Asian American Studies Resource Center Employees
Kai Tong Gao - Civil Engineering and Information Science, College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering
Sardor Rahmatulloev - Computer Science, College of Engineering
Joaquin Rivera - Industrial and Labor Relations, Industrial and Labor Relations School
Phillip Zhuang - Human Biology, Health, and Society, College of Human Ecology
Asian American Studies Minors
Undergraduate
Maximilian Dittgen - Computer Science, College of Engineering
Ameya Kamani* - Government, College of Arts and Sciences
H. Hunter Leach III - American Studies and History, College of Arts and Sciences
Sonali Nicola - Human Development, College of Human Ecology
Muhammad Sulaiman Zaib - Industrial and Labor Relations, Industrial and Labor Relations School
Graduate
Sarah R. Meiners** - History, College of Arts and Sciences
Juhwan Seo*** - Sociology, College of Arts and Sciences
* Meinig Family Cornell National Scholar
** winner, 2025 Messenger Chalmers Graduate Prize
*** winner, 2023-24 Robin M. Williams Jr. Award
Selections from Minor Student Bios and Reflections
Maximilian Dittgen (Computer Science, College of Engineering) grew up in a Chinese-German household, and he is grateful for the personal exploration, connections, and conversations made possible through the AASP, both in Ithaca and during his exchange experience in Singapore. Academically, he’s interested in the intersection of technology, identity, and development, and will be working as a software engineer while applying to Ph.D. programs in social computing this coming cycle.
“AAS coursework fills me with the unique feeling that I am not just studying the Asian American movement, but that I am actively part of it. While every AAS course spotlights a literary genre, historical period, or political concept as a central topic, I’ve found that the focal point of each class always ends up being the people around me. Even when discussing the same article, story, or poem as my peers, I feel that each of my classmates’ unique backgrounds and perspective on the material expands my horizons of what it means to be Asian American.
My favorite moment with AASP was the opportunity to eat lunch with Helen Zia, a largely influential Asian American activist whose work we had read and discussed in several AAS courses. While caught surprised to be one of four people at the table with her, I found that the discussions on history, literature, and identity that I had in my AAS courses had prepared me extraordinarily well to converse with, get challenged by, and form a personal relationship with a foundational figure in the field.
The AASP has been a wonderful and welcoming refuge from the scientific and methodical framework of the College of Engineering, and I am grateful to have been able to surround myself with such amazing faculty and classmates.”
Kai Tong Gao (Civil Engineering and Information Science, College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering) is enrolled through the concurrent degree program. She joined AASP during her sophomore year and has had the honor of working at the center for 4 years. You can find her on campus practicing traditional Chinese dance at the Physical Sciences Building or at the Autumn Leaves Bookstore perusing through the shelves.
“AASP has been my family and my home throughout my studies, a place of safety throughout the never-ending change of my college experience. It’s been a place of refuge during some of my hardest college moments, a place where I’ve met many wonderful friends and discovered many exciting books on its shelves when selecting the next Book of the Week. Thank you, AASP, for everything you gave to me throughout the years: your support, a home on campus, and delicious refreshing water. I’m proud to be part of its cohort of workers and I hope I made you proud as well!”
Ameya Kamani (Government, College of Arts and Sciences) is an Indian-American from Aurora, Colorado majoring in government with minors in Asian American studies; law & society; history; inequality studies; and crimes, prisons, education & justice. At Cornell, he has held leadership positions in the South Asian Council, Cornell University Parole Initiative, Prison Reform Education Project, and POLIS Government Fraternity. He is also an Arts & Sciences Ambassador, in the Milstein Program in Technology & Humanity, and in the Meinig Family Cornell National Scholars. Ameya is interested in criminal justice reform and abolition, anti-colonial theory, public defense, and Asian American activism. He will be attending the University of Michigan Law School next year to earn a J.D.
“The Cornell Asian American Studies Program has been deeply influential in my trajectory. When I first took Professor Chang’s Asian American Oral History course, I was surprised at how humanizing and personal academic study can be. Through Professor Chang’s class, I had the opportunity to interview a Japanese American Cornell alumnus who lived through the 1969 Takeover of Willard Straight Hall by leading the Rumor Control Center. Despite over 50 years between our Cornell experiences, the spirit of Asian American activism lives and thrives on Cornell’s campus.
Beyond the course offerings, the program’s commitment to relationship-building between professors and students is inspiring. As the Advocacy Chair of Cornell’s South Asian Council, I spearheaded an effort to publish an article in the Cornell Daily Sun analyzing the lack of coursework and professors centered on South Asian politics, history, and culture within Cornell’s College of Arts & Sciences. When I proposed this topic to Professors Chang, Munasinghe, and Villenas, they were very receptive and trusted me. They offered me salient advice about the university’s hiring process while pointing me in the direction needed to enrich my understanding. With their invaluable feedback, the South Asian Council published ‘Any Person, Any Study Can’t Stop With South Asia.’”
H. Hunter Leach III (American Studies and History, College of Arts and Sciences) “Much of my high school and college journey has been shaped by the exploration of my mixed-race identity, and the Asian American Studies Program has been central to that process. Through the AAS minor, I’ve had the opportunity to engage with a wide range of topics that challenged and deepened my understanding of race, culture, and belonging. I’m incredibly grateful for the faculty and fellow students who helped make this such a meaningful part of my time at Cornell. I want to especially thank Professor Chang—my advisor, teacher, and friend—who has supported me since freshman year and played a vital role in my growth throughout this journey.”
Sarah R. Meiners (History, College of Arts and Sciences) is an historian of the modern United States, specifically in migration and empire. Their dissertation, “Asylum Archipelago: Migration in the Borders of Empire in the Pacific and the Caribbean,” examines refugee policy in sites of U.S. empire between 1975 and 2003, and they were awarded the 2025 Messenger Chalmers Graduate Prize for best dissertation essay on research and thinking on human progress. Prior to their doctoral work at Cornell University, they received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. In July 2025, they will become a Rosenwald Postdoctoral Fellow in US Foreign Policy and International Security in the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College.
“Graduate school has been a thrilling yet arduous process, and I am indebted to AASP for supporting me during these past seven years. Amongst the trials of the 2020s, AASP provided a community of scholars committed to mutual support and solidarity. I am the historian I am today because of my AAS coursework and professors, especially Drs. Christine Bacareza Balance and Derek Chang. They continue to inspire me to draw interdisciplinary connections and embrace critique while building the communities that make academic life possible.”
Sardor Rahmatulloev (Computer Science, College of Engineering) is originally from Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and grew up in Brooklyn, New York City. At Cornell, he’s been part of Combat Robotics @ Cornell, a project team that builds competitive battle bots, and is deeply involved in the startup space, having co-founded a venture and now working with a team to build a startup incubator to help founders launch their own ideas. Sardor has also worked at the Asian American Studies Program for three years, where he’s found a space to represent his Central Asian identity. He’s also contributed to the BeComing Lunch Series, which offers thoughtful conversations around identity, growth, and community. Following graduation, Sardor will start as a full-time Software Engineer at Meta.
“AASP has truly been a home away from home for me, a space where I could take a breather from Cornell’s demanding environment, connect with peers, and have real, honest conversations. Alexis and Sada have been incredibly warm and refreshing to talk to, and I’m so grateful for the environment they’ve helped create. I’ve made great memories here, met amazing people, and found a space where I could be myself. It’s been one of the highlights of my college experience and a community I’ll always hold close.”
Joaquin Rivera (Industrial and Labor Relations, Industrial and Labor Relations School) minored in Southeast Asia studies and classics. On campus, he was involved with Cru, Claritas, the Shakespeare Troupe, the Asian & Asian American Center, and the Cornell Filipino Association. He is passionate about combining his strong interests in the humanities with his ILR studies, and hopes to advocate for labor rights in the future. For next year, however, he will remain in Ithaca to and be involved in the religious ministry on campus. You can always find him on the 4th floor of Rockefeller inviting new friends to come and study in the space.
“Being a student worker for AASP has been an absolutely incredible experience that has allowed me to learn so much about my Asian American heritage. Growing up, I had very little Asian American community and no opportunities to learn about the unique history of Asian Americans. It was by getting involved in signature programs like BeComing and Boba Talks that I began to hear real stories from my peers that resonated with my own, and I slowly became more confident in both sharing my story and in facilitating conversations so that others could be encouraged to share as well. I am incredibly grateful for the hospitality of the AASP space, and I’ve had numerous friends express so much joy at the fact there is a place on campus where you can study, eat, and chat in such a warm environment.”
