Meet the 2014-2015 Executive Board!
Year: Sophomore
Major: Double major in Mathematics and Japanese, minor in Spanish
Favorite food: Tamagoyaki (Japanese eggs)
Other involvements: Last year, I served as a member of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Planning Committee and a Freshman Representative for the Japanese American Student Association. This year, I am also serving as the Internal and External Representative for the Japanese American Student Association and the Public Relations Chair for the Japanese American Student Union of Washington, D.C.
What community means to me: I didn't really understand what a community was for most of my life because I never felt that I belonged to one. When I went on a service trip to the Dominican Republic, however, I finally felt that I could understand the meaning of the word. The people that lived together in the small community I visited were each other's entire worlds. They had no choice but to live together, go to school together, and work together. Their fates were all inextricably intertwined with one another. It can be more difficult to define a community such as the Asian American Pacific Islander community at the University of Maryland, in which we do have a choice whether to interact with one another. However, like the people in the Dominican Republic, our fates are intertwined. By simply being AAPI at UMD, we all inevitably face certain challenges. If we hope to overcome those challenges, we must be united as a community.
Fun fact: I am certified in Wilderness First Aid because I was the Health and Safety Officer for an Engineers Without Borders trip to Peru.
Niko Schultz
Co-President
Christian Flores
Vice President of Internal Affairs
Year: Senior
Major/Minor: Kinesiology Major
Favorite Food: Taiwanese Chicken from Jumbo Jumbo <3
Other Involvements: My involvment with AASU started and expanded from the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) Planning Committee last Spring. Since then, I became the Internal Vice President of AASU with hopes of unifying out APA community here in Maryland. Other than AASU, I am also the Cultural Chair, and a very active member, of the Filipino Cultural Association (FCA) here at College Park.
What Community Means to Me: Community is feeling a sense of belonging, security, and support-- like a family, or an organization, or an ethnic group. I strongly believe that community helps shape an individual's growth and identity. Community fosters good will and selflessness. As this year's Internal VP, it is my hope to help unify the APA community to ultimately strengthen APA voice and presence here on campus.
Kalyn Cai
Co-Vice President of Advocacy
Year: Sophomore
Major/Minor: Arabic
Favorite Food: Coffee
What Community Means to Me: "Be careful with each other so we can be dangerous together."
Andrew Mayton
Co-President
Year: Senior
Major/Minor: English/Asian American Studies
Other involvements: Working as manager at Stamp IT takes up most of my time. But otherwise I'm close with the Asian American Studies department, MICA, and I float around various other organizations. I'm familiar with key figures in Justice at Maryland, UMD Student Power Network, and the Filipino Cultural Association.
Favorite food: Fish, rice, and patis
What community means to me: A community is a network of people and places where anyone can feel safe to exist and express. The power of a community lies in its ability to enact change its surroundings through principled and affective collaboration.
Fun fact: I play a whole mess of instruments.
Chung Sham
Vice President of Finance
Year: Junior
Major/Minor: Biochemistry
Favorite Food: Beef and Chinese Broccoli over rice
Other Involvements: Thanks to some great friends, I found myself
exploring many different APA organizations on campus. By the end of my
sophomore year I was an extremely active member of the Chinese Student
Association and Japanese American Student Association. Being inspired
by those who shared the same passion for culture, I committed myself
to becoming more involved on campus and now serve as the Event
Coordinator for Japanese American Student Association as well. I still
make sure that I participate in other organizations and strongly
encourage every to come to the meetings on campus to have a great time
making new friends and learning about culture at the same time.
What Community Means to Me: Community is the center, where individuals
come together to bring his or her own unique experiences and
personality to interact with and support others who share the same
passion. Community gives each and everyone of us to express ourselves
how we choose to in an open environment. It is also where one voice
becomes hundreds or even thousands. We can overcome challenges
together and continue to grow. Fun activities and being connected with
those around us are essential in a strong community.
Fun Fact: I like to draw!
YLan Nguyen
Vice President of Communications
Year: Junior
Major/Minor: Psychology major, Asian American Studies minor
Favorite Food: Pizza!
Other Involvements: For the first two years of college, I spent most of my time dancing on Major Definition, a local hip-hop dance team. Now, I am an Asian American Pacific Islander Advocate at the Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy office in Stamp.
What Community Means to Me: Community is a space where individuals can unite through common experiences and environments. A community fosters knowledge, courage, strength, and belonging.
Fun Fact: I like to dance!
Justin Lee
WAASP Chair
Year: Junior
Major/Minor: Government and Politics
Favorite food: Lasagna, Chipotle, and anything at Adeles.
Other involvements: I am the Undergraduate Studies Represenative for the Student Government Association. I am involved in the Sustainability Committee, Academic Affairs Committee, as well as the Health and Wellness Committee.
What community means to me: A community is a group of individuals that share the same goals. They work together, suffer together, and achieve together through thick and thin.
Fun fact: I was a volunteer firefighter for 2 years.
Chris Kiang
Yuri Kochiyama Leadership Program Co-chair
Year: Senior
Major/Minor: Computer Science Major, Asian American Studies Minor
Favorite food: Anything cheesy
Other involvements: Last year I was one of the YKLP facilitators and I am continuing my role as chair for this year. If I'm not at theAASU office, I can probably be found working in the technical support division for the SLLC located in Jimenez Hall.
What community means to me: Community, to me, is a place where people from every background can be welcomed. It's the ability to come together and work towards not only a common goal but also the goals of the individuals while maintaining an atmosphere of support. People within a community don't have to know each other to feel welcomed by each other.
Fun fact: I was a fencer for 8 years before I came to UMCP
Sulin Wu
Yuri Kochiyama Leadership Program Co-chair
Year: Sophomore
Major/Minor: Chemical Engineering
Favorite food: Chocolate, sushi, and steak
Other involvements: I was one of the facilitators of Yuri Kochiyama Leadership Program last year and this year as well. Also I am a member of the Taiwanese Student Association. Outside of the Asian American Pacific Islander community though, I am an active sister of Alpha Omega Epsilon, an engineering sorority and a member of the Society of Women Engineers.
What community means to me: To me, community is about belonging, building trust and feeling valued. It’s a place that unites people coming from different backgrounds but who share the same interests. People in a community can freely expressed their idea and thoughts, because they feel safe and comfortable with each other.
Fun Fact: I can’t walk and text at the same time.
May Chen
PublicAsian Liason
Year: Sophomore
Major/Minor: Psychology
Other involvements: I've always been involved in the APA community starting with tutoring/coordinating for the Chinese American Parent Student Association. I was also the president of my high school's Love Fund club which aimed to fundraise to help with research on STDs in underdeveloped Asian countries.
What community means to me: To me, community means a group of closely knit people that are all linked together by a shared trait.
Fun Fact: Outside of school, I love learning about random facts (especially historic facts), watching TV, and singing.
