Weglyn Endowed Chair Of Multicultural Studies

Phi Su

Phi Su is a double major in Sociology and Gender, Ethnic, and Multicultural Studies with a concentration in Asian American Studies. She plans to pursue a PhD in 2010. As part of her high school German Exchange Program, Phi visited Dachau Concentration Camp, which was fully intact with the gate proclaiming “Arbeit Macht Frei,” or “Work Makes Free.” She encountered a survivor of the Holocaust and “was struck by the cramped living quarters, freezing temperature of the confinement, and resoundingly evident trauma that such an experience engrained in the memories of those who fell victim to it.”

As a Weglyn intern, she hopes to bring a tangible face to the willful tragedy inflicted on all groups, whether LGBT, Jewish, Japanese, or, post-9/11, Muslims and those of Middle Eastern descent. By invoking the legacy of internment and the move for social justice as the cumulative experiences of real people, rather than mere statistics, Phi says that she “will endeavor to pay homage to those whose lives were disrupted and to promote understanding of the circumstances that led to such historic injustice, to work toward deterring it.”

Through the Weglyn and similar academic venues, she “will endeavor to pay homage to those whose lives were disrupted and to promote understanding of the circumstances that led to such historic injustice, to work toward deterring it.” – Phi Su, Weglyn Student Intern

Phi is the recipient of the 2008 Lowell Overton Scholarship and is currently working as a research assistant for Dr. Mary Yu Danico and Linda Vo’s examination of low-income youth in Orange County. She is the vice president of Alpha Kappa Delta National Honor Society, and is a member of Golden Key Internation Honor Society and Psi Chi National Honor Society in Psychology.

Jessica Kizer

Jessica Kizer is a third-year Sociology major with a minor in Spanish. She plans to pursue a PhD in Sociology after she graduates in 2010. She is the third recipient of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences Boeing Scholars Program Award.

Working as a Weglyn intern is a tremendous learning experience. I want to be engaged as well as help engage students and the community on issues of diversity and social justice.” – Jessica Kizer, CLASS Boeing Scholar and Weglyn Student Intern

As the 2008-2009 Boeing CLASS Scholar, Jessica works as a research assistant for Dr. Mary Danico on a book project titled, “Transforming the Ivory Tower: Challenging Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia in Higher Education” and other projects including the Weglyn Endowed Chair of Multicultural Studies. “Working as a Weglyn intern is a tremendous learning experience. I want to be engaged as well as help engage students and the community on issues of diversity and social justice.”

Jessica spent this past sumer as a UC Diversity Initiative for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences (DIGSSS) Summer Research Scholar at University of California, Los Angeles and researched lesbian-headed households with her UCLA faculty mentor, Dr. Mignon Moore. She was awarded the professional development award in the Psychology and Sociology Department and is a McNair Scholar.