Tahreem Alam is a junior majoring in multimedia journalism and international relations at Virginia Tech. Outside of her work with ACEC, she is the current news editor of the Collegiate Times, and she previously a board member for the Muslim Student Association at Virginia Tech. She is also studying women’s and gender studies and Arabic, and hopes to contribute to these fields in the future either through her reporting or her research.

"I joined the Oral History Project at the Asian Cultural Engagement Center because I wanted to be a part of recording the history of Asians and Asian-Americans at Virginia Tech. Throughout this project, I have communicated with Asian Virginia Tech alumni who have made remarkable contributions to the university, whether through work, research or the organizations they led. As a South Asian student at Virginia Tech, I have enjoyed learning about the changes and opportunities that my community brought for future generations like myself. I feel honored to participate in a project that seeks to diversify and broaden the university's history as well as hopeful for where this research will take our community. I hope that in the future, our database and interviews will help realize a more holistic and honest representation of all of Virginia Tech’s successes and alumni who achieved them."

Jaclyn Marmol is a senior from Falls Church, VA, studying Political Science. She’s a second-generation Filipino American and the youngest of six children. On campus, Jaclyn previously served as the president of the Asian American Student Union (AASU) and as a programming assistant for the ACEC; she is also a member of alpha Kappa Delta Phi. Jaclyn’s interests in advocacy/politics were sparked by her experiences on campus and led her to intern for organizations like OCA National, the Asian Pacific Institute for Congressional Studies, and Rep. Mark Takano’s office in the U.S. House of Representatives. She will be graduating in May of 2020 and seeks to pursue a career in politics/government.

"I was interested in this project because for me, it felt like I was tracing my ancestry. APIDAs have been left out of history books, data, and other valuable forms of documentation, so this project allows us to get everything together for future generations to use. It’s been amazing to see the growth that our community has displayed through the oral histories we’ve recorded and items uncovered from the archives; even more impressive was the display of strength and resiliency through tough times on campus. I wish I could say thank you to the people who paved the way for students like me because I’ve been able to find my home away from home; our community’s current success would not have been possible without their efforts."

Daniel Moore is a senior studying Math Education with a minor in Asian Studies. He is involved in multiple organizations at Tech – Chi Alpha, Asian American Coalition, and We Suck at Art Club. He holds student leader positions in all three, ranging from Director of Marketing to Vice President. His family currently lives in Chesapeake, but has also lived in Tennessee and Japan. Being a Filipino-African American who partially grew up in Japan, Daniel has had many different cultural influences in his life and a unique experience with both Asian and Black communities in America. In the future, Daniel hopes to be a teacher in an international school.

"I participated in this project because I wanted to contribute to and learn about the history of Asian/Asian Americans at Virginia Tech. It seems that Asian American history is usually overlooked, so I was excited to learn more about our presence in American history and in the history of Virginia Tech. With this project, I talked with individuals about their experiences as an Asian/American at VT. I believe there’s great value in hearing people’s testimonies – it gives a unique perspective on the world around us. Their stories gave me an insight on what it means to be an Asian/American and how different people interpret that identity. I learned a lot from their stories, and I hope that others will learn from them as well."

Angela Ngo is a junior majoring in computer science and minoring in human-computer interaction. Angela is a current board member for the Asian American Coalition (AAC) at Virginia Tech, and is committed to building a community of Asians and Asian Americans who are passionate about advocacy for marginalized communities. In addition to AAC, Angela is an active member in other organizations, including Queer and Trans People of Color and Association for Computing Machinery.

"I joined this project because I've valued the education and empowerment of Asians and Asian-Americans ever since becoming a student at Virginia Tech and being introduced to the Asian American Coalition’s mission within my first semester here. I feel that it's important to rediscover the history of our community's presence at Virginia Tech in order to challenge any misconceptions we may have had on the impact of our community on the university. I hope that this project will spark a stronger drive towards archiving and documenting the presence of AAPIs at Virginia Tech to further establish ourselves and our experiences as an integral part of this university's history."

Jessica Nguyen is a rising senior majoring in Economics and double minoring in Asian Studies and PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics). She is a second-generation Vietnamese American from Northern Virginia, where there exists a concentrated Asian American population. Jessica is an active advocate for the APIDA community, and will be rerunning next school year as the president for the Asian American Student Union. Her main goals are to establish a stronger sense of community among the APIDA student population, and to support minority populations in getting the resources they need. She hopes to go to graduate school after her last year at Virginia Tech to continue pursuing research that contributes to the visibility of marginalized communities.

"The potential of establishing a chronology of Asians and Asian Americans at Virginia Tech was what initially motivated me to join the archival research team. I gained much valuable knowledge searching through the university archives with Angela and Kenny for information we could add to our research. The most rewarding part of the project for me was being able to publicize such an organized account of the contributions of Asians at VT throughout time. I'm thrilled that we were able to uncover so much important information, and hope that our research inspires more groups to see the value in utilizing resources VT Special Collections has to offer."

Kenny Nguyen is a senior pursuing a degree in Accounting and Information Systems. He was born in Hampton, VA and is a second generation Vietnamese American. Having grown up in a community where he was considered a minority, he wished to find a sense of identity and subsequently sought out Asian based communities and organizations at Virginia Tech. He found solace and purpose in the organizations he dedicated most of his time and efforts to, the Asian American Student Union (AASU) and Lambda Phi Epsilon International Fraternity, Inc. He is graduating May of 2020 and intends to pursue a Master of Accounting degree.

"Identifying the origins of AASU and its constituent organizations and finding remnants from their pasts were what drew my initial interest. This further developed into a curiosity of the overall impact that our Asian community has had on the Virginia Tech and Blacksburg communities and what type of related information could be located in the local libraries and archives. I believe a project of this nature is important for the individuals from our community that are currently here in this space and also those to come. The project has taught me the importance of having our organizations continue to keep adequate records and documentation properly archiving them for reference and research purposes for future generations. If the lived experiences and struggles of our community are painted to be illusory, then through documentation and archival processes, we are able to solidify their place in reality."