Meet the Asian American Studies Graduate Students . . .

Back row standing, left to right: Jean-Paul deGuzman, Theresa Jaranilla, Hui Wang, Christine Najung Lee, Thomas Szymanek, Gena Hamamoto, and Mark Villegas.  Front row, seated, left to right: Hyeyoung Kwon, Professor Don Nakanishi, and Paul Nadal.

Entering MA Class of 2005
Profiles by Brandy Lien Worrall-Yu

Jean-Paul deGuzman is, in his words, "like, totally a native of the San Fernando Valley."  He earned a BA in Asian American Studies and a minor in history from California State University, Northridge.  As an undergraduate, in addition to volunteering with the San Gabriel Mission Pilipino Community, he worked with the CSUN Asian American Studies Student Association and the CSUN Vietnamese Student Association.  He worked on a documentary for the "Telling Our Stories: Japanese Americans in the San Fernando Valley Oral History Project," and presented on the project at Pacoima’s Japanese American Community Center and the 2005 Tri-District Conference of the Japanese American Citizen’s League.  It was that mix of community and campus activism, working with so many dedicated individuals, that motivated him to follow the path of Asian American Studies.  He joined the MA program at the encouragement of his CSUN mentors, who also got their AAS training at UCLA, such as: Derek E. Mateo, Steven Masami Ropp, Gina Masequesmay, Allan Aquino, and Teresa Williams-Leon.  For his thesis, he will explore the politicization and transformative resistance of Filipina American high school students in Catholic schools in an attempt to contribute to Critical Race Theory and Critical Peminist Theory.  After completing his MA, he would like to pursue a PhD in history and one day return to CSUN’s Asian American Studies Department to teach--and especially learn from--the working-class students who do so much with so few resources. 

Gena S. Hamamoto is from Orange County, and she received her BA from UC Irvine in Asian American Studies.  Following that, she lived amongst the rice fields of rural Japan, teaching English as a participant in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET).  After a short stint working in higher education, she decided to return to school.  She plans to make a film about Okinawan American veterans who served in World War II for her thesis project.  After completing her MA, she hopes to finally read a trashy novel out at Santa Monica beach, where she lives.

Theresa de Leon Jaranilla grew up in Winter Park, Florida, living in a Filipino household always filled with relatives and their stories. She attended the University of Florida where she majored in English and Sociology.  During that time, Asian American Studies for her (except for the one literature course she took) existed outside of the classroom and almost completely in a student community continually inspired and guided by Asian American artists, activists, and leaders who visited the UF campus. After graduation, Theresa joined the MA program in search of the place where Asian American Studies in the classroom and community connect.  Theresa plans to complete a thesis about Asian American Studies and Filipino American Studies in public K-12 schools in the U.S.  She would like all students to have access to curricula and programs that accurately reflect the experiences and history of people of the color. She hopes to contribute to the elimination of the question, "Why didn't I learn this sooner?" as it relates to the youth and ethnic studies.  Upon graduation, Theresa hopes to find herself in a classroom teaching, learning, and storytelling alongside young students.

Hye-young Kwon immigrated to Los Angeles when she was fourteen from Seoul, Korea. She graduated from California State University at Pomona, and majored in social science and minored in Asian American Studies.  She states, "My reasons for joining UCLA MA program are manifold yet share a common theme: I want to be the voice of Asian immigrants who are often perceived as 'incompetent' due to language barriers."  Before joining the program, she received training through a paralegal studies program at UCLA and worked as a full-time legal community advocate at Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC). She says, "Recognizing the various oppressions that immigrants face, I resolved to further educate myself in the field of Asian American Studies to improve the social well-being of working-class immigrants like myself."  Her thesis project will attempt to demystify the Model Minority myth through examining the impact of class variability and immigration status on Korean American student’s academic achievement. Comparing high-achieving Korean American students at Torrance District with those who dropped out of or failed at high schools in Koreatown, the study will examine how class differences influence their ability to navigate school resources and to resist persistent racism. Her research will illuminate the ways in which Korean youth, who are living at the intersection of racism, xenophobia, and class distinction, effectively construct and negotiate their reality.  Upon completing the MA program, Hyeyoung wants to pursue a PhD in sociology to research appropriate methodologies to assist working-class Asian immigrant parents about the education system in the U.S. and improve ESL programs.

Christine Najung Lee was born and raised in Garden Grove, located in northern Orange County.  She affectionately refers to her hometown as “half white suburbia, half Asian ghetto.”  As an undergraduate at UCLA, she discovered Asian American Studies and met her current hero and mentor, K.W. Lee.  After graduating with a BA in English and Asian American Studies, Christine took a year off to travel, sleep, apply to graduate school, and freelance for an early Korean American oral history project.  As a joint student in Asian American Studies and Social Welfare, she is engaged in a thesis project entitled “Children of Saigu,” a multiracial anthology of first-person narratives by those remembering the Los Angeles Riots as children.  She has been involved in progressive, grassroots Korean American organizations in L.A.’s Koreatown, having had the privilege of playing poongmul (Korean drums) with one at this year’s immigration rallies.  After earning her MA, Christine hopes to work at a community-based organization and continue freelancing.

Paul Nadal, “PJ,” was born in Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Philippines and immigrated to the United States at the age of ten. He received his BA in English Literature and American Ethnic Studies at the University of Washington and also attended the University of the Philippines, Diliman. His general research interests include Asian American literature, cultural and literary theory, and Filipino Studies. On his decision to join the M.A. program, he states, “Because my view is that Asian American critical practice must take seriously the historical conditions and socio-political parameters that inform and bind literary texts, I believe that the program’s breadth of scholarship and distinguished strength in Asian American literary studies make possible, and indeed, nurture this necessary interdisciplinarity.” As an Institute of American Cultures (IAC) Pre-doctoral Fellow, PJ will explore contemporary Asian American literature, specifically Filipino American writing, examining the relationships between sexuality, nationalism, and globalization. PJ plans to pursue a PhD to continue his work in Asian American literature. You can visit PJ's webpage at http://www.pjnadal.com.

Thomas Szymanek (Wen Senbo) was born in Wałbrzych, Poland and immigrated to the Chicago with his family at the age of seven.  He received a BA in International Studies, a BS in Anthropology, and minors in Asian/Asian American Studies and Asian Languages & Literature at Loyola University.  In addition to his studies at Loyola, Thomas completed a Certificate of Language & Culture from Renmin (People’s) University of China.  Thomas believes that there are two reasons why he decided to devote himself to the Asian American Community and to Asian American Studies.  Shortly after moving to the United States from Eastern Europe, his family settled in a diverse neighbourhood of Chicago and encountered many social problems that often are neglected by society.   It was at the University level, however, that his mentor and advisor Dr. Yvonne Lau inspired him to become an advocate for the Asian American community.  In addition to his studies, throughout high school and college, Thomas worked and volunteered at various API immigrant and refugee community-based organisations in the Chicagoland area for over ten years, including places such as Chinese American Service League, Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, Asian Social Network and most recently Chinese Mutual Aid Association.  Thomas joined the MA programme in hopes of learning new ways of being an activist for the greater Asian American Community and giving back to those that have assisted him throughout the years.  His thesis, tentatively entitled, "Asian Pacific Islander Organisations Helping to Educate Every Child: A Case Study of Uptown, Chicago," seeks to address how a public policy, such as No Child Left Behind, influences and challenges child educational programmes at community based organisations.  After graduation, Thomas plans to continue to do community work on both national and international levels, focusing on educational and immigration issues, empower youth by teaching Asian American Studies and join his partner.  According to Thomas, “If everything goes to plan, I hope to establish my own transnational non-governmental organisation, serving the needs of the Asian and Asian American communities.” 

Mark Villegas grew up in Japan, Long Beach, California, and Jacksonville, Florida.  He graduated with degrees in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Florida.  He decided to join the MA program because of the Center's resources and reputation.  Many people influenced his decision to be involved with Asian American Studies, in particular alumnus Jeff Chang.  His research interests include Filipinos in the U.S. Navy, labor organizing, and hip hop cultural production.  His thesis will explore the racial and ethnic construction of post-1965, second-generation Filipino Americans through hip hop culture.  After he gets his MA degree, he hopes to teach at the community college and university level.

As a Fulbright graduate student from China, Hui Wang is committed to increasing understanding between Chinese and Americans. She is interested in the Asian American Studies Program not only because it allows her to examine the struggles and success of Asian Americans but also because not many scholars pursue Asian American Studies in China. Hui would like to become a professor of Asian American Studies literature, helping to develop the field in China.

Back row, standing, left to right: Sungkyu Steve Yun, John Tan, Michael Gonzales, Rukshana Singh, and Mary Uyematsu Kao.  Front row, seated, left to right:  Jennifer Madamba, Tram Le, Kehaulani Natsuko Vaughn, Kio Tong-Ishikawa, and Julienne Kwong.

Entering MA Class of 2004
Profiles by Brandy Lien Worrall-Yu

Michael Gonzales was born in Honolulu and was raised throughout Southern California.  He majored in an interdisciplinary program in architectural studies at UC Riverside and also partook in architectural studies and design programs in Boston, Washington, DC, and Rome.  Mike states, “I have researched Philippine architectural and urban issues as it pertains to the social effects of transnationalism and globalization.”  He feels that the M.A. program has enabled him to do a comparative analysis of Filipino spatial conditions in Manila and Los Angeles.  His interests are reflected in his thesis proposal, which seeks to research the inequitable relationship between Filipinos and Filipino Americans exhibited in the architectural and urban landscape they inhabit in Manila and Los Angeles.  In addition to his academic interests, Mike is an assistant to the newly created Filipino Studies Legacy Endowment Campaign at UCLA.  After graduating from the M.A. program, Mike would like to be involved with an urban studies think tank or continuing his studies in a master’s or doctoral program in architecture or urban design back east.

Mary Uyematsu Kao grew up in Sierra Madre, California and graduated from University High School in West Los Angeles in 1967.  She obtained a B.A. in Pictorial Arts from UCLA in 1972, and spent two years in the Ethnocommunications Program of the UCLA Film and TV department.  After having an extensive career as the UCLA Asian American Studies Center Press publications coordinator, Mary decided to join the M.A. program because “it seemed like a good thing to do to improve the quality of my work—late as it may be.  It’s been a great challenge. . .”  She states that for her M.A. thesis, “I am retrieving the hundreds of photographs I took in the early 1970s of the Asian American Movement.  I will be creating a kind of ‘scrapbook’ that I will use to jog the memories of my generation of women who were in the movement—and get some of their takes on what they got out of the movement.”  Mary states the person who influenced her the most to join the M.A. program to pursue her interests has been her mother, “who was the first person to be hired in the budding Asian American Studies Center in 1969.”  Her post-M.A. program plans include being a photographer/writer in the photo-journalist sense, teaching an Asian American Studies class at UCLA, and/or being a professional artist.

Julienne Kwong was born and raised in Sacramento and attended UC Davis, where she graduated with a major in Sociology and minor in Asian American Studies.  She joined the M.A. program (with a joint degree in the Social Welfare department) so she could continue engaging in issues of the community.  She states, “One aspect of the program I like is the sense of solidarity among the cohort and other grad students in the program.”  Her thesis will focus on, “Chinese American tourism to Southeast Asia.  I’m most interested in understanding international tourism as a legacy of imperialism and how the consciousness of the Asian American tourist is affected when meeting the Asian Other and consuming tourist commodities.  The portrayal of women in the tourist industry is also troublesome, as women are caught in representations of primitivism and hypersexuality.  I’m excited to work on this also because it delves into the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia.”  In addition to her studies, Julienne is involved in Womyn Warriors:  Asian Sisters In Action.  After earning her MSW, she hopes to work in the community as a women’s or children’s counselor before pursuing a Ph.D. in ethnic studies or sociology.

Tram Le lived on 3rd Street in L.A. until she was ten, at which time she moved to El Monte, “where I became a ghetto suburbanite to this day.”  She earned her B.S. in Business Administration (emphasis on Marketing) from California State University, Northridge.  She decided to join the M.A. program because “I have been creating art and artistic events for the past twelve years, and I wanted a program that would merge my artistic, community, and academic skills.”  For her thesis, Tram will work with the senior citizens (ages sixty to eighty) of the Vietnamese American Community in Orange County “to capture their stories and deepen our sense of history and collective identity.”  Her thesis proposal contains four parts:  Vietnamese oral history; an eighteen-week workshop in which Tram will engage the participants in exercises to teach them to reach in their memories for their stories and dig deeper for meanings; a performance for the community; and a twenty-page analysis about the process, goals, and results of the workshop.  Tram is also currently on the Board of Directors of the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association, and she is a co-founder and an active member of the first Vietnamese American theater troupe called Club O’ Noodles.  When asked about who or what influenced her to devote herself to Asian American Studies, Tram states, “I’d like to thank all the White and Latino kids in my elementary who reminded me of how different I am, how funny my name sounds, and how my language sounds like forks and spoons being dropped.  Finally, I can’t forget the Vietnamese people who told me that I’m too Americanized and laughed every time I spoke Vietnamese with an American accent and who can never remind me enough to lose some weight.”  Her dream-come-true plans include being the Director of the Vietnamese Art Museum and Performance Space.

Jennifer Madamba is from Los Angeles and majored in Asian American Studies at California State University, Northridge.  She joined the M.A. program to further explore laws affecting Asian Americans, activism, and community work.  For her thesis, Jennifer will examine the legal process in which Filipino veterans were denied their governmental benefits, review legal cases, and explore current legislation that enables veterans to obtain their benefits.  Jennifer would like to attend law school after completing her M.A. work.

Rukshana Singh grew up in San Mateo, California and attended UC Santa Barbara, where she received a B.A. in Sociology and Global Studies, with a socioeconomic emphasis in South Asia.  Rukshana will examine Fiji Indians, South Asian diaspora, and immigration for her M.A. thesis and address dominant narratives of South Asian American experience.  Before coming to the M.A. program, Rukshana was a labor organizer with SEIU and a student labor/anti-sweatshop organizer while she attended UCSB.  Rukshana states, “I am also in the Library and Information Science program, so I hope to get a job as a librarian either at a university, community college, public library, or correctional institution.”

John Tan was born and raised in San Jose.  He attended the University of Southern California, where he triple majored in Political Science, Biological Sciences and Asian American Studies.  John is also in the MPH program in Community Health Sciences.  He states, “I am planning on exploring the expression of Cambodian memory of the Pol Pot era in various forms.  These include publication of memoirs, releasing rap CDs, pursuing and promoting traditional cultural practices, and getting treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.  Eventually, I want to draw on the literature about the Japanese American internment experience.  I see many parallels in that body of knowledge in answering the question ‘why do some people feel that the community needs to tell these stories?’”  Before coming to the M.A. program, John was involved with the Asian Pacific American Student Services office at USC, where he facilitated peer mentoring and drop-in discussion hours, curriculum planning for a social issues seminar series, logistics for APA faculty discussion events, serving as editor-in-chief of the campus APA paper, and general office work.  After earning his M.A., John would like to teach at the high school (biology and chemistry, or American history and government) or college level.  He states, “Part of me wants to continue onto a Ph.D. program in Political Science, American Studies or Ethnic Studies.  Part of me wants to go to Law School.  Part of me wants to get a degree in either medicine, pharmacy or nursing.  Part of me is thinking of getting an MPA and running for political office back home.  Some part of me sees myself living somewhere with a cat, a dog, a fish and 1.5 children.  And another part of me wonders if I will actually make it to graduation.”

Kio Tong-Ishikawa is from Kaneohe, Hawaii.  At UC Santa Cruz where he double majored in Business Management Economics and Asian American Studies.  He states, “I applied to the M.A. program largely under the influence of my former boss/mentor Nancy Kim who works at the Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center at UCSC (she is also an alum from the program).”  Other influential people in Kio’s life are Professors Judy Yung and Alice Yang-Murray at UC Santa Cruz:  “Their dedication to students and passion for qualitatively examining the experiences of Asian Americans inspired me to likewise increase my understanding of the various perspectives found in Asian America.”  Kio would like to work at some non-profit after earning his M.A.

Kehaulani Natsuko Vaughn hails from Hayward, California, but she also has a strong connection to Hawai'i because her family is from there.  She attended Occidental College, where she majored in American Studies.  She states, “I decided to join the M.A. program in Asian American Studies because the Center has been supportive of Pacific Islanders.  In the past the department offered courses on themes relating to Pacific Islanders.  Another reason why I chose the Asian American studies program at UCLA is because of the Pacific Islander on staff, Sefa Aina.  Sefa has been a great mentor and has continued to support me throughout my educational endeavors and research.”  Her thesis research seeks to examine different historical documents such as treaties, the State of Hawai‘i Admissions Act and other legal documents that may indicate what Congress initially intended in their political relationship with Native Hawaiians.  She states, “My research may indicate a viable strategy for Native Hawaiians to achieve a better model of self-determination.”  Kehaulani is currently involved in PISA (Pacific Islander Student Alliance), PIER (Pacific Islanders Education Retention) and RAIN (Retention American Indians Now).  She states, “With few avenues for Pacific Islanders to do their research, Asian Americans Studies provides an avenue for this to happen.  I am very passionate about my research and I decided to continue my education in Asian American Studies to find a supportive atmosphere where I can intellectually grow.  I’ve worked with Alice Hom who has been a great supporter of my work, as well as Sefa Aina, Professor Erin Wright and Professor Yin from Occidental College.”  Kehaulani would like to pursue a career in student affairs after completing her M.A. work:  “I love to work with students, and I enjoy doing programming relating to diversity education and social justice issues.  I would love to have a job where I can work with students and issues such as these.”

Steve Sungkyu Yun was born in Seoul, South Korea and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of twelve.  He states, “In keeping with the true spirit of migration, my family moved in and out of several northeastern and mid-Atlantic states.  I think I am the only first-generation immigrant in my cohort.”  Steve says that the reason he joined the M.A. program was, “The place where I used to work (in NY and DC) subscribed to many Asian American publications.  Amerasia Journal was one of our favorite periodicals.  We also received CrossCurrents.  So I was quite familiar with the program and its reputation.”  For his M.A. research, Steve wants to chronicle the Asian American movement and activism by interplaying and juxtaposing several activist organizations.  After completing his M.A. work, Steve would like to pursue a Ph.D. in either history or ethnic studies.