Voices of Asian Americans in Higher Education

Unheard Stories

Edited by:
Festus E. Obiakor, Sunny Educational Consulting
Ying Hui-Michael, Rhode Island College

Published 2018

Voices of Asian Americans in Higher Education: Unheard Voices is a unique and historical book. Asian Americans are often portrayed as “model minority,” yet their personal and educational experiences are often unheard. In this book, 10 Asian American educators and scholars present realistic pictures of America’s higher education using personal narratives. The contributors in this book come from different regions and teach in different colleges and universities; and coincidentally, they all endure the “outsider” category formerly as students and now as professors and leaders. This “outsider” status can be emotionally overwhelming and psychologically unnerving. This status hampers opportunities for Asian Americans to grow and maximize their fullest potential. Though they develop different strategies to address their “outsider” label, it does not make it comfortable. But, time and time again, they have proven that they can succeed! In this technological age, we must value unending truths as we educate ourselves and others. We hope that this book will be an educational and informational resource for students, administrators, and faculty in higher education and also educational policy makers and stakeholders.

CONTENTS
Preface. Engaging in Multicultural Special Education: My Journey, Ying Hui-Michael. Maneuvering Through the Interdepartmental Politics of Graduate School: My Hmong Voice, Tong T. Xiong. Teaching Vulnerably: My Teaching Stories, Jung-ah Choi. My Journey of Transformation in Multicultural Special Education, Shernaz B. García. Struggling to be Heard: Continued Saga, Li-Rong Lilly Cheng. East to West, and Back Again: A Personal and Academic Journey, C. N. Le. Being a Multicultural and Special Education Professor: My Story, My Voice, Hsu-Min Chiang. Invocation of Forever Foreigner Identity in Critical Multicultural Teacher Education, Jenna Min Shim. Cultural Autobiography of a Christian Foreign Educator in the United States, Lucia Y. Lu. My Multicultural Journey in America’s Higher Education, Carol Huang. Afterword: Beyond Silence in Multicultural Education, Festus E. Obiakor. About the Authors.