A native of Taiwan who immigrated with his family to the U.S. at age six, Dr. Chang grew up in Los Angeles and holds an Ed.D. from Loyola Marymount University, M.Ed.’s from the Principals Leadership Institute and the Teachers Education Program at the University of California Los Angeles, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Chang is a fearless advocate for educational equity and for fostering safe, welcoming, and sustaining learning environments for all students, including immigrants, LGBTQ youth, and court-involved students. He sits on a number of boards including Families in Schools, a non-profit focused on parents and community engagement, Silicon Schools Fund, a non-profit that funds the creation of new schools in the Bay Area of California focused on innovation and personalization, and Leading Educators, a non-profit that partners with school systems to improve teaching and leadership.

Dr. Kim Lawe is in her 26th year in education where she spent 11 years in the classroom as a science teacher, 11.5 years as a secondary administrator, 2.5 years as a director at a county office of education, and now a senior director for a school district in Los Angeles County. She currently overlooks curriculum, instruction and assessment for secondary schools. Her primary role is to support site leaders and teachers. Kim also supports teacher candidates in a university graduate teacher preparation program as an adjunct professor. Although Kim is passionate about STEM education and ensuring equitable access for and increased representation of females and underrepresented students in STEM courses and fields, she is also an advocate for student access to curriculum and content that represents them. Having minored in Race and Ethnic Studies in her undergraduate studies, she took her first ethnic studies course in college and did not realize how much TK-12 education left out Asian American history in the American curriculum. This void was painful for her as she is a Vietnamese boat refugee who spent 10 days at sea and 3 months in a Malaysian refugee camp. She felt that throughout her TK-12 experience, she was trying to assimilate and be someone and something else because she never knew about her culture except from the stories her parents shared. Kim is a champion for equity and access not only for students but for educators and leaders so that our diverse group of students can have role models who look like them. Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans need to tell our stories or someone else will keep telling our stories for us…from an inaccurate perspective.

Kim is an active member of California Association of Asian Pasifika Leaders in Education (CAAPLE) and Association of California School Administrators (ACSA).

More on: https://www.apu.edu/stories/kim-lawe/

After retiring from her job as a cloud infrastructure principal lead, Patricia Kwoh volunteered to lead the curriculum development project for Untold Civil Rights Stories: Asian Americans Speak Out for Justice. Patricia also served as the project director for curriculum development for the 2020 PBS docuseries Asian Americans. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Patricia is married to Stewart Kwoh. They have two sons, Nathan, and Steven who is married to Jing and have two children. Patricia’s great-grandfather was the first family member who came from China to the United States in the early 1900s, working on farms in California, and thus began her family’s migration to America.

Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan is the inaugural Executive Director for AANAPISI Affairs and the inaugural Director of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Center at San Diego State University (SDSU), and the author of over 400 children's books, mainly on APIDA content. Previously, she was a teacher educator, curriculum designer, and a K-8 teacher. Virginia received her B.A. in English and Master’s in Elementary Education from the University of Virginia, and Ph.D. in Education from SDSU.

Virginia identifies as Chinese American. Her family’s immigration story consists of escaping from the Japanese occupation of China and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Born in the Year of the Dragon on Flag Day, she was the first of her family to be born in the United States. Virginia’s hobbies include crafting, playing piano, reading, and watching television shows. She currently lives in San Diego with two naughty dogs and a loving husband.

Sandy Sakamoto is a 3.5 generation Japanese American, growing up surrounded by the richness of California’s diverse communities; yet a short generation ago Sandy’s father, grandparents and other family members were incarcerated during World War II at Manzanar, California just for being Japanese American. She received her J.D. from Loyola Law School, M.S.A from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and B.A. from the University of Utah (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa).

Sandy is a community leader and legal professional with decades-long experience serving in leadership roles on the boards of nonprofit organizations promoting social and economic justice, civil rights, equity, community, culture and the arts. She serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment; Board Member and former Board Chair of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles; and Board Member and former Chair of the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center. As a retired partner at the law firm of LimNexus LLP, Sandy has experience in a breadth of practice areas, and served as General Attorney and Assistant General Counsel for the law department of a global Fortune 50 telecommunications company prior to joining LimNexus.

Laura (she/her/她) often finds herself called to take action at the intersection of faith and justice. Laura is a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA), a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, and a student at New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Laura is the first Asian American elected to the school board of the Greenwich Township School District in Warren County, NJ; a steering committee member of API Rainbow Parents of PFLAG NYC/NJ; a board member of The E Pluribus Unum Project; a Director of Christian Education at Stewartsville Presbyterian Church; founder of The Village, NJ. Laura has presented at various conferences using storytelling and trained staff of NY Giants, Blue Cross Blue Shield, NY Transit Authority, NJEA, school board members, county community college, and county social workers. She seeks to build community wherever she goes and works to expand safe and inclusive spaces for all people where everyone’s stories matter.

Jayson Chang is a high school social science educator based in San Jose, California. His academic interests include thematic teaching, culturally relevant pedagogy, food history, and nationalism studies. Jayson has participated in a wide range of leadership capacities within the California Teachers Association (CTA) and National Education Association (NEA). Prior, he served as the Chair and Treasurer of the CTA Pacific Asian American Caucus, and the Northern California Regional Director of the NEA Asian Pacific Islander Caucus. He graduated with a B.A. in Liberal Arts with a concentration in International Studies from Soka University of America, and Master’s of Education from Claremont Graduate University. Currently, he is working towards his second master's degree in American History through Gettysburg College.

Born in Monterey Park, California, Jayson is of Cantonese-Fukien heritage. He is descended from ethnic Chinese Vietnamese parents, part of the boat people diaspora. His grandparents and great-grandparents were from China. In his spare time, he enjoys cooking and collecting autographed cookbooks.

Prabhneek (Niki) Heer is the daughter of immigrants from Punjab, India who settled in California's Central Valley in the 1980s. Her commitment to racial and economic justice has been heavily influenced by where she was raised and her immediate and extended family. This commitment has only grown and reinforced by her concentration in Race, Ethnicity and Politics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and subsequent experiences in organizing spaces.

Niki is also a collective member of Chicago Desi Youth Rising, and member of Chicago's PIC abolitionist movement. She loves the outdoors, reading, puzzles, and spending time with all the children in her life.

Lorine (Erika) Saito, Ph.D., is a fourth generation Japanese American with California roots. Erika is the Director of Strategic Partnerships, PK-14 Education at University of Massachusetts Global. Prior to this she was an Executive Director; Curriculum & Instruction at Teach Us; Assistant Professor and Program Director in Teacher Credentialing at National University, and served as a Subcommittee Chair for the university’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. She is actively involved in CATESOL (California Association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), AERA (American Educational Research Association), and CIES (Comparative and International Education Society), and is an article and associate editor for peer-reviewed journals.

Erika’s background includes over 15 years as a California credentialed teacher with a reading certificate, and has worked in a range of K-12 educator roles from classroom teacher to ELD (English Language Development)/Sheltered Programs Department Chair, and U.S. Department of State English Language Specialist. Her research focuses on Asian Pacific Islander Desi American history, education, ethnic social/cultural capital, SEL (Social Emotional Learning), and ethnic identity.

Erika spends her spare time with her two daughters, driving to their extra-curricular activities and cooking some of their favorite meals including korokke (croquettes), salmon, miso shiru (from scratch of course!), and gohan.

Shirlie (Mae) Peralta is a 1.5 generation Filipina American residing on Tongva land (Los Angeles). Mae is a faculty member in psychology and ethnic studies at Mount Saint Mary’s University where she also serves as Director of Research for Clinical Psychology (PsyD). She has degrees in Asian American Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara and University of California, Los Angeles; and Ph.D. in Education from Claremont Graduate University.

Mae has over 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector in the areas of grant writing, program development, cross-cultural mediation, anti-bias training, and creative writing. Her primary research area is on the identity and career development of students and professionals of color in the social sciences, arts, and humanities. During her down time, Mae enjoys watching Broadway shows with her family in San Diego, geeking out over numerous pop culture fandoms with friends, and cross-stitching.

Ashley Chu (she/her) was born and raised in San Francisco by immigrant parents from Hong Kong and Macau. She taught preschool through first grade for twelve years in Washington, DC and San Francisco. She earned her B.A. in Communication Studies from UCLA, and Ed.M. in Education Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Ashley's professional passions include equity and diversity in children's literature and teaching foundational literacy skills. She loves spending time with her two kids, being outdoors, reading, and baking.

Courtney Wai joins The Asian American Education Project as a Consulting Instructor, Southern Regional Manager. Courtney also works as a Professional Learning Facilitator with Learning for Justice, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. She began her career as a public-school teacher and eventually worked for Teach For America, City Year, and Relay Graduate School of Education. She earned her Bachelor’s from Scripps College and her Masters of Arts degree in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Texas – San Antonio.

Courtney grew up in Hawai‘i, where educators, elders, and family members affirmed her identity as a young Asian American Pacific Islander woman through counter narratives that centered the AAPI experience. In joining the Asian American Education Project, Courtney hopes to equip teachers to create affirming, inclusive spaces for all students. Currently, Courtney lives in San Antonio, Texas and enjoys playing soccer, surfing, hiking, and spending time with her husband and dog.

Elisha Li is a 2nd generation Korean-American educator and parent. After growing up in the Philadelphia area, she taught in elementary schools for 14 years in New York City public and private schools. She has mentored new teachers, led her grade team to incorporate Asian-American perspectives in their curriculum, and presented at the NAIS Diversity Conference. She holds a B.A. in Education and Psychology from Swarthmore College, and M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her Master’s Thesis was titled: What Makes Effective Professional Development? What Research Says, What Teachers Say. In her work as a consultant, she remains passionate about facilitating professional learning to meet teachers and students where they are.

Elisha’s parents immigrated from South Korea in the late 1970s and met in the Baltimore area where she was later born. Her parents-in-law immigrated from Shanghai, China to the U.S. as graduate students in the late 1970s. In her spare time, she runs @Asian-American Kid Lit and enjoys exploring city parks and restaurants with her husband and son.

Sonya Urs (she/her) is a Consulting Instructor for The Asian American Education Project. Sonya’s parents immigrated from South India to the U.S. in the 1980s where their careers took her family all over the country, exposing her to an array of schools in multiple states. During the summer, Sonya traveled to India to spend time with family and learn about her roots.

Growing up primarily in the Pacific Northwest, Sonya has lived and worked in Washington for the last twelve years. Attending the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, her passion for racial justice blossomed from several African American History courses—focused on understanding her identity as a person of color within the black-white binary of the U.S. Later she attended Seattle University and obtained her Masters in Teaching.

Sonya currently teaches Ethnic Studies in Seattle. As an educator who champions racial equity work, she has been involved in social justice projects over the past decade. For her, representation is important as she believes students should be able to see themselves reflected in their educators. She currently lives in Seattle, Washington with her wife, son, and dog.

Cody Uyeda is a 4th generation Japanese American from Orange County, California. He has a B.A. in English and Communication and a J.D. from the University of Southern California, as well as an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Cody is also the program and administrative coordinator for Okaeri, a Los Angeles organization that centers Japanese American LGBTQ+ voices. His prior experiences have been in the nonprofit, education, and legal fields. Cody’s interest in the Asian American community began with exploring his own family’s history and traditions, and he is interested broadly in the intersection of ethnic identity, culture, education, and using research and advocacy to advance knowledge and social justice. In his free time Cody enjoys reading, cooking/baking, and being outdoors.

Samantha Rui Xue Chang is a 1.5/2.5 generation (depending who you ask) Asian American based in the Bay Area. Samantha is currently a 4th grade educator and enjoys reading, rituals, and rest. She graduated with a B.A. in Sociology with minors in English and Education, and a Masters of Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

According to family legend, Samantha’s paternal great-grandfather came to America in the 1800s to work on the railroads, eventually leading to the rest of her family immigrating in the 1970s. This story, like a few others, has gone through many iterations and it is unclear where the truth ends and fable begins. According to her great-grandfather's headstone, he was born in the late 1800s, so it is clear that the filters of memory may have seeped into her family’s American origin story. Nonetheless, her family history has led to four generations that still comes together to share stories.

Dr. Catherine Fung started her career as a college professor teaching courses and publishing scholarship in Asian American literature. She moved into high school teaching, where she focused on developing curriculum in Ethnic Studies and Asian American Studies. Most recently, she has taught for San José State University and San Joaquin Delta College. A self-identified activist, her teaching has always been guided by values of liberation, community, and healing.

Catherine also works as a developmental editor, writing coach, and workshop facilitator. Her research and writing appear in Social Text, College Literature, Dismantle Magazine, and Techno-Orientalism: Imagining Asia in Speculative Fiction, History, and Media, Asian American Literature in Transition, among other publications. She has served on the executive board of the Association for Asian American Studies. She earned her Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Davis and her B.A. in English and World Literatures from UCLA. In her spare time, she enjoys doing arts and crafts and spending time with her husband and son. She has a black belt in taekwondo.

Richard Crowe has over 20 years of experience in the Accounting and Financial arenas. After graduating from Florida A & M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance and passing the CPA examination, Richard began working for Chase Bank as a finance specialist evaluating complex loan transactions in overseas markets. After a multi-year stint at Chase, he then earned a Master’s in Finance from the prestigious University of Chicago.

After the University of Chicago, Richard moved to Los Angeles and joined Columbia College Hollywood as Chief Financial and Operating Officer when the school’s enrollment was at an all-time low. Richard was instrumental in turning around the college and increasing its enrollment to record levels through educational transfer agreements with Chinese educational institutions.

Richard is currently VP of Finance/CFO at Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, a civic and social services nonprofit in Southern California. His hobbies include tennis, golf and seeing the world.

Antony Wong is Program Coordinator at the Asian American and Asian Research Institute, of The City University of New York. Born in Long Island and raised in Manhattan's Chinatown, Antony received his B.A. in English from Hunter College/CUNY, and M.B.A. in Accountancy from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College/CUNY. He also serves on Manhattan Community Board No. 2 as Board Treasurer and member of the Traffic & Transportation and State Liquor Authority committees, and is a former Co-Chair of the Chinatown Working Group. He was honored in 2018 at the Office of the Manhattan Borough President’s Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration for his activism and achievements. His interests include digital photography and running.

JL Mayor worked on the Untold Civil Rights Stories: Asian Americans Speak Out for Justice book project in 2009 for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles and the 2020 PBS docuseries Asian Americans. JL has also copyedited various volumes of CUNY FORUM: Asian American / Asian Studies, published by the Asian American / Asian Research Institute, of The City University of New York. He is an avid hiker and has hiked the Colorado and Arizona Trails with his beloved dogs. Currently a resident of Denver, Colorado, JL has previously lived in Manila, Moscow, New York City, Los Angeles and Houston.

Esther Lee is the Web Developer and Designer launching The Asian American Education Project’s website in 2021. Esther worked on this project in order to teach new and current generations about what actually happened in Asian American history by providing students an understanding of how history affected their relatives, and to spark curiosity in discovering their own family roots and recognizing the importance of keeping traditions.

After obtaining a B.A. in Fine Arts with a focus in programming, graphic arts, and teaching, Esther is grateful to have received opportunities to work for various industries including education, hospitality, non-profit, and politics. Visiting different parks and trying new fast casual takeout from small business owners are just a few activities that she, her husband and their two sons look forward to on weekends.

Laura Ouk, a Cambodian American educator based in Chicago, was born in Paris after her family fled from the Khmer Rouge regime. Her family later resettled in Chicago. She earned a BA in Educational Studies from Denison University and a MAT in Special Education from Relay School of Education. As the visiting inclusive education director for the Illinois State Board of Education and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, she champions inclusive educational practices with a focus on Asian American and Pacific Islander history. Laura played a pivotal role in advocating for the TEAACH Act and continues to support its implementation. She is also a curriculum writer for the Cambodian American Studies Model Curriculum, launching in California during the 2024-2025 school year. Additionally, Laura serves as the board president of the National Cambodian Heritage Museum and as a board member for the Cambodian Association of Illinois.

Toby Wu is a Consulting Instructor at The Asian American Education Project (AAEdu). Prior to joining AAEdu, he worked for over a decade as a teacher and instructional leader in elementary schools in New York City and the Bay Area. He is also a Ph.D. student in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at New York University. His research focuses on teacher diversity and leadership. He earned his B.A. in History & Education from Swarthmore College, and M.A. in Education from Stanford University.

Toby identifies as a 1.5 generation Chinese American and a proud New Yorker. His family's immigration story motivates his commitment to racial justice, especially in the field of education. In his spare time, he enjoys visiting cultural institutions and new restaurants and bakeries.

Paula Katrina Camaya is a Filipina educator based in Chicago, Illinois. Born in the Philippines, Paula Katrina (known to most as Paula) came to the United States when she was four years old. She has two first names, a common Spanish naming custom and therefore, common Filipino naming custom due to colonization. Paula holds a B.A in History and a B.S in Secondary Education from Loyola University Chicago. She is the first in her family to graduate from a U.S. university.

Paula has five years of experience as a community organizer in Chicago working with organizations like Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and Chicago United for Equity. She advocates for racial equity, education, immigrant rights, and more. She is also a high school social studies teacher, mainly teaching Civics and literacy courses. She loves to read, eat yummy food, spend time with family, and design nail art.

Kalia Vue, Ph.D., is a HMong American currently residing in Minnesota. She is a Ph.D. graduate from The Ohio State University from the Department of Teaching and Learning within the Multicultural and Equity Studies Education program. Her research revolves around museums and museum education, emphasizing asset-based pedagogies, refugee and immigrant education, and AANHPI experiences. Notably, she has contributed a chapter on Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Museum Education. She has presented her research at notable conferences such as the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), and the International Conference on the Inclusive Museum. With experience spanning various museums, including science, history, children's museums, and cultural learning institutions, Kalia brings a diverse perspective to her work.

In her free time, she finds joy in traveling and trying different cuisines. At home in Minnesota, she loves spending time with her family, friends, and dog and exploring the 10,000 lakes, parks, and trails that the state has to offer.

Lining Zhang is an equity leadership and ERI (Ethnic Racial Identity) coach, as well as a learning designer from China. In China she has a decade experience in legal education innovation in higher education institutions, as well as civic education and global competence education in K12 schools. She worked with the National Ministry of Education and provincial departments of education in China to have more than 1000 schools implementing innovative interdisciplinary STEAM curriculum. She led professional development for teachers and school heads. She is also the author of two books on civic education which are used as textbooks for both in school and extracurricular programming in over 100 schools. Lining received her BA from Ocean University of China majoring in English, Japanese and journalism, Juris Doctor from Peking University, LLM from Harvard Law School and recently Master of Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Lining is a global citizen and educator, receiving her education in both China and the US, working in international law firms, NGOs, public interest law firms such as the ACLU, and international schools throughout her career. She is from Fujian province, and lived in North China at Qingdao and Southwestern China at Yunnan extensively, with a deep appreciation of the cultural and natural diversity and richness in the Chinese ethnic minority communities. She loves improvisation theater, Orff music and food experiments, all of which are both crucial parts of her identities and integrated parts of her learning design and coaching practice.

Laarnie Cordero (also known as Leny) is a dedicated advocate for racial, economic, immigration, and climate justice. Based in New Jersey, she has accumulated over a decade of experience in both formal and informal educational settings, catering to learners across various age groups. Leny's passion for promoting APIDA (Asian Pacific Islander Desi American) education is evident through her collaborative efforts with different community sectors. She works to provide educators with the necessary tools and resources to integrate Asian American history into K-12 classrooms, enriching students' understanding of APIDA heritage.

Outside of her advocacy work, Leny is a loving dog owner to Bayani, meaning "hero" in Filipino. Leny's creative spirit extends beyond her advocacy work and pet care; she enjoys engaging in a variety of DIY projects, from baking traditional Filipino delicacies to building vegetable garden boxes and crocheting winter hats.

Leny holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management from the University of St. Tomas, and a Master's degree in Healthcare Administration from Walden University.

Giannela Gonzales is a 1.5 generation Filipina American from San Diego, California. She earned a B.A. in Liberal Studies, with an emphasis in Elementary Education, at San Diego State University (SDSU). She earned her Multiple Subjects Credential from SDSU as well. Giannela was also a former graduate assistant at the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Center at SDSU.

When she was ten, Gianella moved from Manila, Philippines to San Diego with her family to reunite with relatives already living in California. As an elementary school educator, Giannela finds inspiration from her experiences as an immigrant to continue learning and teaching about Asian American histories and narratives. In her free time, Giannela likes to read, exercise, and spend time with family and friends.

Jin Yoon (they/them) is a 1.5 generation Korean American originally from Los Angeles, California, but now residing in Chicago, Illinois. They received their B.A. from the University of Chicago where they double majored in Sociology, and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies. They are currently working as a Program Assistant at Northwestern University's School of Professional Studies. In their free time, Jin enjoys gaming, baking, crocheting, and reading.

Alyx Yuka Tsang is a volunteer at The Asian American Education Project. Growing up with her family from different Asian cultures, that uniqueness and harmony inspired her to stay close to her roots while being respectful and inclusive as she explores the world and meets different people.

Alyx enjoys playing Rugby with her brother (their mini team name is Ryūka, as in Ryūji and Yuka); and practicing brush calligraphy.