Defining Our Roots/Routes - Episode 2: Asian American Panethnic Identities in Higher Education
Episode 2: Asian American Panethnic Identities in Higher Education delves into the formation and evolution of Asian American panethnic identities and spaces within higher education institutions. Our guests explore the impacts such developments had on students and the institutions, the tensions and possibilities within panethnic identities, and what it means for cross-cultural and intersectional movements.
About Defining Our Roots/Routes: Asian Americans in Higher Education
This podcast series provides unique insights into the lived experiences of Asian American students and scholars in higher education spaces and highlights what are at stake for the larger Asian American community in the wake of Supreme Court cases and recent anti-Asian hate incidents. We aim to amplify the often-overlooked voices of Asian American students and faculty in higher education as a form of resistance and consciousness-raising by exploring interrelated themes—histories and legacies of Asian America, pan-Asian American identities, and Asian American transnationalism & diaspora.
Defining Our Roots/Routes is readily available at major podcast providers.
Podcast Editor: Clare Boyle
Our Hosts
Myra Liwanag | Extended Bio
Executive Director of Iskwelahang Pilipino, one of the oldest Filipino cultural schools in the USA. Experienced non-profit and corporate consultant. Former Director of Regional & Multicultural Programs for Alumni Relations at Brown University.
Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo, PhD | Extended Bio
Founder & CEO of the LCLO Group. Formerly Vice President for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Brown University, Assistant Provost for Faculty Development & Diversity at Harvard University, and Assistant Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at Yale University.
Our Special Guests
Dr. Robert (Bob) G. Lee, PhD
Associate Professor Emeritus of American Studies at Brown University. Lee received his Ph.D. in History from Brown University, M.A. in East Asian Studies from UC Berkeley, and B.A. in History from University of the Pacific. He has extensively published and taught courses on Asian American and Transpacific history and culture. He was awarded the Association for Asian American Studies' Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020.
He is the author of Orientals: Asian Americans in Popular Culture (Temple University Press, 1999), which received Best Book awards from the Northeast Popular Culture/American Culture Association and the American Political Science Association, and a Honorable Mention for Best Book from the American Studies Association.
Saveena Dhall
Educator and consultant with extensive experiences in academic coaching, curricular & program development, and executive management experience. Prior, a senior leader at Yale University, holding different roles such as Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Assistant Dean of Yale College, and Director of the Asian American Cultural Center.
She earned her Master in Administration, Planning & Social Policy from Harvard University Graduate School of Education and her B.A. in Asian Studies from Connecticut College.
Tommy Woon
Currently a consultant and therapist. A retired academic senior administrator after 30+ years at numerous higher education institutions. Formerly the Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Naropa University, Director of Diversity & First-Generation Program and Assistant Dean of Students at Stanford University, Dean of Multicultural Life at Macalaster College, and Associate Dean at Dartmouth College as well as Brown University. From 1982 to 1990, he was Assistant Dean and Director of Asian American Affairs at Oberlin College.
He earned his B.A. from the University of California, Davis and M.S. from the California State University, Sacramento.