Teaching
The photo on this page depicts me on campus of Long Beach Poly High School, teaching ethnic studies where I had set foot as a high school freshman ten years prior.
From 2019-2021, I taught an introductory ethnic studies course and a Contemporary Asian American Studies course at my alma mater, Long Beach Poly High School, through the Ethnic Studies Initiative at CSU Long Beach, which allows high school students to enroll in college ethnic studies classes. This experience introducing youth in my community to ethnic studies was the highlight of my career.
I am currently teaching Ethnic Studies and U.S. History to newcomer immigrant youth in the Peninsula of the Bay Area.
Student Zines
During the Fall 2020 semester, I taught two sections of the course AS AM 121: Contemporary Issues in Asian America. One section was for high school students through the dual-enrollmment Ethnic Studies Initiative, while the other course was a traditional course at CSULB.
Students created zines as part of their final project. Students were given the freedom to select an issue that peaked their interest for their final project, which consisted of researching the issue, relating the issue to Asian American Studies frameworks such as racialization and racial capitalism, and writing a 5-7 page paper on the issue. Students chose a wide range of issues including gentrification, deportation, media representation, and the racialization of COVID-19.
Additionally, students created zines to summarize the findings from their research project. The purpose of the zine aspect was so students could show off their creativity and artistic skills, which students do not often have an outlet for in their studies. I was blown away by the students' final projects and was deeply inspired by their research and creativity. Many students opted to share their projects with the public, which can be found on CSULB's AAAS Department website.
Ethnic Studies Initiative - Student Engagement Through Multimedia
From 2019-2021, I participated in the Ethnic Studies Initiative, which allowed high school students to dual-enroll in college level ethnic studies courses at CSULB.
As an educator, I believe in assessing student knowledge through mediums that are fun and engaging to students. In the current age, social media is popular medium for youth to express their thoughts. Given that, I encourage students to apply the concepts they learn in class through the creation of memes, witty tweets, Tik Toks, etc.
Take a look at this twitter page ran by students from my Spring 2019 Intro to Ethnic Studies Course, which includes memes, tweets, as well as students' culminating art/research projects.