Kelly Chang

Kelly Chang is in her third year as a student at the University of California, Berkeley, where she is majoring in Society & Environment and minoring in Sustainable Environmental Design. Outside of classes, she is involved in leadership development for orientation leaders at her school and spends her time working as a research assistant on the political ecology of honeybee decline  to understand the relationship between policy, beekeepers, and agricultural industries in California. Kelly also dedicates her time to organizing and creating community with her peers in the Students of Color Environmental Collective, where the group focuses on social and environmental justice issues on and off campus. In her spare time, she loves doing portrait photography and gardening.

This summer, Kelly will be interning in Washington, D.C. at the U.S. Forest Service in their Multimedia Division.

Jung Jun (JJ) Cho

Jung Jun (JJ) Cho is a rising third year at the University of Virginia. He is pursuing a major in foreign affairs with a minor in entrepreneurship. At the University of Virginia, he devotes much of his efforts to the DREAMers on Grounds, an organization dedicated to creating a safe space for undocumented students. He also serves on the transfer advisory board for the community involvement committee and is also a member of the pre-law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta. Outside of school, JJ is a volunteer at NAKASEC which is an organization that serves to organize Korean and Asian Americans to achieve social, economic, and racial justice. This summer, he will be interning with the USDA Agricultural Research Service for the office of Technology Transfer in Washington D.C.

Patricia Choi

Patricia Choi is a rising senior at the University of California, Berkeley as a Political Economy major with a minor in Global Poverty and Practice. She spent the last academic year in Senegal, studying international development, interning, and soaking in the country’s culture. She is looking to work in the international development sector with a focus on agriculture in rural settings. Patricia will be interning at the U.S. Forest Service at USDA this summer, working on the implementation and assessment of its new Emergency Medical Program. She is excited to meet other AAPIs who are interested in working in public service and with whom she can exchange ideas in her areas of interest and beyond.

Mark Dong

Mark Dong is a rising junior studying Politics, Philosophy, and Economics with a concentration in Government and Public Policy at the University of Pennsylvania. His interest in public policy arose from participating in the Boy Scouts of America program. As a current Eagle Scout, he continues to help his community through service projects and campus outreach. At Penn, he is actively lives out his Christian faith by being involved in Grace Covenant Church and Christian Union at Penn. Mark is also the president of his university’s only breakdance club and has been the financial chair of his hip-hop group, Strictly Funk, for two semesters. Mark will be an an intern at the USDA’s National Resources and Conservation Service.

Samantha Mori

Samantha Mori is a rising fourth year at the University of Virginia (UVA), studying Foreign Affairs and Chinese Language and Literature. She is also currently a graduate student in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy pursuing a Masters in Public Policy and Leadership. She hopes to further pursue a career in policy or international relations with East Asia. At UVA, Samantha has served as on the officer board as Historian and advisor for the Chinese Student Association. Prior to her internship with the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Samantha has interned for the Japanese American Citizens League and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. She loves to travel, try new food, and hike!

Sally Pak

I am a rising Junior studying Criminal Justice at the George Washington University.  Outside of my schoolwork, I dedicate most of my time to cultural student organizations on my campus to increase cultural awareness and appreciation.  This upcoming year, I will serve as the Vice President of Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority Inc., a national Asian-interest sorority dedicated to empowering women, providing community service, and promoting cultural diversity.  This past academic year, I worked at the National Museum of Natural History as a Visitor Experience Assistant.  The year before that, I was a Mentor in the High Achievement Program which aims to improve middle schoolers’ social skills, leadership abilities, and academic performance.  During my free time, I love to dance and watch movies.

Juo-Hsi (Sylvia) Peng

Juo-Hsi (Sylvia) Peng ’20 is an International Studies Major with concentrations in Economics and Political Science at Vassar College, NY. She plans to declare a minor in Mathematics and Statistics.On campus, she served as one of the Teaching Assistant for the International Studies Department in Spring 2018. She is also one of the co-Presidents of Vassar Debate Society and a Rape Crisis Intern for the Vassar Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention Office. Since November 2018, Sylvia joined a group of Vassar students to start a movement that petitions for an Asian American Studies Program at Vassar. Her work in the AAPI community started as a volunteer intern for Garden of Hope. She was a translator and advocate for Chinese immigrants, who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. When she is not in schools, Sylvia enjoys taking road trips and hiking with her friends.

An Pham

An Pham is a recent graduate from University of California, Berkeley, attaining a Bachelors of Arts in Global Studies with a concentration in Peace and Conflict and Human Rights. This year, she was the lead human rights researcher at the Earth Island Institute where she led the development of new human rights indicators to track corporation’s environmental and social sustainable policies and commitments within their supply chains. Her consultancy work was incorporated into her client’s corporate accountability research methodology and she played an integral role in raising awareness about the impacts of agricultural commodities within supply chains through composing articles for her client’s news outlet. She was a lead researcher and policy advocate for the Refugee Work Rights Campaign at Asylum Access where she researched, composed, and published reports regarding state’s responses to the protection and promotion of refugee work rights. Her work is targeted for civil society, governments, and intergovernmental agencies and pushes for more sustainable refugee policies globally. Additionally, she was a policy and legal advocate for the San Francisco Human Rights Commission where she developed a policy project to address the economic, social, and health disparities of the Pacific Islander community in San Francisco. Her policy recommendations drove to mitigate inequities faced by the P.I. community through advocating to the local governmental agencies for more inclusive and sustainable policies. As a graduate, she desires to continue her passion and work in policy, advocacy, and justice across all sectors.

Cassidy Pregil

Cassidy Pregil is a rising junior at Georgetown University and is pursuing a major in American Studies and a minor in Justice and Peace Studies. Her academic interests include a combination of social justice, environmentalism, and indigenous rights, which she’s worked to pursue this year as an intern at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. On campus, she serves as an Orientation Advisor and sits on the board for the Hawaii Club. She is also interested in community service and last year organized a partnership between Hawaii Club and her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, to raise money for the Hawaii-based nonprofit, Kahumana. In her free time, Cassidy enjoys rock climbing with the Georgetown Climbing Team, listening to music, traveling, and following her favorite surfers. This summer, she is excited to intern at the US Forest Service.

Charlotte Rhodes

Charlotte Rhodes is a rising junior at the University of Connecticut. She is pursing a major in Environmental Studies with a minor in Environmental Economics and Policy. At UConn, Charlotte is a Sustainability Intern with the Office of Environmental Policy, a sister of Alpha Epsilon Phi, and a member of EcoHusky. In her free time, Charlotte enjoys hiking, singing, and playing with her dog, Violet. This summer she will be interning with the U.S. Forest Service.

Yvonne Shih

Yvonne is a recent graduate from the University of Florida, holding a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Sociology. As a first-generation college student who grew up in a predominantly white environment, she strives to build toward social justice and educating the community on the intersectionality of race, gender, and sexuality. At UF, she is heavily involved within the Asian American Student Association and has served on the executive board of Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc., an organization that empowers APIA women and the community on leadership and and social justice. Additionally, she was the programming director for the annual Become StrongHer Women’s Empowerment Summit, a conference aimed to empower the Florida college community on social justice issues and inclusivity. Outside of activist work, she also does research within the Florida Natural History Museum DNA sequencing and cateloging moths and butterflies. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new places, spending all day in museums, trying new food, and geeking out about Disney, This summer, Yvonne is excited to intern with the U.S. Forest Service.

Angela Tran

Angela Tran is a rising sophomore at Pomona College in Claremont, CA, studying economics and s statistical mathematics. She is the associate news editor of The Student Life, member of the Academic Committee of the Associated Students of Pomona College, an associate consultant at Pomona Consulting Group, the student ambassador of the career development office, a member of American Women in Mathematics, and a private writing and math tutor. Outsicapade of class, she is a competitive pianist and enjoys spending her time being a freelance graphic designer and dancing in ballet and lyrical contemporary styles. Born in America and raised in Los Angeles and Shanghai interchangeably, she became aware of the high stigmatization of mental health conversations in largely niched Asian communities, and she wishes to propose solutions to these issues as a mentor of the Asian American Mentorship Program at Pomona this coming fall. This summer, she will be interning with the Marketing Order and Agreement Division under the United States Department of Agriculture.

Angela Zhao

Angela is a rising sophomore at Amherst College in Massachusetts. She plans to major in Economics, with a focus on public policy in the future. Growing up in New Jersey, Indiana, and California, she has seen the different levels of activism and diversity in AAPI communities. She became more interested in AAPI issues and history after taking two Asian American classes at Amherst on the varying experiences of Japanese Americans during World War Two and the question of race and nationalism in Chinese diasporic communities. On campus, she is a part of the Asian Students Association, which is currently working to bring Asian American studies to the school. She is originally from Oak Park, California and in her free time she enjoys drawing/sketching, drinking too much boba during finals week, and eating noodles. This summer, Angela will be interning at the USDA Forest Service in DC, working on research and development.

Nishara Gunasekara

Nishara is a rising senior at Scripps College studying Economics and Feminist, Gender, Sexuality studies. On campus, she serves as the Staff Writer for the Claremont Journal of Law and Public Policy where she is a published author on the foster care to child trafficking pipeline in the United States. Previously a judicial extern for the Orange County Superior Court, Nishara hopes to continue her passion for law and social justice to tackle issues of sex trafficking and the online exploitation of children. During the summer of 2018, Nishara will be working at the Child’s Welfare League of America in its Practice Standards department. There, she will work alongside experts to develop evidence-based methodologies that aim to help public and private agencies obtain optimal outcomes for children and families on welfare. Aside from her professional commitments to serve at-risk populations, Nishara enjoys painting, re-watching Netflix series, and drinking her grandmother’s famous milk tea.

Hannah Hsieh

Hannah Hsieh is a rising senior at the University of California, Los Angeles pursuing a major in Philosophy, with a minor in Public Affairs. While her majors reflect her interest in public policy, she is particularly interested in APIA leadership, APIA civic engagement, and law. On campus, she actively pursues social justice opportunities and has served on e-board for Asian Pacific Coalition. Through her role as a legislative advocate for the UCLA External Vice President’s Office, Hannah has also lobbied in Sacramento on behalf of thousands of UC students. In the past year, Hannah has become the youngest intern to work for the California Secretary of State’s Office and Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles. Apart from those activities, Hannah loves hiking, going on food adventures, and adding to her music playlists. This summer, Hannah is excited to be broadening her perspective in law and public policy by working with the Federal Judicial Center as an intern on the Judicial and Legal Education Team.

Sai-Kit (Jeremy) Lee

Sai-kit Jeremy Lee identifies as a second-generation Hong Kong Thai Chinese American, born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a junior at the George Washington University in DC, he is majoring in Asian Studies and Chinese, and minoring in Korean and Organizational Sciences. At GWU, Jeremy co-founded GW’s Asian American Student Association Spring 2017 and currently serves as its president. He hopes to use this student organization to bring light to issues surrounding the AAPI community while also creating community for the Asian American students on campus. He’s also a member of Circle K, an international service organization, and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship where he leads a small group that focuses on the intersection of the Asian American identity and faith. As a linguaphile, whenever Jeremy has free time, you’ll probably see him trying to study a new language or listening to music in a language he can’t fully understand yet. This summer he will be interning with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at the Department of Education.

Télyse Masaoay

Télyse is a rising senior at Vanderbilt University studying Medicine, Health, & Society and Sociology on the pre-law track. Through previous work experiences as a policy intern for the Navajo Nation Washington Office and an MPact Medicine Fellow with the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Télyse has developed a passion for increasing access to reproductive healthcare for underserved, low-income women through legislation and community-based initiatives. She is an advocate for vulnerable groups on campus as the Cochair of the student government’s Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Committee and Vice President of Native Americans in Tennessee Interacting at Vanderbilt. Her other campus involvements include President of Vanderbilt Tour Guides, Head Resident for an upperclassmen dorm, member of the Programming Board’s Speakers Committee, and volunteer with Alzheimer’s Buddies. Télyse hopes to continue political advocacy work as she pursues a J.D./M.PH. degree after undergrad. This summer she is a Global Health Policy Center intern with the Center for Strategic International Studies. In her free time you can catch Télyse listening to NPR’s Codeswitch podcast, in a pigeon pose at a hot yoga studio, or seeking out her next favorite coffee/tea spot!

Ashley Tjhung

Ashley is a rising senior at the University of Michigan studying Public Policy with a concentration in International Development and a minor in Intergroup Relations and Middle Eastern Studies. On campus, Ashley has been involved with a number of social justice organizations that seek to raise awareness and advocate of social justice issues. She was a member of the Advocacy Core for the United Asian American Organizations, and an editor for The Michigan Daily’s Michigan in Color section, which promotes voices of color in the University of Michigan community. She is excited to learn more about the international development sector through her internship with Vital Voices: Global Partnership. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with friends and family, and following Arsenal FC.