SUMMARY: In the final episode of Tiger Talk, Fanny and Victoria touch on all the topics discussed this season, and wrap up the conversation by discussing allyship. How can YOU be the positive change we wish to see? How can YOU support marginalized individuals in your life and in your community in a respectful, effective, and educated way?

Fanny tackles these questions by talking about the steps she takes in her life to be a good ally, and what that means to her. Fanny and Victoria talk about the difference between allyship and performative activism. They also discuss how to make your allyship more sustainable, and how to address the sense of burnout many people face when trying to fight for social justice. (3/15/2022)

ABOUT OUR GUEST: Fanny Oyang (she/her) graduated from TAS in 2016 and attended University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a major Animal Science and minors in Integrative Biology and Chemistry.

Since graduating in 2020, Fanny has since shifted her focus to working and learning about social justice in urban spaces. She now works for a Christian non-profit ministry out of Roseland, a south side neighborhood of Chicago, where she helps build youth ministry programs spanning from after school care to music for Black youth, as well as fostering relationships with local churches. In a few months, she will be transitioning out of this two-year stint and moving back to Taipei to apply for graduate programs.

During her free time, she spends way too much time reading and watching documentaries, and also likes to snuggle with her cat!

SUMMARY: In this episode, Melissa provides insightful information about internships by talking about her diverse experience in the journalism and entertainment industry. She discusses the different ways one can access internships, the inequities behind internship opportunities, and the importance of work experience and networks in one’s post college career. Victoria and Melissa bring the conversation back to DEI by reflecting on the fact that many internships, especially those that are unpaid, are disproportionately inaccessible to low income students. (2/15/2022)

Melissa Cho is a bilingual multimedia creative—a journalist, producer-director, and editor (she can’t help but have her hand in several honey pots). Her passion for telling stories stemmed from her high school interests in both journalism and theatre performance. Just recently, she directed and co-hosted an original food pilot at Jubilee Media, a GenZ/millennial-obsessed media company with over 7 million YouTube subscribers. She is currently a freelance associate producer for Condé Nast Entertainment, the mass media company that houses iconic brands such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest, GQ, and more.
A lover of digital web content and documentary-style storytelling, Melissa has experience with researching stories, creating news scripts, producing, social media management, editorial and social media design, filming, and video/audio editing. Some of her latest journalism work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2020 Mark of Excellence Awards. She has been featured on British Vogue, Jubilee Media, and VoyageLA. Her Myers-Brigg is ESFJ (“People Mastery”), so producing human-interest pieces is her jam.

SUMMARY: In this episode, Nick discusses the role religion and spirituality can play in supporting DEI work. As a member of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship on campus, Nick shares how religious and spiritual organizations can be a source of community, comfort, and inspiration for social change. Victoria delves into this conversation with questions such as: what kind of resources did your school have for navigating spiritual life? Do you think schools adequately provide resources for students with different cultural backgrounds and belief systems? How does religion affect your identity and the way you approach social issues? (01/15/2021)

Nick Yeh (Class of 2013), graduated from Occidental College in 2017 with degrees in Diplomacy & World Affairs, Theater and a minor in Economics. Aside from all the time he spent studying (which truth be told wasn’t very much, sorry mom), he spent most of his time in Religious & Spiritual Life, particularly involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Today, he is a public school teacher in Cambridge working with elementary school students, an IT/AV technician for a local university and his church, a volunteer for an online ministry platform for InterVarsity as well as half a dozen other freelance gigs (as if he needed more things to occupy his time). He is reachable on all forms of social media, and you can read his random musings and food recipes on his website: www.yehheardithere.com. You can also find his discord (VIVID) here: https://discord.com/invite/qzzx5x8

SUMMARY: In this episode, Tasha and Brendan discuss the concept of privilege: what does it mean? What kind of privileges do we have? How have your privileges affected your opportunities and experiences in life? How do you reconcile simultaneously holding privilege in some parts of your identity, and being oppressed and disadvantaged in other parts of your identity? This episode intentionally features two guests of different identities to discuss the concept of intersectionality. (12/15/2021)

Tasha Ing (she/her) graduated from TAS in 2013 and NYU in 2017, where she studied Classics and minored in Linguistics. Since graduating, she has been working at a non-profit in Taiwan.

SUMMARY: In this episode, Joy opens up about why mental health is so important to them, and their experience as a mental health advocate on a college campus. Victoria Yeh (‘16) and Joy Chiu (‘16) discuss the potential barriers to accessing mental health resources, especially those specific to POC, women, and the LGBTQ+ community. This includes finding culturally competent therapists, affordability, and navigating feelings of shame in certain cultures.(11/15/2021)

Joy Chiu (she/they) graduated from TAS in 2016 and attended Washington University in St. Louis with a major in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology. Joy is now a UX Researcher at Cardinal Blue Software, where she helps build data-driven and user-friendly digital applications. In her free time, she enjoys learning about digital health, storytelling, and inclusive design.

SUMMARY: In the second episode of Tiger Talk, Victoria Yeh (‘16) and Kendra Ing (‘16) define and discuss microaggressions. This episode will help the audience understand what microaggressions are, how they can be harmful, and how they have impacted TAS alumni through Kendra’s experiences in college and beyond. They discuss microaggressions towards women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, etc. Kendra’s perspectives as an artist and a dancer provide a unique perspective, different from the academic lens used in September’s episode.

Kendra Ing (she/her) graduated from TAS in 2016, and went on to the Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at the New School in New York City. She studied Interdisciplinary Science and Contemporary Dance. Since her graduation in 2020, she has been freelancing in dance and teaching, staying true to her passions of art and education. A passionate advocate for social justice, Kendra has been active in promoting DEI work within the TAS community and in her social circles.

SUMMARY: In the first episode of Tiger Talk, Victoria Yeh (‘16) and Keva Bui (‘13) introduce and explain important terms such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and intersectionality. Keva discusses their experiences as a student activist at Dartmouth, and their current experience teaching Asian American history, gender, sexuality, and ethnic studies classes at UC San Diego. The audience will get a basic understanding of these crucial terms, and how DEI work can better the college experience for historically marginalized students. 

ABOUT OUR GUEST: Keva X. Bui (they/them) graduated from TAS in 2013, and attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where they studied English, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Keva is now a PhD candidate at UC San Diego, where they research and teach about Asian American history, gender/sexuality studies, and ethnic studies. Keva served as the student coordinator for Pan Asian Community and on the LGBTQIA+ Leadership Board at Dartmouth, and has been a passionate advocate for establishment of ethnic studies programs, faculty diversity, and Black Lives Matter. Keva also served as the alumni representative on the TAS JEDI task force. They currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Association for Asian American Studies.