AAPIs@Oakton

A heartfelt sign-off to AAPIs@Oakton . This episode reflects on five years of COMPASS, Oakton College's first AANAPISI grant —from cultural events and student success initiatives to amplifying AAPI voices across campus and beyond. The grant may be ending, but the community and legacy continue. To learn more about the Asian American Repository, visit https://researchguides.oakton.edu/asianameri...

We're continuing our conversation with Dr. Janet Oh, Senior Director of Institutional Research at Cal State Northridge. In this episode, we discussed data disaggregation and its significance related to Asian American & Pacific Islander student success.

In this episode, we're diving into the world of Institutional Research — or IR. We sat down with Dr. Janet Oh, Senior Director of Institutional Research at Cal State Northridge. We talked about her journey into IR, what it means to be data-informed rather than data-driven , and how faculty, staff, and administrators can become stronger partners and allies with their IR colleagues.

We are wrapping up our chat with Oakton Staff. In this episode, we reflect on the impact of the AANAPISI program at the college and share our hopes and dreams for the AAPI community on campus.

What does it mean to be Asian American? For many of us, the answer isn’t simple. In this episode, we sat down with Oakton College staff to explore how their identities were shaped by growing up in immigrant families, navigating expectations, and finding a sense of belonging.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Clyne Namuo, the president of Joliet Junior College. Dr. Namuo shares his leadership philosophy and journey to community college presidency as an Asian American Native Hawaiian in the Midwest.

In celebration of Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) week, we interview Dr. Robert A. Underwood, a former member of the U.S. Congress (D-Guam, 1993-2003) and president of the University of Guam (2008-2018). He shares the origin story behind the designation, the significance of the AANAPISI program, and strategies to elevate the AANAPISI status in th...

In 2021, Illinois became the first state in the country to pass a measure requiring K-12 public schools to teach at least one instructional unit of Asian American history. The episode will discuss the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act and the importance of learning Asian American history. Credits:  CBS Chicago (Producer), (2021, July 10). Illinois Public Schools to b...

This month, we connect with the Muslim Student Association (MSA) at Oakton College. In this candid conversation, we sit down with members of the MSA to explore their experiences and challenges as Muslim students navigating higher education.

We're continuing our conversation with Dr. Anthony Ramos, Chief of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging Officer   at Elgin Community College. In this episode, we explore our challenges doing DEI work uplifting Asian American students in the Midwest and the importance of the Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs). 

We sit down with Dr. Anthony Ramos, Chief of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging Officer at Elgin Community College. Dr. Ramos shares his journey to his current role and his take on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work in higher education.

Century College is the first 2-year college to receive the Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving-Institution (AANAPISI) status by the US Dept. of Education in the Midwest. In this episode, Nhia Xiong, AANAPISI Project Director, shares her experience managing the grant and navigating conversations on support for AAPI students at Century.

This month, we interviewed members of the South Asian Club at Oakton College, the second largest AAPI student organization on campus. They shared their ideas and ways the college can better support South Asian and other AAPI students on campus.

According to the 2020 AAPI Census Data Report, there are about 16,000 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders living in IL. At Oakton, there are only a handful of NHPI students. In this episode, we interviewed  Lydia Cruz, our student trustee, about her journey to higher education, her plans for the year as the student trustee, and ways higher education can uplift the Pacific Islander community.

We wrap up this season with the recap of the 2nd Annual Asian Night Market at Oakton College, Des Plaines Campus. This event was organized by Oakton's Center for Organizing Minority Programs to Advance Student Success (COMPASS) and Everybody's Market.

In celebration of the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month at Oakton College, we interviewed members of Pilipino in Alliance Yearning for Opportunities (PAYO), a Filipino student organization on campus. We asked for their takes on ways the college can better engage with students and secrets on keeping their organization active.

Microaggressions are comments or actions that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally express a prejudiced attitude or biased toward historically marginalized groups. This episode features an interview with a former Oakton student who experienced a microaggression in her class. With our guest co-host, Dr. Jacob Chacko, we discuss ways the college can do to minimize microaggressions on ca...

In this episode, we're continuing our conversation with Karen Su, Clinical Assistant Professor of Global Asian Studies, Principle Investigator and Project Director of the UIC AANAPISI Initiatives, about her experience navigating institutional climate and creating a campus culture for Asian American and Pacific Islander students. The University of Illinois - Chicago (UIC) is the first school in the...

University of Illinois - Chicago (UIC) is the first school in the Midwest to receive the Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) designation by the U.S Department of Education. In this episode, we're talking to Karen Su, Clinical Assistant Professor of Global Asian Studies, Principle Investigator and Project Director of the UIC AANAPISI Initiatives, about her...

In this episode, we'll be talking about the history of night market and its cultural impact in Asian American communities. 

In celebration of Filipino American History Month, COMPASS and Everybody's Market are hosting Para Sa Kultura (For the Culture) Night Market, featuring 40 Filipinx-owned microbusinesses and food vendors around the Chicagoland area. We invited the founder of Everybody's Market to talk about the event and the importance of supporting small and micro Asian American businesses.  To learn more abo...

Code Elevate is a summer coding program for young women of color. We invited Niles and Evanston Township high school students to share their experiences with the program and how Oakton College can better engage with this student population.  Code Elevate is organized by the Center for Organizing Minority Programs to Advance Student Success (COMPASS), AANAPISI grant at Oakton College. 

In this episode, we continue our conversation with Amy Wu, a counselor at Oakton's Counseling Services. We discuss how to find a therapist, things we need to be mindful of, and counseling services at Oakton College.  Show Note:  Counseling services contact and resources Oakton counseling services: https://www.oakton.edu/studentservices/counseling/ Oakton crisis intervention services: htt...

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month and the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we chatted with Amy Wu, a counselor from Counseling Services at Oakton College to talk about mental health stigma and our experiences navigating enoughness as Asian Americans.  Resources:  Oakton College  Oakton counseling services Oakton crisis intervention services Oakton Wellne...

Asian Americans are often an afterthought in conversations on providing support and resources to minoritized students. Many assume that Asian Americans are high academic achievers. Generalizing the overall Asian American experience dismisses the educational inequity that Southeast Asian Americans (SEAA) face in the U.S higher education system. Often time, SEAA voices are ignored by decision-makers...