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Diversity Statement

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One of the most jolting experiences for a student of color is the moment one realizes they are in a predominantly white space for the first time. Having grown up in majority working class immigrant of color communities in Queens, New York, college was my first exposure to being a visible minority, an experience that would replicate itself two graduate programs later. While higher education institutions have certainly increased diversity initiatives in the past decade, these efforts take time and conscious labor to address the inequities that have prevented students, much like myself, from pursuing their education with the same confidence as white peers. As a teacher, my achievements do not make me a successful exception to the structural inequities connected to racism and misogyny. Rather, my struggles inform me of the variable efforts required to succeed and communal triumphs necessary to get there. As such, I believe in being part of a cultural shift in academic settings where mentors of color can be available for other students of color, where difficult conversations about difference becomes commonplace in higher education institutions, and where our impact as scholars extend beyond the university to our surrounding communities.

For any student, a mentor is crucial to one’s academic and personal success since she models a way of life and moving through the world that seems possible. Through the mentorship of other Asian American women writers and scholars such as Cathy Park Hong and Tina Chang, I have been able to connect with growing Asian American literary networks, prepare for graduate school, and diversify my literary knowledge with their generous guidance. I approach my relationship to students with the same goal of providing access to opportunities and knowledge that are not available to them. As a teacher across disciplines of creative writing and literature, critical race and gender studies, my pedagogy loops in difficult conversations about race, disability, class, gender and sexual identity alongside resources that would enlarge students’ roles in the university and in their greater communities. My courses center questions of identity and access for those who share the same experiences as my own. Meanwhile, I also convey my role as an ally to those who experience other forms of marginalization. We have a responsibility to become fluent in the resources available for less visible students, to advocate for them through deep listening, and invest in their holistic academic growth.

In addition to fostering relationships between diverse faculty and students, developing relationships with communities outside of one’s higher education institution is also crucial for underrepresented members of the student body to see themselves reflected in areas surrounding their university. Drawing from my experiences working as a community-based teaching artist, I integrate community outreach and partnership as part of my teaching practice in higher education settings. It is my belief that these connections are necessary for understanding our varied social positions in the world. By working with the university’s community outreach programs to arrange collaborative teaching lessons in prisons or pilot a program for high school youth of color, I guide students towards recognizing their privileges and areas of access in the world, how these advantages change depending on context, but are still important to note. 

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