Podcasts OverSEAs

Meet Coco, Avigale, and Trinie, three members of SASA who have volunteered to share their fun stories, new experiences, and good vibes with us on the podcast! Please sit down, and relax as we explore what they have to share!

Meet Jenn & Kristian, two general members from SASA who have come to share their identities and lives with all our listeners! Listen as we navigate through a day in the life of Jenn & Kristian!

We finish strong with Kaila, Shayla, Maksim and Chloe we go deeper into the SASA board as we discuss topics focusing on how SASA has changed their lives!

Starting off the year with meet the board intro, where we dive deep into the SASA board of 2023-24! Grow closer with Nick, Solida, Isalys, and Sam as we discuss many topics ranging from daily struggles, board positions, and more!

Interns are here to introduce themselves and what they are doing while shadowing the board positions! Sit back and listen to their takes on their board members! From hearing about their top five favorite things to their unpopular opinions, the interns are ready to show everyone who they are.

Keep an eye out for their Humans of SASA project that will be coming out in the spring quarter!

The Thai Culture Association (TCA) presidents, Aleena Siritanapivat and Roselyn Poommai, swung by to discuss all things Thai culture, including how they honor it themselves! Listen to find out more about their culture night coming up and maybe leave with some cool Thai artists to check out!

SOCIALS:

TCA’s Instagram:

@thaiclub_uci

TCA's CARRD:

https://tca-at-uci.carrd.co/

SASA’s Instagrams:

@sasauci

@sasa.seal

@sasa.search

@sasa.seasuccess

CREDITS:

Louie Zong’s ‘capybara’

https://louiezong.bandcamp.com/

Ethan and Elaine converse with the five stellar, unique individuals who make up the SASA intern team about their growth and trek within the organization! As the official pilots of this program, these five individuals brought with them the right synergy, work ethic and willingness to perform as they took on their assigned duties!

Tenzin (she/her) is a 2nd-year Psychological Sciences major with a double minor in Asian American Studies and Management. In her free time she likes to de-stress by knitting and singing karaoke.

Amy (she/her) is a 2nd year majoring in Business Administration at UC Irvine. She is currently the retention intern for SASA and a mentor for the SEARCH program.

Jacob (he/him) is a 2nd-year student double majoring in Language Science & Anthropology. He is self-taught in Mandarin Chinese & is currently learning Korean.

Solida (she/her) is a 1st-year student majoring in Education Sciences and the current intern for SASA’s Coalition Chair. You can find her most days obsessing over Studio Ghibli movies and Taylor Swift.

Trinh (she/her) is a 3rd-year majoring in Public Health Sciences at UC Irvine. She likes to do archery, cook, and try out new hobbies in her free time.

In this episode, our co-hosts are joined by Chris and Solida to share their thoughts and feelings towards the amount of anti-AAPI sentiment being reported and experienced throughout this pandemic. Through taking time to process these events we find our own ways to combat the real virus of hate.

Chris Vongchanh(he/him) is a 4th-year student majoring in Business Administration and the current Vice President of the Southeast Asian Student Association. He enjoys networking with members of the SEA community to facilitate stronger bonds.

Solida (she/her) is a 1st-year student majoring in Education Sciences and the current intern for SASA’s Coalition Chair. You can find her most days obsessing over Studio Ghibli movies and Taylor Swift.

For this week, join Ethan and Elaine for their most packed episode yet of Podcasts OverSEAs! Joined by multiple speakers from the various SEA organizations here on campus, get to know the person, their commitment, and passion for their community as we continue to meet screen to screen.

Vedrik Xiong (he/him) is a 4th-year Electrical Engineer, serving as the Vice President of the Hmong Student Association at UC Irvine. He enjoys outdoor activities, movie nights, and critical dialogues!

Nicole Pinto (she/they) is a 4th-year Political Science and Sociology student at UCI, and the External Vice President for Pilipinx-Americans in Social Studies - PASS! PASS is one of 4 Pilipinx Organizations at UCI, emphasizing peer support, community, and increasing representation for Pilipinx individuals in social studies career fields.

Justin Abad Santos (he/him),  is a current 2nd-year Chemical Engineering Major at UCI specializing in Biomolecular Engineering. He is the 2020-2021 Pilipinx Pre-Health Undergraduate Student Organization’s Historian!

Aleena Siritanapivat (she/her) is a 2nd-year student majoring in Chemistry, pursuing Forensic Sciences or Food Chemistry. She is currently serving as Secretary for the Thai Cultural Association at UCI, and will be one of their next year's Co-Presidents, welcoming any and all new faces!

Melanie Ung (she/her) is a 3rd-year Computer Science major pursuing a minor in Digital Arts. She is the acting External Relations Officer for the Cambodian Awareness Organization and has an enthusiastic love for Matcha Latte boba.

Listen to this week’s podcast where our hosts converse with Lena Tran, one of the student leaders of the growing organization, VietRISE! As a wave of activism continues to sweep through our nation, be sure to hear more about how we all can make a difference in the Vietnamese community here in Orange County,

Lena currently works as a Community Advocate at VietRISE which is a community organization that advances social justice and builds power with working-class Vietnamese and immigrant communities in Orange County. While working to better her community, she also balances her responsibilities as a fourth-year transfer student at the University of California, Irvine majoring in Psychological Sciences and minoring in Asian American studies.

To start off Spring Quarter,  Elaine and Ethan take some time to reflect on how far their project has grown since the idea of a podcast lit up their minds! The co-hosts go back in time and give the where, when, and why for the creation of Podcasts OverSEAs and of course what keeps them going in making these episodes.

Outside of being the Co-Founder and content creator of Podcast OverSEAs, Elaine serves as the President of the Southeast Asian Student Association (SASA) for the past two years. Since then, she has been committed to educating, expanding, and empowering the Southeast Asian community at UCI.

Aside from editing Podcasts OverSEAs, Ethan holds the position of Coalition Chair for SASA as well as the Liaison for the Cambodian Awareness Organization at UC Irvine. Between board responsibilities, academics, and work, he intends to continue to further the positive impact he has on people’s lives.

In our second episode of conversing about COVID-19's impact on Asian & Pacific Islander Americans, Ethan and Elaine converse with two representatives from UCI's Office of Inclusive Excellence. Vice Chancellor Douglas Haynes along side his colleague, Doctor Joseph Morales. Throughout the podcast, our guest speakers convey the various projects and on going importance of maintaining and progressing the inclusivity and communal feeling of inclusion between not only Anteaters but, the greater Orange County area. 

Since working with UCI faculty in the mid 90's, Douglas Haynes has more than proven himself to be an invaluable asset in forwarding the ideas of inclusivity, equity, and historical understanding before his time with the Office of Inclusive Excellence. Writing various literary pieces and fostering inter-disciplinary collaboration are just a few of the tasks Haynes has on his agenda here on campus. 

Joseph Morales is too a multi-faceted individual who lacks no credibility when it comes to forwarding progress and inclusive learning. Co-founding the Ethnic Studies Initiative for the Long Beach education system and teaching at UCI, showcases his commitment and determination to making education more accessible and inclusive for all students. 

In this episode, join our co-hosts as they speak with University of Southern California's own Doctor Jonathan Wang about the challenges brought onto the AAPIX community in the midst of a pandemic. From fostering inter-community solidarity to reshaping the way we become proactive in combatting xenophobia and hate, take the time to listen and find your role in this on going fight. 

Doctor Jonathan Wang is currently the Center Director for USC's Asian Pacific American Student Services (APASS), having worked closely with his alma mater for the past few years in both leadership and research capacities. From undergrad to now, he has produced impactful work surrounding Asian American college students and the impact their identity has on them. 

For this episode, Elaine and Ethan are joined by UC Irvine Alum, Belinda Ho as they converse about their challenges and obstacles in balancing their professional life with their mental wellness. From overcoming expectations, to learning how to be more vulnerable, no one's mental hygiene journey ever stops when their done with college. 

Belinda Ho is a UC Irvine alum and corporate finance professional who has recently started her self care journey a decade after graduation. She has spent her life trying to live up to cultural expectations, ticking off boxes on life's checklist until she got to a point where she had to put her mental health first. Instead of experiencing life on cruise control, she decided to take control of the steering wheel.   

Back from Winter Break is the first Winter Quarter episode of Podcast OverSEAs! Join our hosts Elaine and Ethan as they converse with special guest, Thuy Vo Dang about the significance of oral history! 

Thuy in addition to being SASA's advisor since it's conception in 2012, is an Archivist for the Southeast Asian Archive and Regional History in the UCI Libraries. Our guest speaker is a more than overqualified individual in her field, having earned multiple degrees, including a Ph.D and M.A in Ethnic Studies from UC San Diego and two B.A.s from UC San Diego. 

Her commitment to ensuring oral history and the stories of those who voice them, continues to live on is evident in both the SEA Archive here on campus, and the various projects and lectures she has been a part of. 

Listen in on our last podcast of Fall Quarter!!!

Join Elaine and Ethan as they speak with the coordinators of SASA's SEARCH, SEAL, SEA Success, and SEA Grad. While similar sounding, each program offers a unique, robust experience for the participants and groups involved! From high schoolers to the soon to be UCI graduates, the coordinators of SASA put their energy, time, and passion into fostering a stronger future for those within UCI and the greater Orange County area. 

Thank you so much for tuning in and listening to Podcast OverSEAs throughout the quarter! Be sure to watch out for more episodes coming Winter Quarter. 

Join our hosts and a few board members in their discussion with special guest Joseph Ligunas!

Joseph is a 3rd year Ph.D student in the Comparative Literature Department here at UC Irvine. With a general research interest in Philippine history and literature, Joseph also is a Scholar and Resident Student Mentor at the UCI DREAM Center.  This year, Joseph is also a Teaching Assistant for the UCI Asian American Studies Department, and is currently assisting Doctor Fujita-Rony in their Asian American History course (ASIANAM 50). 

This week, we explore the effects of the Model Minority Myth within the SEAs community and AAPIX community overall. From personal experiences to discussing how to end this stereotype, be sure to tune in for this episode to hear our thoughts and attitudes towards one of the most perplexing challenges our communities face today. 

Join our hosts Elaine and Ethan as they interview the board of the Southeast Asian Student Association at UCI! From what they do, to how they feel about SASA, our board members will give you their completely unfiltered perspectives on a rising group of student leaders. 

The Southeast Asian Student Association was formed in 2012 and has since then blossomed into a organization striving towards community, mentorship, and representation for those who identify as Southeastern Asian. Through retention, outreach, and various workshops throughout the year, SASA stands as an organization which aspires to bring a voice to the underrepresented communities both on and off campus.