Issue 1: Contributors
Nelson Chen recently graduated from UMD with a bachelor’s degree in theatre and a minor in Asian American studies. He would like to thank the AAST faculty and staff for their support throughout his time at UMD. UMD Credits: A Bicycle Country (Pepe), The Late Wedding (Narrator/General/Sailor), By the Way, Meet Vera Stark (Slasvick/Brad), Fearless New Play Festival (Eggs and Tomatoes, Playwright).
Vivian Jiang, a freshman psychology student on the pre-medical track, passionately advocates for mental health and reducing adversities in marginalized communities. Her interest in multicultural psychology enables her to explore her personal feelings, relationships, and experiences through art. Excluding her own, many of her art highlights stories and experiences of others through a surrealistic depiction. Beyond art, Vivian appreciates music and literature, regularly reading and collecting CDs.
Rohana John is currently a senior Psychology major and Asian American Studies and Spanish minor. She is also the Vice President of Advocacy in the South Asian Student Association where she brings awareness to South Asian related issues and implements changes to support the South Asian community on campus. She is excited to share these series of poems she originally wrote for the course South Asian American Literature and Culture.
Swarnapali M. Keppetipola graduated from UMD with a bachelor’s degree in Physiology and Neurobiology and minors in Asian American Studies and Spanish Language, Culture, and Professional Contexts. She is currently a second-year medical student at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Ameya Sriram is a senior at UMD, majoring in psychology and economics. She loves to write poems and short stories with a focus on South Asian narratives, such as rewriting a traditional folktale for her Honors keystone. In her free time, she loves to sing in an a cappella group on campus, play the guitar, and unsuccessfully fight writer’s block.
Irene Wong is currently a proud graduate student at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland. She aspires to pursue a career in accounting and recently accepted a tax internship offer at Deloitte, one of the Big Four accounting firms. Her professional goal is to become a certified public accountant and serve people in need.