Kong Her (he/him)
Director of APARC
B.A. in Art and M.A. in Leadership in Student Affairs
[email protected]
Kong grew up on the Eastside of St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his B.A. in Art from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and completed his M.A. in Leadership in Student Affairs from the University of St. Thomas. He has served and supported students to thrive in their education journey for over 16 years. He works collaboratively to guide students in their own personal development to achieve their goals and be grounded leaders. In his free time, Kong enjoys spending time with his young family and exploring northern Minnesota.
Tev Lee (he/him)
Associate Director of APARC
B.A. in Communication and M.S.Ed in Student Affairs and Administration in Higher Education
[email protected]
Tevelung (Tev) Lee serves as the Associate Director of APARC. He earned his B.A. in Communication from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay and further pursued his M.A.Ed. in Student Affairs and Administration in Higher Education from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. He is a proud first-generation college graduate, TRIO Alum (#TRIOworks), and Hmoob Wisconsinite. Understanding the intricacies that come with growth and life-long learning, he strives to serve as a resource and work to expand the support necessary to provide aid to students navigating their unique college journey. Tev is an aspiring artist at heart and a home goods enthusiast.
Ngan Nguyen (she/her)
Graduate Assistant (GA)
2nd Year Ph.D. in Culture & Teaching
Ngan was born in Vietnam and immigrated to Minnesota when she was eight years old. She graduated from Macalester College with a BA in American Studies and Educational Studies. She went on to receive a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in History/Social Studies at Brown University. Ngan taught social studies through an ethnic studies lens at Brooklyn Center Community Schools (BCCS) for three years. She is currently the Deputy Director of Programs and Curricula at the Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education (ARISE) where she is working to pilot the Youth Leaders program in RI at BCCS.
Her research interest is in ethnic studies, the Southeast Asian American youth political education, and social consciousness development in relation to Black Liberation. In her free time, Ngan enjoys cooking, running, hanging out with family, watching Asian dramas, and playing Animal Crossing.
Syra Yang (she/her)
Graduate Assistant (GA)
2nd Year Doctoral in Culture and Teaching in Curriculum and Instruction
Tenzin Chokyi (she/her)
Student Leads - Communication and Content Coordinator
Junior, Major: Marketing with a minor in Business Analytics/MIS
Tenzin, born here in Minneapolis, raised in Karnataka, India throughout elementary. She identifies as a Tibetan-American and is bilingual in both Tibetan and English. Tenzin is pursuing a BS in Marketing with a minor in Business Analytics (BA) and/or Management Information System (MIS) at the Carlson School of Management (CSOM). In her role as a Communication and Content Coordinator, she strives to connect her identity with her job and aspires to assist other AAPI students like herself. One fun fact about Tenzin is that she has a fraternal twin sister who is one minute older and also goes to Carlson. In her free time some hobbies include hanging out with friends, especially going out for picnics, thrifting, and doing gorshey (Tibetan circle dance).
Laichia Vang (she/they)
Program Coordinator - Intersectional Identities Dialogue (IID)
Junior, Major: BIS Political Science, Sociology, and Racial Justice in Urban Schooling
Laichia is a Hmong American facilitator, storyteller, and lifelong student. Born and raised in St. Paul, they are passionate about youth activism, critical pedagogy, education justice, and community engagement. On-campus, Laichia is involved with the University of Minnesota’s Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence, Gender Sexuality Center, Asian American Studies Program, the Liberal Arts for Engagement Hub, and YoUthROC. Off-campus, they are the Program Director of Youth Empowerment at StoryArk. In their free time, she explores her Drag King artistry as LightNing. She enjoys painting, attending community events, getting tattoos, and eating free food! They intend to go to graduate school in Fall 2025. Come say hi!
Jadyn Roder (she/her)
Program Coordinator - ASPIRE
Senior, Major: Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Statistics
Jadyn is a Korean American adoptee raised in northwestern Iowa. She is majoring in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Statistics. This coming year will be her second year as an ASPIRE Program Coordinator and her fourth year being involved with the ASPIRE program. In her free time she likes to read, crochet, and spend time with her friends and family.
Kaylie Aquino (she/her)
Program Coordinator - ASPIRE
Junior, Major: Kinesiology
Kaylie Aquino is a third year majoring in Kinesiology, with the goal of becoming a physical therapist. Kaylie has been involved with ASPIRE going on three years now. You could usually find Kaylie with her headphones on throughout the day, but don’t hesitate to say “Hey!” Aside from APARC, you can find Kaylie at the RecWell where she enjoys weightlifting, or at Centennial Hall as a Community Advisor (CA). Another organization that Kaylie is active with is the Philippine Student Association (PSA) where she has performed for their Philippine Culture Night. One of Kaylies’ goals includes opening up conversations regarding individuals with multiple cultural & ethnic backgrounds. Some of her hobbies and interests include playing tennis, and pickleball, listening to ballads/Kpop/EDM, and finding different coffee shops around the cities.
Lauren McCoy (she/her)
Program Coordinator - ASPIRE
Junior, Major: Kinesiology with a minor in Physical Activity and Health Promotion
Lauren loves to stay active through sports, lifting, and yoga. You can find her at APARC, Baseline, or try new coffee shops near campus. When Lauren is not out and about, she will be in bed drawing, watching anime, or reading. She has a hyper fixation of Miffy, Sonny Angels, and Smiskis. Lauren is always listening to music, so let her know if you have any recommendations for her to listen to and vice versa!
Tristina Ting (she/her)
Program Coordinator - ASPIRE
Junior, Majors: Environmental Sciences, Policy, and Management; Music
Tristina is a third year student studying environmental science and music. She was born and raised in South Dakota and is passionate about AAPI identity, community and relationship building, and environmental justice. In her spare time, Tristina loves to try new foods, spend time outside, play card games in APARC (come join!), and explore the Twin Cities. If not in APARC, you can probably find her in Ferguson Hall or somewhere on the St. Paul campus.