About ANY

• Josie Ryan-Small, Co-Chair
• Sunil Koundal, Co-Chair
• Mamta Agarwal
• Shemshat Aizenshtat
• Sara Azam
• Tzu-Tzu Benigni
• Kripa Bhagat  
• Joanna Carmona
• Martha Cedeno-Ross
• Jean Chang
• Emily Chew
• Stephen Chin-Bow
• Amy Chmiel
• Christina Cho
• Seina Murase Cho
• Sunny Choi
• Trinh DiNoto
• Aleena Garcia
• Francis Garcia
• Lin Ge
• Natasha Ghazali
• Gloria Han
• Kanwal Haq
• Lauren Harling
• Shusheng (Brian) Hu
• Anna Maria Hummerstone
• Rafiad Islam
• Farah Kidwai
• Sandeep Kumar
• Allison Kim
• Allison Lee
• Pik-Yiu Lee
• Guopeng Liang
• Jared Liu
• Jie Liu
• Sha Liu
• Annie Lin
• Tony Ma
• Pauline Martin
• Marinda Monfilston
• Vu-Thuy (Thuy) Thi Nguyen
• Juyeon Ohara
• Sheraz Oki
• Frances Osugi
• Fiona Park
• Hang Pham
• Anni Pullagura
• Muhammad Zawwad Raza
• Chin Reyes
• Carmencita (Menchu) Rubin
• Lakia Scott
• Uma Shankar
• Shusheng (Brian) Hu
• Kylie Stannard
• Adam Stein
• Eva Stump
• Katherine Su
• Lakshimi Swaminathan
• Sheena Tan
• Lhendup Tshering
• Svetlana Vassilieva
• Michael Wagner
• Fawn Wang
• V. Ware
• Sitara Weerakoon
• Ilana Zaks
• Jorimel Zaldivar

The Career Development sub-committee supports and enhances the professional development of members at all stages of their career through education, training, networking, and other activities. We are responsible for coordinating these efforts.

Our functions include:

• Managing ANY’s leadership speaker series, including making arrangements for speakers and establishing the themes
• Developing programs to assist ANY’s members to advance in their careers at Yale
• Identifying which available “hot jobs” should be announced to ANY’s members

Sub-Committee Team

• Jorimel Zaldivar, Co-Chair
• Jared Liu, Co-Chair

The Community Engagement team oversees the strategic communications and marketing plans to promote ANY’s mission and encourages community participation to increase membership value, benefits, and satisfaction.

We are responsible for maintaining the integrity and appropriate usage of the ANY brand and communicating to members and the wider Yale community. 

Our functions include:

• Developing marketing literature, including oversight of the ANY logo
• Deciding what types of communications are appropriate to email to the community
• Creating periodic surveys to the community
• Administering social media accounts
• Assisting with the continuous development of the website.
• Creating new programs to cultivate engagement of new and current members

Sub-Committee Team

• Sunil Koundal, Co-Chair
• Sandeep Kumar, Co-Chair
• Ben Walter, Member
• Frances Osugi, Member

The Membership and Outreach sub-committee is the link between ANY and the Yale community. We are responsible for outreach to the Yale community and for increasing membership to ANY’s planning committees.

Our functions include:

• Overseeing outreach to employees, including new employee welcome emails
• Organizing quarterly networking luncheons
• Managing membership lists

Sub-Committee Team

• Tony Ma, Co-Chair
• Uma Shankar, Co-Chair

It is important for us to promote and to celebrate community service with our members. The Community Service sub-committee provides opportunities for members to participate in service and sustainability activities, sharing our skills with the community while gaining valuable experiences and having fun.

Our core functions include:

• Identifying which community service efforts ANY should be involved with
• Planning logistics for the community service efforts
• Coordinating co-sponsorship opportunities for large scale community service efforts.

Sub-Committee Team

• Francis Garcia, Co-Chair
• Adam Stein, Co-Chair
• Sheena Tan, Member

The Social and Cultural sub-committee aims to enhance the social and cultural experiences of the ANY community. We coordinate numerous social and cultural events throughout the year and our responsibilities include the organization, and execution of these events.

Our functions include:

• Planning the details for ANY’s social events, including food, entertainment, and other logistics
• Identifying cultural events within and beyond Yale that ANY can collaborate and/or communicate to our members
• Selecting and organizing ANY co-sponsorships of cultural event collaborations

Sub-Committee Team

• Shemshat Aizenshtat, Co-Chair 
• Guopeng Liang, Co-Chair 

Sub-Committee Team

• Co-Chair (vacant)
• Co-Chair (vacant)
• Martha Cedeno-Ross, Member

June 9, 2020

Words alone cannot express the rage and sorrow of the unnecessary brutal killing of George Floyd, now in a long list of Black individuals whose lives have been unjustly taken by systemic racism and state-sanctioned violence. As citizens and a group dedicated to inclusivity, diversity, and empowerment, the Asian Network at Yale (ANY) stands in solidarity with the Black community at this time of grief and outrage. The public outcry and protests we see in our own community and across the nation warrant urgent compassion and dedication to awaken from the status quo and complacency, and be the change. ANY is committed today, tomorrow, and the long road ahead to dismantle anti-Blackness, together as allies. We cannot afford to be idle in a society that devalues Black and Brown lives and tolerates inequality, racial violence, and police brutality.

Black Lives Matter

This Social Justice Ad Hoc Committee develops resources and programming that educate the ANY membership about taking action for social justice. We invite the Asian Network at Yale and other members of the Yale community to take action through discussion, advocacy, and pledging to make lasting change. Email diversity@yale.edu to join our discussions.

Short-term Actionable Steps

1. Raise marginalized community voices for changes through national and local elections. Support civic participation, advocate for policy change. We believe that all Americans must be able to exercise their rights to vote and engage in the democratic process. We support the rights of individuals and groups to make their voices heard.
2. Hold joint talks with Yale affinity groups (YAAA, YLNG, etc) to listen to their voices/perspectives and provide a platform to be heard.
3. Hold talks with ANY members that educate the Asian community and take the courage to confront the culture that enables biases, racism, and unjust policies/laws/workplace practices to thrive (this includes how to be an ally, how to confront the anti-Black bias that exists within our own communities, history of Asian and Black interaction, etc.)
4. Asian folx who are unable to protest right now, might be feeling powerless. One thing ANY members can do is talk to your Asian/Asian-American parents, family, and friends about anti-black racism. Here are a few resources translated into various languages that will hopefully enable you to do so. Resource: Letters for Black Lives

Long-term Actionable Steps

1. Addressing the underlying inequities and silence that led to this point including but not limited to systemic racism, systemic inequality, and police brutality.
2. As Asian and Asian-Americans, we are indebted to examine our own beliefs, biases, and anti-blackness. 
3. For the long haul, commit to creating a lasting space for dialogue, partnering with the Yale Affinity Groups, Yale Office of Diversity & Inclusion, student organizations, academic departments, and more. 
4. Sponsoring initiatives that make lasting changes to achieve social and racial justice on our campus, in our community, government, and criminal justice system. 
5. Actively LISTEN to Black voices and honor perspectives of people of color that have been dismissed for far too long.

The Well-Being sub-committee develops programs and awareness around healthy living, including mental wellness, mindfulness, and work-life balance.

Sub-Committee Team

• Fiona Park, Co-Chair
• Anni Pullagura, Co-Chair
• Michael Wagner, Member