Spring Newsletter
April 2026 (6th Issue)
Message from the Co-Presidents
Greetings Friends and Colleagues,
We are thrilled to celebrate Asian Pacific Islander South Asian American (APISAA) Heritage Month together at CSUF. This is a meaningful time for us to come together to honor our diverse histories, celebrate our achievements, and strengthen our community.
In this Spring newsletter, we are happy to share updates from our recent initiatives and highlight upcoming opportunities to get involved. We are still feeling deeply inspired by our time at the inaugural CSU AANHPI Student Achievement Program summit in February and our participation in the APAHE Conference earlier this month. Gatherings like these reinforce our commitment to advocacy and provide fresh momentum for our work here at Fullerton.
Building on this spirit of connection, we are especially excited to invite you to the Sweet Connection dessert showcase on April 22nd. This event is a special collaboration with all Faculty and Staff Affinity groups on campus and we invite all faculty, staff, and administrators to sample delicious treats, meet our members, and learn about our upcoming community events.
Finally, we want to express our sincere thanks for the solidarity you show every day. Simply "showing up" for one another is what makes our community thrive. With so much happening this month, please keep an eye on our website and Instagram (@csuf.aapifsa) for more updates.
Wishing you a productive and joyful remainder of your Spring semester.
Warmly,
– AAPIFSA Co-Presidents
Grace Cho and Raven Mansen
Announcements
2026 AAPIFSA Scholarships Available!
We invite students to apply for our 2026 AAPIFSA scholarship. We are selecting up to 3 students to receive a $900 scholarship. Recipients must have a CSUF GPA of 3.25+, be in good academic and disciplinary standing, and be making an impact in the APISAA community. The deadline to apply is Monday, April 20, 2026 at 8:00 am.
Please share this information with all interested students and encourage them to apply through our Scholarship Application Link
. For additional questions, please contact the AAPIFSA Scholarship Committee:
Kaitlyn Hopkins: khopkins@fullerton.edu and Priya Patel: priya.patel@fullerton.edu
Recipients will be announced in the next edition of the AAPIFSA newsletter, so stay tuned!
APISAA and SWANA Heritage Months
April is Asian Pacific Islander South Asian American (APISAA) Heritage Month at CSUF! This year’s theme is Rooted and Rising: APISAA in Bloom. Check out the full list of campus programming on the APISAA Heritage Month website.
April is also Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) Heritage Month! We encourage everyone to support events sponsored by our SWANA groups on campus, more in formation on which can be found on the SWANA Heritage Month website.
2026 APAHE Conference in Anaheim
We are incredibly proud to have presented at the APAHE (Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education) conference for the second consecutive year. This consistent participation underscores our commitment to elevating the voices of our community on a national stage. This year, our board members led a meaningful panel discussion titled "Cultures of Care in Action: Addressing Stigma and Promoting Culturally Inclusive Support Systems," featuring Kaitlyn Hopkins, Bonnie Li Victorino, Grace Cho, Penchan Phoborisut, and William Concepcion. You can view the session details at this link
. It was an especially proud moment for the Titan family to see CSUF’s own Cecil Chik commanding the main stage, and the entire conference offered a powerful environment for community belonging and growth. Seeing many of our CSUF faculty, staff, and students in attendance made the experience even more inspiring, and we look forward to bringing this renewed energy back to our work at Fullerton!
Sweet Connections
Open to all faculty, staff, and administrators.
When: Wednesday, April 22 from 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Where: Laurel MPR
Retired Instructor Dom Magwili Publishes Steampunk Saga
In November 2025, Dom Magwili launched his second novel, Scientific Dragons: The Adventure of Ensun Castle. A retired faculty member of CSUF’s Department of Asian American Studies, Magwili has also taught at UCLA and CSULB, drawing on a prolific and multi faceted background in the performing arts.
Scientific Dragons draws inspiration from the ilustrados , the Filipino educated class during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines, many of whom traveled to and sought education in Europe. Magwili blends fantasy and alternate history to create a dynamic steampunk adventure centered on the Asian expatriate experience.
The novel is available for purchase online. You can also check out a copy at the Pollak Library Faculty Collection.
Lunar New Year Event
In February, AAPIFSA ushered in the Lunar New Year Horse by hosting an afternoon gathering to celebrate culture and community. Over a spread of Chinese cuisine, pastries, snacks, and tea, guests got a chance to connect with fellow attendees and engage with some activities. There was a bowl of fortunes to draw from, a poster where attendees could share their zodiac animal and find who else shared theirs, and an intention setting activity.
We offer our best wishes that everyone has a thriving the Year of the Fire Horse and hope that it brings prosperity, growth, and joy to all!
Maast Indian Creative Kitchen
(714) 504-1231
3200 Yorba Linda Blvd suite 102, Fullerton, CA 92831
In March, Maast Indian opened a new branch in Fullerton. Currently in its soft launch phase, Maast is ready to serve up a vibrant mix of authentic and fusion dishes but know that there’s even more on the horizon for this local joint. With a highly customizable menu, diners can choose their format (burrito, bowl, paratha-dilla, tostada, and more), pick a protein and fillings, and adjust the spice level. Street bites and desserts are also available, from samosas and masala queso fries, to gulab jamun mini cakes and kheer. Ample seating makes it easy to settle in, whether at the bar, indoor booths or tables, or at one of the outdoor tables. Early visitors have been impressed by the extensive menu, rich flavors, and warm, kind service. We look forward to seeing what Maast Indian has in store as they continue to grow and settle into the community.
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Meet: Jovita (Vita) Carmen Jimenez McCoy
IT Administration
I currently work as Administrative Assistant at IT Administration. I’ve been with IT for approximately sixteen years. Prior to IT I worked in UA at the Alumni Association for about eight years. I’ve been on campus for close to twenty-five years.
I come from a large family of a mixed-race marriage. My father was Filipino, my mother Scotch-Irish. I had seven brothers and two sisters. I am number nine and have one younger brother. We’re a very close family.
I never thought much about my ethnic background as a child, even now it does not drive my personality, consciously. Our neighborhood was a very wonderful mixture of nationalities. There were Caucasian, Black, Spanish, Mexican, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese families, and a few more ethnicities that I can’t recall. I was always proud of my mixed heritage and my family as a family.
As children, one of my sisters, my youngest brother and I spent a lot of time at the Filipino Cultural Center near downtown L.A. on Temple Street. Filipino Town is still there today. It is now called Historic Filipinotown, with stylish cafes and hip cocktail lounges on Beverly Blvd. and W. Temple Street.
One of the challenges that led me to this point in my life is I married and divorced too young and raised my son, alone as a single parent. With a little help from my family, I worked three jobs at one point to make sure my son could enjoy some small advantages in life and grow up in a nice community. He grew into a person I am very proud of and now has a family of his own.
In my free time, I like to spend as much time as possible with my two grandchildren, who are both in their twenties now. I also enjoy playing music, as a bassist, and enjoy Polynesian dance.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
This semester, we are shining the spotlight on 2 Student Association for Asian American Studies (SAAAS) E-Board members, Izzy Cordero and Celine Ly.
Meet: Izzy Cordero
Year & Major/Minor: 3rd year, History major & Asian American Studies minor
I grew up in a very diverse city where there was a different culture on every other street. I was able to learn about different traditions, foods, clothes, and so much more. Being exposed to these cultures and being able to interact with all these different people really allowed me to learn about different cultures and the different ways that people interact with each other. On top of all of that, my family is mixed culturally. My mother’s side is White and Japanese, while my father’s side had all immigrated here to the United States, including my father. The ways different cultures interact with each other and how similar some of them are were really interesting to me, and it made me do a lot of research on myown. With all of that, being a History major just made sense to me because it gave me the opportunity to research more abouthow these cultures interacted and what influenced them. With my minor, I wanted to focus specifically on the Asian American community and learn more about the community as a whole, and more about my own community as well. All of this combined, my interestin researching how these communities came to be, how they interact with each other, and what impact they are currently making has grown tremendously.
I want to pursue a career in education as a secondary school (middle or high school) history teacher. I know that with my background of coming from a diverse community I can bring my understanding to my classroom. Also, I have a strong interest in museology/museum science because it allows me to research more on the past of objects, people, communities, and more. With these interests, it is hard to find people with similar interests who come from the same background or who understand the struggle of growing up with this mixed background. Though, I know that all this work that I am doing and that I am going to do is going to make an impact in the community and showcase more of who we are.
Meet: Celine Ly
Year & Major/Minor: Graduating 4th year Communications major with an emphasis in Advertising and minoring in Asian American Studies
Please tell us a little more about yourself.
I’m a Chinese Cambodian American second-generation college student and I’m the Co-Director and Director of Events for two student leadership organizations on campus and I love arts and crafts and creating handmade gifts for my friends and families. My current career aspirations and passions are social media marketing, event planning, and internal communications.
How would you describe your upbringing?
I was born and raised in California, and I’ve lived and stayed in Orange County my whole life. I’m the second/youngest child/daughter of Chinese Cambodian immigrants who moved to and stayed in America, and my upbringing was a mixture of Asian and Western norms. I didn’t grow up speaking my parents’ native tongue, but I grew up connecting with friends and family through dance, summer vacations to spots throughout the U.S., eating Southeast Asian foods, and hearing about my family’s lives in Cambodia and assimilating to Western societies. I spent a lot of time with family, bonding with cousins around my age over Nintendo 3DS and Wii games.
Give us some insight into your culture and heritage.
A lot of Chinese, Cambodian, and Chinese Cambodian culture is based around expectation. Mostly, in ways that impact your family just as much as it impacts you. Some expectations could be bringing food or gifts to someone’s house as a means to say “Thank you” for the welcoming invitation, respecting elders, especially parents, grandparents, or older siblings, or academic success in school.
What were some challenges you faced that led you to this point in your life?
I didn’t exactly know what I wanted to do after college, career-wise. I thought choosing a creative pathway, rooted in my passions and hobbies for crafts and visual design, that I would be set in a career. But, in completing projects for academic courses and researching the current challenges of job competition, I found myself wanting to learn more about other pathways related to my passions, distanced from my hobbies, but still within reach of my growing personal and professional capabilities. From wanting to be versatile and strengthen my skills in different fields, they’ve led me to being more involved on campus through student leadership.
What makes you pursue your degree?
I originally joined Communications with the intent of pursuing a pathway similar to Graphic Design or Web Design. But, my perception has changed, and I now pursue my degree with the hopes of securing a position that will allow me to not only connect with my local communities through visual communication, but through engaging events that encourage people to connect through shared experiences.
Tell us about your art/work/research and what motivates your passion.
My work motivations stem from my desire to connect people, from local and variant cities, and promote inclusive communities through conversation, interaction, and common ground. I thoroughly enjoy learning what makes people enamored with their surrounding environments and incorporating those into safe spaces where people have the opportunity to foster their personal and social identities through conversations and intermingling.
Share how you felt the first time you were on campus/first day of school/any other CSUF “firsts.”
I was excited to explore CSUF, but got lost on the way to the Visual Arts building. I was thrilled to use my headphones while walking in public without being reprimanded that I’m not paying attention to my surroundings. I was also thrilled at the idea of possibly knowing where all CSUF departments, buildings, and spaces are by name on campus without having to check the map. I was also excited I secured a parking spot with little to no issues at 9am in the morning.
Help spread the word to students!
On behalf of the Student Association for Asian American Studies (SAAAS) E-board, you're invited to a specialized dual-panel event on Thursday, April 23rd from 1pm to 4pm. Hear from CSUF grad students, staff, and faculty about leveraging your cultural/community strengths in the professional world and navigating grad school. Plan to stay for networking sessions between panels!
Thank You to Our Fall Crowdfunding Donors
Our sincerest gratitude goes out to everyone who supported AAPIFSA, whether through a donation during the Fall Crowdfunding event or by setting up a monthly payroll deduction.
Thanks to your incredible generosity, AAPIFSA was proudly recognized as a Top 10 Challenge winner for philanthropic funds with the highest participation from faculty, staff, and emeriti donors. This achievement also came with an additional $1,000 award, bringing our total funds raised to $2,816 - all of which will directly support student scholarships and help expand our impact. Your generosity truly made this celebration possible.
Together, we are uplifting our students, strengthening the AAPI community, and empowering Titans to pursue their dreams and create meaningful change. Your donations play a vital role in creating impactful experiences for our community. We are committed to honoring your generosity through action as we continue our work to empower APISAA individuals and foster an environment where all can thrive.
Thank you for your invaluable support!
