Mission Statement and Land Acknowledgement
The Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate is an interdisciplinary program that provides students with (1) a thorough understanding of both Asian and Asian American histories, experiences, and contemporary issues and (2) multi-disciplinary and multi-method research, analysis, and critical thinking skills, both of which prepare students for the increasingly diverse, globalized, and interconnected world of the 21st century.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst acknowledges that it was founded and built on the unceded homelands of the Pocumtuc Nation on the land of the Norrwutuck community.
We begin with gratitude for nearby waters and lands. We recognize these lands and waters as important Relations with which we are all interconnected and depend on to sustain life and wellbeing. The Pocumtuc had connections with these lands for millennia. Over 400 years of colonization, when Pocumtuc Peoples were displaced, many joined their Algonquian relatives to the east, south, west and north. That includes Mashpee and Aquinnah Wampanoag, Nipmuc, Narragansett, Mohegan, Pequot, Mohican, communities and Abenaki and other nations of the Wabanaki Confederacy. These Native peoples still maintain connections and relationships of care for these lands today. We also acknowledge that the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a Land Grant University. As part of the Morrill Land Grant Act, portions of land from 82 Native Nations west of the Mississippi were sold to provide the resources to found and build this university.
As an active first step toward decolonization, we encourage you to learn more about the Native Nations whose homelands UMass Amherst now resides on and the Indigenous homelands on which you live and work. We also invite you to deepen your relationship to these living lands and waters.
Statement of Solidarity with Pro-Palestine Protesters
The Asian and Asian American Studies Certificate Program (AAASCP) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst is writing to express our solidarity with and support for the UMass community who are standing against the genocide taking place in Palestine. We were appalled and offended to learn of the events that occurred on the night of May 7th, 2024. No individual should ever have to face police brutality and armed law enforcement for exercising their constitutional right to peacefully protest, and the UMass community should never have to experience our security and welfare being jeopardized and threatened by the decisions of the leaders we should be able to trust.
We commend the brave students, faculty, staff, and community members who firmly stood up for what they believe in, and we condemn Chancellor Javier Reyes for his administrative decisions that, in no way whatsoever, reflect the AAASCP's values. We welcome peaceful protest, and all the more encourage the uplifting of the voices that are too frequently unheard and suppressed. Given that the AAASCP was built on the legacies of protests against the Viet Nam War, activism to build ethnic studies, and dreams for Asian and Asian American representation in academic spaces and on campus, we understand all too well the importance of fighting to be seen and heard. We hope to use our platform to further reiterate our condemnation of the active harm and violence inflicted by the current UMass Amherst administration and publicly condoned and rationalized by the President's Office and Trustees. They failed in their legal obligation to protect our students and faculty, and we stand alongside the many other undergraduate registered student organizations (RSOs), student businesses, and academic departments and programs on campus that have also condemned such behavior.
As history has shown us, transformational change and progress cannot be made without defending what is right and just, and it is extremely important that our right to free speech and peaceful assembly not be threatened by the fear of violence. We will continue to advocate for a safe campus environment where all are empowered to use their voices. We fully stand behind the belief that institutions of learning must remain places where positively changing the world is possible. As Yuri Kochiyama said, "we are all part of one another."
Click here for Resources to Deal with Anti-Asian Hate and How to Support the Asian & Asian American Community
What's New
The Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate Program (AAASCP) was very proud to celebrate its 25th anniversary in the 2025-2026 academic year, in recognition of its formal approval as an academic program by the Faculty Senate in the 2000-2001 academic year. In these past 25 years, the AAASCP became stronger with each student who walked into a class curious -- and walked out transformed. We became stronger through the courage of students who found language for their experiences, who began to see their families’ stories as part of larger histories of strength and inspiration, and who came to understand how their identity and experiences connect them to entire communities, past and present. Our greatest achievement over these 25 years is not simply a curriculum. It is people. In these past 25 years, we are incredibly proud to have educated young leaders who carry what they learned in our Certificate courses into fields such as law, education, medicine & public health, the arts, business, and community organizing. They apply critical thinking not as an abstract concept, but as a daily practice. Our students and alumni embody the idea that Asian and Asian American Studies is not just about studying communities -- it is about strengthening them.
We had our 25th anniversary celebration event on Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Old Chapel and it was a smashing success. There were around 120 students, staff, faculty, and alumni in attendance celebrating the occasion with us and enjoying wonderful Asian cuisine from UMass Dining Services. This Google Photos album contains some pictures from the event and the Daily Collegian also published an article on the event. The first part of the event included some welcoming remarks from me, along with recognizing our past and current program assistants, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the following people:
- Christopher Dang, Residence Director, Asian & Asian American Defined Residential Community
- Samantha Huynh, alum and Staff Attorney, MetroWest Legal Services
- Miliann Kang, Professor in Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies
- Q.J. Shi, alum and Senior Director of Asian Business Empowerment Council, Boston Foundation
- Purna Venugopalan, Director, Asian & Asian American Arts & Cultures Program
- Catherine Wan, History & Legal Studies Double Major and President, Asian American Students Association
The panelists' remarks and Q&A from the audience were very inspiring and reinforced our shared sense of community and our founding principles -- that education should empower; that solidarity should guide our actions; and that community should be at the heart of everything we do. The second half of the 25th anniversary celebration event included an amazing and rousing collection of dance and artistic performances by the following Asian American registered student organizations (RSOs) at UMass Amherst and community-based artists, all organized by our program assistant, Caitlin Calvelo:
- Filipino Student Association
- UMass Rang
- Newari Lahkey
- UMass Nirva
- UMass Korean Dance Club
All in all, the 25th anniversary celebration event was a huge success in commemorating the AAASCP’s many successes, showcasing the talents and accomplishments of students past and present, and building an even stronger sense of community and solidarity.
Since students are at the core of the Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate, we are proud of the work of the students who take the courses and participate in its many programs. This year we graduated three students who completed the Certificate:
- Michelle Graham (Psychology)
- Fiona Ho (Sociology)
- Sandra Sellers (Comparative Literature)
(L to R): Sandy Sellers, Michelle Graham, Fiona Ho, and Morgan Kim (expected graduation in May 2027)
Senior Seminar capstone project presentation event, May 8, 2026
Michelle, Fiona, and Sandy worked extremely hard throughout all of their Certificate courses and on their respective Senior Seminar capstone projects. Completing the Certificate is an important accomplishment that they should definitely feel proud of, particularly given the challenges of these last few years. It is students like these who sustain the AAASCP and help make it vibrant and dynamic. We wish them the best of luck as they graduate, start the next chapter of their educational journey or their careers, and bring their knowledge and wisdom to their own communities.
While the AAASCP does not have formal enrollment numbers, enrollment in many of our courses remains strong. The AAAASCP continues to develop and implement different strategies to improve the "conversion rate," that is, to convert more students taking these courses into students ultimately completing the Certificate. Finally, I was very humbled when I learned that I won the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences "Outstanding Teaching Award" for 2025-2026 and am very proud to accept it on behalf of all faculty who contribute courses toward the Certificate
The 2025-2026 year included many other highlights. Internally, we bid farewell to our undergraduate program assistant, Nicky Tran, as she left the position to focus on senior year at UMass before graduation. Over the five semesters that Nicky worked as our Program Assistant, Nicky had a profound impact on the AAASCP. She has not merely supported the AAASCP; she has actively strengthened and transformed it into a hub of inclusion, advocacy, and intersectional belonging. Nicky consistently has gone above and beyond the 'expected' scope of work to champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in ways that are tangible, structural, and deeply felt by all the students, staff, and faculty with whom she has interacted. To recognize and celebrate her determination, passion, and deep care for the AAASCP and the campus community, I nominated Nicky for the Gerald F. Scanlon Student Employee of the Year Award. We were both proud that she was named one of the awardees and she was publicly recognized at the award ceremony at the Old Chapel on April 2 and her award profile video is embedded below. Fortunately, we hired a new undergraduate Program Assistant, Caitlin Calvelo and Caitlin has hit the ground running in contributing her energy, enthusiasm, and creativity to make the AAASCP as successful as possible, focusing on student outreach and social media presence.
In addition, throughout the 2025-2026 academic year, the AAASCP was very proud to co-sponsor and/or collaborate with other programs on bringing the following speakers to the UMass campus, much of whom were organized by our wonderful colleague, Professor Miliann Kang in the Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies department:
- Lawrence-Minh Bui Davis Feb. 19, 2026, "A Radical Remembrance of Franklin Odo, or: A Racial Outsider Walked into Princeton and out the Smithsonian and Sits Waiting in the Quiet Rooms of Communal Memory to Tell Us the Point"
- Aiko Wakao AustinApr. 7, 2026, Online photography workshop, as part of "In These Times: Documenting Stories Through Our Own Lenses" community conversation and workshop series, organized by University Without Walls
- Gautam Bhatia Apr. 22, 2026, "The Hollow Hope of Rights: Vignettes from India"
- Collaboration with the Asian & Asian American Arts and Culture Program (Fine Arts Center) and with the 5 College Pan Asian Network (5PAN) Apr. 19, 2026, "Screening and Q&A: The Horse of Jenin by Alaa Shehada"
Each of these events were important opportunities for participants to share their academic/professional expertise and personal experiences with the audience, and to reinforce our commitment to collaborating with and mutually supporting diverse programs and communities that are facing many political, economic, and cultural challenges. In connecting what we teach in the classroom to address real-world challenges, we honor and reinforce the power of higher education to make a meaningful difference in the everyday lives of vulnerable members of the community.
A History of the Program
By the mid-1990s, three significant trends became increasingly prominent across many colleges around the U.S. -- (1) a recognition of the growing importance of globalized international affairs, particularly focused on Asia; (2) the political, economic, and cultural growth of the Asian American population; and (3) demographic trends and a large increase in the number of Asian and Asian American students enrolling in college. As a reflection of these developments, many students and scholars pushed for the expansion of Asian Studies and Asian American Studies at their campuses.
In the late 1990s, students at UMass Amherst engaged in numerous forms of activism, including protests and occupying the administration building, to demand the creation of an Asian American Studies program. Their efforts successfully culminated with the creation of a new joint undergraduate program in Asian and Asian American Studies in the spring of 2000. Since then, the Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate Program has graduated close to one hundred students from diverse personal and academic backgrounds who have gone on to apply their knowledge and skills in numerous careers and pursuits.
As U.S. society becomes more diverse, multicultural, and globalized, and in the context of the cultural and economic emergence of Asian countries such as China and India, the Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate gives students the opportunity to learn about the interconnections between two similar but unique sets of histories, cultures, and issues -- Asia and Asian America.
With course offerings and faculty specializing in numerous academic disciplines, the Certificate is designed to give students (1) an understanding of different Asian and Asian American ethnic groups and the range of historical, political, economic, demographic, and cultural issues related to their experiences and (2) interdisciplinary and multi-method research and learning skills to communicate and collaborate across cultures. In turn, these skills will give the student a competitive advantage in both their studies at UMass and in whatever career they enter once they graduate.
Please refer to the menu on the right for links to more information about the Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate, including requirements to complete the certificate, frequently asked questions, and an updated listing of courses that count toward the certificate. For additional information, please contact:
C.N. Le, Director
Senior Lecturer II, Department of Sociology
Thompson Hall 916
Email:
For an updated listing of upcoming talks, events, and other activities related to the Certificate program, remember to check out and 'like' our Facebook and Instagram pages.
