Asian American & Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution
AANAPISI Program's Mission
To provide a holistic student support program with a special focus on Asian and Pacific Islander (A&PI) students and development opportunities for Seattle Central College. We are a free service that fosters a community for students seeking support, connection, and belonging! While our services are tailored for A&PI communities, we welcome and serve all students at Central.
Our Services
- career resources for internships, jobs, volunteering, and leadership skills
- financial aid help and scholarship resources
- academic and transfer planning
- advising on plans after Central
- personal counseling for social and emotional help
- events and workshops throughout the year
- peer mentoring
- access to our Center to hang out, study, and use our kitchenette
- connections to Asian and Pacific Islander communities and resources in Seattle
How Do I Join?
If you are interested in joining the AANAPISI Program, please complete our Sign-Up Form and we will connect with you shortly: www.bit.ly/sccaanapisi
The form takes less than five minutes to complete!
Contact Us
If you have any questions, please reach out to us:
- aanapisi.central@seattlecolleges.edu
- (206) 934-5492
Role: AANAPISI Director
About: Jeff is a 1.5 generation Chamorro and Filipino who immigrated to the United States at the age of eight from Saipan, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands and grew up in San Diego, CA.
Hobbies: Video games with friends, going on walks with his dog
Education: BA Psychology, minor Asian American Studies - University of California, Santa Barbara; MA in Postsecondary Educational Leadership - San Diego State University
Contact: jeffrey.bermudes@seattlecolleges.edu
Role: AANAPISI Student Specialist
About: Christine is proud to identify as Chinese and Southeast Asian. She loves how tight-knit and progressive the Asian and Pacific Islander communities are in Seattle. She is excited to help students navigate their journey of finding joy and belonging in their ethnic and social justice identities.
Hobbies: attending community events, reading
Education: BA Communications, minor in Ethnic Studies; MS School Counseling
Contact: christine.ma@seattlecolleges.edu
Role: Faculty in Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
About: Dr. Oka is a third-generation Japanese American/Canadian and a proud first-generation college graduate whose parents were both incarcerated in the WWII internment camps. Dr. Oka's passions include promoting access to prison education and developing culturally responsive teaching for inclusive learning.
Hobbies: Traveling, cooking, wine tasting and pottery
Education: BA English/Communications; MA Intercultural Management; PhD Sociology and Equity Studies - University of Toronto
Contact: kayleen.oka@seattlecolleges.edu
Role: Adjunct ESL faculty in Basic & Transitional Studies
About: Her role as an educator is to support students inside and outside the classroom as they develop the necessary language skills to reach their personal and professional goals. She is inspired by her lived experience as a first-generation Vietnamese refugee to teach and to lead for equity and social justice.
Hobbies: Playing with her nephews, hiking and playing tennis
Education: MA-TESOL - Seattle Pacific University; PhD Education - University of Washington
Contact: tram.dang@seattlecolleges.edu
Role: Faculty in Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
About: As a third generation Chinese American "Paper Granddaughter" (with grandparents who entered as Paper a Son/Daughter during the Chinese Exclusion Era), I identify strongly with the Asian American Movement and the birth of Ethnic Studies, both of which inspire me to organize as part of ongoing social justice movements.
Education: BA Third World Women's Literature - University of California Berkeley; MEd Multicultural Studies - University of Washington
Contact: tracy.lai@seattlecolleges.edu