAGS Alumni Testimonials I attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Masters student in Southeast Asian Studies from Fall 2006 to Winter 2007. I was fortunate to have discovered the Association of Asian American Graduate Students days into my first week as a graduate student. Through AAAGS, I have discovered a community of close friends, colleagues, and most importantly, study-buddies whom have carried me through the toughest times of my program. More than that, I was able to participate in organizing events and programs around issues that are important to me, such as working with the community as a scholar and being a mentor to undergraduates. Working with AAAGS has allowed me to better integrate myself with not only with the community on campus, but also in the wider Madison community. Without AAAGS, my experience at UW-Madison would undoubtedly have been a less rich, rewarding, and challenging one. • Nancy Nguyen, MA Southeast Asian Studies, Doctoral Student Sociology Rutgers University  

22. AAAGS Alumni Testimonials AAAGS really gave me an opportunity to feel a connection on a different level than I was used to. In the 5 years I was at Madison before AAAGS began, I had tried to join several Asian groups but always felt out of place. AAAGS has clearly helped many people find a comfortable environment, especially the newer people to the university. Overall, the group is one that cares deeply about its members and does what it can to promote the awareness and self-awareness of Asian American issues. • Larry Kwong, Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University, PhD Cancer Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison AAAGS has been a great group - not only does it connect Asians across campus but also serves as a great forum for different academic levels, professors, staff, and students, to discuss Asian issues and interact informally. AAAGS has greatly enriched my experience at UW and in Madison. Thanks go to you and all the AAAGS organizers for such a great organization. • Susan Lee, Post Doctoral Fellow/Research Associate, Department of Biomolecular Chemistry

23. Faculty Testimonials Since coming on board as director of Asian American Studies on January 1, I have been very pleased to have the opportunity to work closely with the Association of Asian American Graduate Students. They initiated several community building and educational events, which they have shared with the Asian American Studies program. As a result, I have interacted with them frequently in several meetings this semester. I am impressed with their maturity And organizational abilities, as well as their openness to suggestions. Using a teamwork approach, they work efficiently and respectfully with one another. Our shared programming was carried out without a single glitch.   They have also been very supportive of the Asian American Studies Program. This year, the students participated in the screening of films for the Asian American Film Festival. By the way, one of the films, NEW YEAR BABY was chosen by the audience as their favorite documentary film of the festival.   Something I have noticed at the different events is the wide variety of representation from different disciplines and programs across campus: Law school, Human Development & Family Studies, Sociology, Physics, Biochemistry, English, Nursing, etc., including faculty, academic staff and students. This is an impressive range for a student group to manage to rally and get out!   • Lynet Uttal, Director Asian American Studies, Associate Professor, Human Development & Family Studies, Affiliate with Chican@ Studies and Women’s Studies

24. Undergraduate Testimonials Having been a prior Asian Pacific American Council Vice-Chair, I have had the opportunity to work very closely with AAAGS. I have seen AAAGS grow and expand far beyond the college campus touching many Madison community peoples. Their participation and volunteering in the local community has very much contributed to this. Personally, their programs, events, and other associations, particularly their mentorship program, have opened my mind towards the continuation of higher education, and have boosted my aspiration towards graduate school. Having worked hand in hand with this organization for change through this campus, I have learned so much from them. To me, AAAGS members are overall great students, great mentors, and best of all great friends. • Jerry Chang The members of AAAGS have been more than gracious to provide their insight and services to the undergraduate community. Their connections to other institutions have helped students like me find a place outside of UW-Madison to foster and pursue my collegiate career. With the help of some of the AAAGS students, I found a fellowship opportunity at UC-Berkeley so I may further my graduate career. Their social events also raise awareness of Asian American issues not only on campus, but particularly in the professional setting. • Vorada Savengseuksa

25. Undergraduate Testimonials AAAGS has played a critical role in furthering my development, voice, passion and knowledge for Asian American issues. I served as Vice Chair for 2 Asian American organizations on campus and as a new student leader I faced a lot of decisions and different obstacles along the way. One thing that really helped me get through was having a strong support network and be able to meet with the Chair and other members from AAAGS whenever I had any questions or concerns. I also met one-on-one with core members in AAAGS and got some advice on what to do after my undergraduate career. Being a junior and having a lot of concerns and questions about my future, it has been extremely beneficial to have someone to talk to and help mentor me during this process. It was not until college that I was able to identify as Asian American and AAAGS has been great for this process. It has been such a rewarding experience learning more about my ethnicity an and AAAGS has helped me meet others that have gone through similar yet different journeys. Through their leadership and mentoring, I have gained a lot of skills as a leader. • Mia St. Claire

26. Faculty Testimonials As the former director of the Asian American Studies Program, I have been astounded at how quickly that AAAGS  has come into prominence on campus. Its campus programming has been a boon to graduate and undergraduate students alike. Moreover, the organization has emerged as an incredible recruitment tool for potential graduate students across disciplines and fields. I hope that the Graduate School can help publicize this significant community that has come together so significantly. • Leslie Bow, Associate Professor, Asian American Studies/English The Association for Asian American Graduate Students is one of the most vital and active campus groups at UW-Madison. They truly provide the much needed social and intellectual support for incoming and continuing Asian American graduate students across disciplines here at Madison. As a faculty member, they have become an incredible resource that has made my time at Madison so enjoyable. To be frank, they have helped mitigate the social isolation of being a faculty of color. I have so much respect for this group of students, for their leadership, their warmth, and their collegiality. I feel so fortunate to be on a campus with such a committed and dedicated group of Asian American graduate students!! • Cindy I-Fen Cheng, Assistant Professor, Asian American Studies/History

27. University Academic Staff Testimonials As we map out our campus' diversity network of key committees, offices, student organizations, etc., the UW Association of Asian American Graduate Students (AAAGS) needs to be identified as one of our critical nodes. AAAGS is the only formal forum for Asian-American graduate students across campus to gather together socially, culturally and intellectually. In addition to this unique community building role, AAAGS also serves other important and perhaps singular campus functions: AAAGS has emerged for Asian-American students as a key initial contact/first responders when "sticky", social-justice related incidents occur on campus. As such it has become the present UW-Madison hub of and for Asian-American social activism; AAAGS is the only viable arena on campus in which dialogues on race from the perspective of Asian-American racial and ethnic identities are taking place. On the racial landscape of America where so much is framed strictly in  terms of Black vs. White, the educational work pushed by AAAGS cannot be undervalued; Finally,  the valuable role as Advisors and mentors the current AAAGS leadership serve to the various Asian-American undergraduate organizations in these times of transition for them need to be recognized. • Rodney Horikawa, Student Services Coordinator, University Health Services, Chair Plan 2008 Diversity Oversight Committee, Ex-Officio Member, Multicultural Student Center (MSC) Advisory Board

28. University Academic Staff Testimonials As an academic staff member at UW-Madison, AAAGS has played an important role in connecting me with the UW-Madison campus community. Coming from California, where I had an extensive Asian American social and professional network, UW Madison was a marked contrast both in Asian American demographics and in campus needs.   AAAGS was instrumental in providing a space for learning about and integrating with Asian Americans at UW-Madison. For example, the 2007 Dinner and Dialogue introduced me to dynamic faculty, staff, and graduate students who became valued colleagues and friends. Later, AAAGS gave me an opportunity to contribute to the campus climate through participation in a campus panel on activism and on the AA Voices planning committee, where I helped organize a groundbreaking conference on multiracial Asian Americans. AAAGS has enriched my experiences here at UW-Madison and have made it possible to interact with the campus in ways not always possible through my academic staff position. The organization is a model for the types of organizing and services that Asian Americans require on campus, and I look forward to continued collaboration and community-building with its members. • Anthony Yuen, Associate Student Services Coordinator (Study Abroad Advisor)

29. APALSA/SALSA Testimonials AAAGS has been an invaluable component and partner in many events this year. They took the lead on many events aimed at providing students and faculty with enriching experiences, like our Activism Workshop in the fall and the Asian American Voices forum on Multiracial Asian issues this spring. AAAGS is an extremely welcoming organization, and is always eager to collaborate with other groups like APALSA/SALSA. • Elizabeth "Peach" Momoko Soltis, JD Candidate 2008, University of Wisconsin School of Law, Chair, APALSA/SALSA AAAGS offers me comraderie on social and intellectual levels. They have enhanced my education while at UW by providing me with unconditional support.  I often advise other law students that to succeed in law school, they should join AAAGS.  AAAGS has made a huge difference in my life through the programs they offer such as Dinner and Dialogue with faculty, their annual Asian American Voices event where I get to meet community members, and their community events where I enjoy opportunities to make lifelong friends. Programs like AAAGS help to retain students such as myself.  UW has a strong interest to not only recruit a diverse student body but also a responsibility to support groups like AAAGS that work tirelessly to retain us when we make it here. • Nancy Vue, J.D. Candidate 2008, University of Wisconsin School of Law

30. Madison Community Testimonials As co chair of the Wisconsin Organization for Asian Americans and the Pacific Asian Women's Alliance, I cannot express enough how proud, excited and impressed we are to have co sponsored and participated in the great and relevant programming events promoted by UW Madison's AAAGS.  AAAGS networking and collaboration is vital in networking and mutually supporting and growing together, as an Asian American community as well as the broader, Madison/Dane County diverse community. AAAGS members are critical to the energy, creativity, hope, strength and unity of the Asian American community and they are our current and future leadership.   • Sharyl Kato, Co-chair of the Wisconsin Organization for Asian Americans and the Pacific Asian Women's Alliance

31. Thank You uw.aaags@gmail.com www.aaags.blogspot.com Facebook Group