Attending Elevate: AAPI Data Challenge was an incredible professional opportunity for me to present findings from my research with my faculty advisor Dr. Jennifer Lee and colleague Oshin Kachikian in front of the White House Initiatives on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), think-tank leaders, activists, and other social scientists whose work investigates inequality that the AAPI population experiences in the larger society as well as among themselves. As one of the speakers strongly argued, I’ve learned once again that data is power—it has the power to reveal and the power to conceal. This experience has helped me advancing my career goals as a sociologist to network with other AAPI scholars and discuss the importance of data collection and disaggregation. Mostly important, I had the incredible opportunity to discuss my dissertation ideas and plans with renowned social scientists and gain some insights from their expertise on the AAPI population. I also had the chance to talk to AAPI undergraduates volunteering at this event through their involvement in UCDC, learning about the type of mentorship they seek in their TAs and professors in furthering their education and possibly pursuing graduate careers.
