Elisa Cruz is a rising junior at Yale University majoring in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration, and is a proud daughter of two Filipino immigrants and Ate to a younger brother. She calls the Greater New Haven area home. Elisa’s notions of community organizing and kinship were heavily informed by Downtown New Haven. Having attended both well-funded, predominantly white institutions and under-resourced inner city schools, Elisa was struck by the inequalities and unfair burdens that racialized students faced, making her interested in bettering the material conditions of BIPOC through legislative work with a focus on educational equity in the future. Elisa’s passion for community manifests in her involvement with the Asian American Student Alliance at Yale, a group aiming to advance racial justice and foster intercultural activism through helping facilitate Night Market and lead educational programs regarding Asian American representation or the militaristic history of SPAM. She also currently serves as a co-president of Kasama: The Filipinix Club where she reconnects with her Filipino roots through learning Tinikling, advocating for Tagalog classes, and hosting comfort food cooking nights. Furthermore, Elisa maintains ties with New Haven by participating in the Dwight Hall Socially Responsible Funds Community Investment team, where she distributes grants to New Haven nonprofits and teaches financial literacy classes to underrepresented and serves as a Mentor Director for New Haven REACH helping New Haven public school high school students apply to college and recruiting and training other mentors. In her free time, Elisa is known for playing a few too many word games (specifically on the NYT and iMessage apps), using a hair roller for her curtain bangs, and diligently updating her Letterboxd reviews.

Nissa Dotson is a rising senior at the University of Georgia pursuing a BA in Political Science and International Affairs. Nissa is committed to community engagement, exemplified by her volunteer activities with the Athens Anti-Discrimination movement, a non-profit focused on advocating for racial justice, criminal justice reform, and anti-discrimination. She also tutors within the Athens-Clarke County prison system to help incarcerated individuals work towards receiving their GED. She is passionately involved with the Filipino community as well, serving as member and later, as Filipino Night Cultural Director for UGA’s Filipino Student Association. She also built personal relationships with members of her local Filipino community through her work at Lor’s Filipino Cuisine. Last fall, Nissa worked as a Political Affairs Intern at the US-Asia Institute, contributing to initiatives such as the Asia News Brief, “Southeast Asia in Focus'' webinar series, and Election 101 briefing program for diplomats representing Asian nations in Washington, D.C.

Abraham Groner is a rising senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison pursuing a BA in Political Science and International Studies on the Culture in the Age of Globalization track. Abraham has experience interning at the Wisconsin State Assembly for the office of Representative Shelia Stubbs conducting policy research on firearm legislation, ecological preservation, and public education; Sunnyside Shines BID; and Friedman Roth Realty Services. At UW, he is an active member of the Pre-Law Society, has served as the Director of Social Events and the Community Service Chair for Delta Tau Delta, and works as a server at Marigold Kitchen. Through his experiences, he has heightened his communication and research skills as well as his interest in public policy and legislative affairs. After a month-long trip to the Philippines in the summer of 2023, Abraham hopes to channel these interests into fostering positive international relations between the US and the Philippines. In the spring of 2024, Abraham studied abroad through the CIEE Study Abroad program in Copenhagen and London for the spring semester. Outside of academics, Abraham enjoys trivia games/word puzzles, listening to music, and playing and watching soccer with friends. 

Marissa Halagao is a rising sophomore at Yale University studying Ethnicity, Race & Migration and Education Studies. As an educational advocate, she founded the Filipino Curriculum Project, a student-driven initiative of Filipino students who worked with educators to create a curriculum about Filipino history, culture and identity, and successfully advocated for its implementation in the Hawai‘i Department of Education. Their course, “Filipino History Culture,” will be offered in Hawai‘i high schools in 2024, marking history as the first Filipino history course adopted in a statewide education system. Marissa serves as a First Year Coordinator at the Yale Asian American Cultural Center and the Social Chair of Kasama: the Filipinx Club at Yale, where she plans and engages in community and cultural events and initiatives. She was a pioneer cohort member in the 2023 Filipino Young Global Leadership Program, and in 2023 was the first high school student recipient of the Philippine Studies Academic Subject Certificate from the University of Hawai‘i college system. Marissa’s experiences have propelled her to connect with her ethnic identity not solely on a cultural level but on one built on advocacy and educational transformation. She is passionate about the teachings of marginalized histories and their intersections, which are crucial in changing spaces where BIPOC identities are not commonly celebrated or represented.

Allyson Nepomuceno recently graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences and a Minor in Health Sciences from the University of Central Florida (UCF). She spent a semester abroad in Barcelona, Spain, studying "Introduction to Human Disease," which sparked her interest in global healthcare. As a Research Assistant, Allyson contributed to projects focused on cardiovascular, sexual, and reproductive health, particularly within sexual minorities, for a sexual and reproductive health podcast, The Sex Café Podcast. Currently, Allyson serves as a Licensed Assisted Living Facility Administrator and Certified Nurse Assistant at an Assisted Living Facility for the elderly with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and works as an Assistant Teacher at an adult day training school for the elderly with IDD. Within the Filipino Student Association at UCF (FSA UCF), Allyson held multiple leadership positions, including President, Media Director, and Dance Troupe Choreographer. During her presidency, she spearheaded the first GK USA x FSA UCF Collegiate Summit which was featured on TV Patrol and received a letter of recognition from the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Washington, D.C. Additionally, she collaborated with the world-renowned Filipino artist Jefre for Filipino American History Month. Her collaboration with FSA UCF and GK USA received both Philanthropy of the Year and Organization of the Year from the Asian Pacific American Coalition at UCF. Allyson established Gawad Kalinga USA NextGen, a new program under Gawad Kalinga USA, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending poverty in the Philippines. She currently serves as the National Program Director and National Ambassador. Allyson aims to become a physician and contribute to global healthcare through public health initiatives, particularly as it pertains to underserved populations.

Joaquin Rivera is a rising senior at Cornell University majoring in Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR), in addition to minors in Classics, History, and Southeast Asia Studies. Joaquin is on track to graduate from Cornell with the distinction as an ILR Global Scholar, earned by his studies in international labor issues and summer abroad experiences in both Italy and the Philippines. On his campus, Joaquin is the Editor-in-Chief of a religious journal, a student intern with the Asian & Asian American Center, the Vice President of the Cornell Shakespeare Troupe, and a member of the Cornell Filipino Association. Growing up in a predominantly white community, Joaquin really began to explore his identity as a Filipino and an Asian American after coming to Cornell, where he has taken classes in Tagalog; learned Filipino martial arts, dance, and music; and has been involved in work that creates communities on campus where those of Asian descent can share their stories and process their identities with one another. Joaquin is passionate about international law, policy, and broader international relations, and hopes to use his diverse set of experiences in research, writing, public speaking, and language learning to create connections across different cultures. In his spare time, he watches documentaries on the Roman Empire, reads great works of literature, cooks food for his friends, and pursues his personal goal of trying to meet one new person every day.

Arvin Jose (AJ) Salonga is a rising senior at American University, pursuing a degree in International Relations at the School of International Service (SIS), with a focus on global security and development in Southeast Asia. His academic pursuits are deeply intertwined with his commitment to public service, a principle he applies both globally and nationally. Originally from San Antonio, Nueva Ecija, in the Philippines, Arvin has been working as a volunteer coordinator for his hometown’s municipality since 2021. Serving his town, he has led the distribution of consumable goods and financial aid to over 16 barangays through the mayor’s feeding and gift-giving programs. In the US, Arvin has worked as an English tutor for immigrants at the Washington English Center and with the Walsh Jesuit High School’s Labre Initiative, providing essential supplies to impoverished communities throughout Akron, Ohio. Outside of class, he is also an active member of American University’s Philippine-American Coalition, an organization that celebrates and explores Filipino culture. Having lived and studied abroad in China, Malaysia, Jordan, and the Philippines, Arvin hopes to leverage his cross-cultural experiences to address global security and development challenges in a political or diplomatic setting. Recognizing the many parallels between the US and Philippine governments, Arvin seeks to gain valuable insights from the US-Asia Institute’s IMPACT! program. Guided by his passion for civic transformation, he aims to apply these insights to enhance governance and development in the Philippines through public office.

Ira Valeza will receive her BA in Government & Politics with a concentration on International Relations, a BA in Chinese, and a Certificate in East Asian Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) in December 2024. Ira was named a Philip Merrill Presidential Scholar as an outstanding graduating student at UMD and received a HUAYU BEST Scholarship to study at the prestigious National Taiwan Normal University’s Mandarin Training Center in 2023, where she gained proficiency and fluency in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Her passion for public service and learning languages led her to intern at the US Department of Energy and the Chinese American Museum in Washington DC. As a Filipino American, Ira plans to participate and continue her education in Filipino, Chinese, and American cross-cultural connections as she hopes to become a language officer for US intelligence agencies and share her expertise on US-Asia relations. Ira was born in Manila but has since lived in St. Thomas of the US Virgin Islands, California, Arizona, and Maryland. In her free time, she enjoys sightseeing, watching Asian TV dramas, and going on walks with her dog.