From the Director

a r t h a t s u y e From the Founding Director Embolden, Equip, and Empower: Fifteen Years of APIA Resilience Publisher...........Francis Tanglao Aguas Editor in Chief................Jamelah Jacob S ince the earliest days of APIA-W&M, our community has always been resilient amidst adversity. Our curriculum emboldens, equips, and Copy & Design Editor.......Catie Nguyen empowers students to thrive and succeed in making their mark on the Assistant Copy Editors............Rayna Yu world. This is exactly what the founding alumni modeled when they collaborated with faculty in establishing the program. Their tenacity Woojin Yoon and courage to exercise their agency as we taught them, paved the way Staff Writers...............Emma Shainwald for the Class of 2020 to experience all four years of their university Kathryn Yang Zeta Atoigue life as majors of William & Mary’s Program in Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies. CONTENTS The faculty of APIA joins me in congratulating Patrick Canteros, Maggie Chu, David Fernandez, and Emma Shainwald, aka the 4-4s,on From the Director..............................2 their graduation and ascent into the world that awaits their contribution. All 4-4s have exhibited excellence in academic performance, service, From the Editor..................................3 activism, and leadership--the hallmarks of APIA majors. APIA-W&M Senior Essays....................................4 blossomed because of their enthusiasm, indefatigable work ethic, dedication and unbridled commitment to leaving APIA stronger and Not Your Model Minority....................8 energized. As they depart to pursue their dreams, they leave us with Stop Being Racist!..........................12 the best gift we could ask for, 20 students led by the Class of 2021: Luigi Almirante, Marcus Bengzon, Athena Benton, Jamelah Jacob, and Poetry & Purposeful Silence..........14 Zoe Marquez who will graduate as the largest cohort APIA has so far Prof. Ferrão Wins Fulbright............16 assembled. APIAlumni...................................17 The 4-4’s groundbreaking experience became more historic by virtue Kelsey & Benming..........................18 of the COVID-19 pandemic that required all of us at William & Mary to adapt and be flexible. We took the quarantine as an opportunity Fanohge Chamorro.........................20 rather than a hindrance. The expansion of online teaching allowed us Why I Majored..................................22 to recruit and hire APIA Professors from other locations bypassing the lack of APIA professors in our area. We were also able to offer long Freeman Fellowship.......................24 sought Art courses such as Intro to Art and Activism and Asian Bodies & Scenes from APIA..........................26 Visual Arts taught by our newest Adjunct Instructor, Professor Roberto Jamora. Professor Gem Daus of the University of Maryland also joins our program and is set to teach Pandemics, Paranoia and Public Health.

Francis Tanglao Aguas, Director R. Benedito Ferrao, PhD Monika Gosin, PhD Tomoko Hamada, PhD Jenny Kahn, PhD Hiroshi Kitamura, PhD Claire Pamment, PhD Joanna Schug, PhD Stephen Sheehi, PhD Deenesh Sohoni, PhD Chinua Akimaro Thelwell, PhD Lynn Weiss, PhD Andrea Wright, PhD

2020 marks another milestone for APIA, as I hand off the directorship of the program with confidence and full faith in the leadership of Professor Deenesh Sohoni after fifteen years of leadership. I want to thank my colleagues, especially Professors R. Benedito Ferrao, Stephen Sheehi, Deenesh Sohoni, and Chinua Thelwell for their constant solidarity and support. The partnership and support of the Han Zhang and Jinlan Liu Foundation have been a constant source of strength for our program’s stability. To the nearly 50 APIA majors and minors, as I often say, your collaboration is my dream come true because I dedicated myself to the creation of our program for you, but it was also your joining the cause that made every second of my fifteen years at William & Mary time well spent.

With that, we move on to the next phase of our growth and development as an academic family. Not a single one of us can envision the new realities brought forth by the pandemic or whatever global event awaits us. While all that is uncertain, there is one constant, that our APIA family will continue to exhibit a habit of heart and mind that shows that changing the world begins with caring for and strengthening our communities. That is the true praxis of an Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies education.