Team Biographies

Francis Wong has a 45+ year history in student and community activism, beginning in the Asian American Movement of the 1970s and 80s. He is known for his contributions to community-based arts that share the stories and perspectives of Asian Americans. Francis Wong was honored as the Distinguished Graduate Student in Asian American Studies at the Graduate Student recognition ceremony on Wednesday May 25, 2016.  Francis was honored for his academic excellence and for his artistic and community practice in the Asian American community. As an award-winning saxophonist, composer, and music director, while in graduate school he  directed and recorded musical scores for Lenora Lee’s immersive dance theater works “The Detached” and “Rescued: NY Stories” (2014) which dealt with the issue of human trafficking and “Fire of Freedom” (2015) which dealt with issues of war, trauma, and women’s experience. He also released a CD of new work entitled “Needs Are Met” in collaboration with legendary saxophonist Ari Brown and veteran bassist Tatsu Aoki in Chicago.

Dr. Tintiangco-Cubales is an award-winning distinguished professor in the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University. Since 2000, she’s taught in the Asian American Studies courses focusing on Filipina/x/o (American) Studies, women studies, and courses focused on the praxis of Ethnic Studies pedagogy. She is also an affiliated faculty member in the Educational Leadership. She has mentored hundreds of critical master’s and doctoral students, who are now teaching and working in schools, colleges, and community organizations nationwide. Before her position at SFSU, she did her undergraduate work at UC Berkeley in Ethnic Studies and received her Ph.D. from UCLA in Education. In 2001, she founded Pin@y Educational Partnerships (PEP), a “barangay” that provides Ethnic Studies courses and curriculum, develops radical educators, and creates resources for Filipina/x/o communities and similarly marginalized people. Over the past two decades, she has worked with school districts, counties, and states to co-develop community rooted Ethnic Studies, Social Justice, and Filipino Language curricula. She has developed models of teacher development that are being used throughout California and beyond. She is also the co-founder and director of Community Responsive Education (CRE), a national firm that supports the development of responsive, equitable, and justice-driven educators. She is the author of four books of curriculum, and many articles focused on the applications of critical pedagogy, Ethnic Studies curriculum, Mother scholarship, and Pinayism.

I’m a third generation Korean American from California! My favorite things include musicals, pirates, and vintage jazz. I absolutely love everything related to Asian American Studies, particularly anything history related pre-1945. I’ve always felt a sort of disconnect between myself and the mainstream narrative of what it means to be Asian American. Being able to do my own research into the topic has really allowed me to understand the distinctiveness of the Asian (American) diasporic culture and the importance of solidarity. I’m most interested in studying the historical context behind the pan-Asian American identity and how I can define myself within it.

I'm a second generation Chinese American high school student from the Tri-State area! I'm passionate about many types of art (painting, illustration, poetry), chemistry, and Asian American history. As a kid, I was first taught to draw by my grandparents. During the pandemic, I was inspired to start creating again. Though originally just a way to pass the extra time, art has allowed me to connect with many new people and new experiences over the last few years.  Currently, one of my goals is to use my work to explore the intersections of my identity and culture! Learning about Asian American and BIPOC stories, and using art as an avenue of change, is a way I hope to rediscover my culture. A school art assignment was actually the first time I thought to incorporate my Chinese culture in my artwork. Taking my first dive into that history was both exciting and enlightening, and gave context to so many of my own experiences. I figured my art would be a great way to not only learn more myself, but to connect to those with similar experiences as me.