Dr. Angela Kong is a Service Learning Coordinator at Palomar College. She is a proud daughter of immigrant parents, a product of San Francisco public schools, a first-generation college graduate, a TRIO alumna, and self-identifies as an Asian American woman of color. She has 20 years of experience as an educator working across the California public college system to support students of color and first-generation college students. She’s worked with Work-Based Learning, Guided Pathways, Summer Bridge, TRIO Programs, Pre-College Programs, and Counseling and Ethnic Studies Departments. She believes in building community with others who are committed to student equity and social justice. As a founding member of a non-profit Hawaiian outrigger canoe club, you will find her paddling on the weekends.

Dr. Hannah Nahm is an Assistant Professor of English at Palomar College. She came to the U.S. from South Korea at age seven, and her working-class, immigrant background has inspired her deepest empathy for the diverse needs and gifts of her students, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds or those who are underrepresented in higher education. Her research is committed to building cross-racial, intercommunal solidarity and privileging counternarratives that defy oppressive social and political narratives. She is currently writing a collection of short stories that portray the complexities of Asian American lives that debunk the facile myth of the model minority stereotype. Outside of the classroom, Dr. Nahm’s humanity is inextricably shaped by her children—of the human, canine and feline makeup—who have taught her that however crazy and blood-pressure inducing life can be, love does indeed prevail. In her spare time, she enjoys daydreaming and singing on her karaoke mike (not necessary in that order).

Bethany Contreras is a first-generation college graduate whom earned her B.S. in Business, Supply Chain Management and M.B.A. in Business Intelligence from California State University of San Marcos. As a Nikkei (of Japanese ancestry) and having been a teen mother, she decided early-on to violate statistics, defy the odds, and reject societal skepticism and negative voices. Driven by her lived and continued experiences, her passions include helping young people, young parents, and all students externalize their dreams, recognize their potential, and actualize their ambitions. Bethany has worked in both public and private sectors with responsibilities ranging from operations and supply chain management to system and data analysis. She currently holds a position at Palomar College as a Business Systems Analyst. Outside of work, she enjoys playing video games with her family, investing in devotion, exploring different foods and recipes, and learning from and about other cultures.

Dr. Hossna Sadat Ahadi (she/her/ella) is an Associate Professor in Counseling at Palomar College. She is the founder of Empowered Women and the Asian Pacific Alliance in Higher Education at Palomar College. She initiated Board and Administrative Policy 3000 (Antiracism) and was the inaugural co-chair of Educators for Equity, Diversity, and Cultural Consciousness at Palomar College. She teaches Counseling to Rising Scholars. She was part of the inaugural cohort for Open for Antiracism (OFAR) and has been coaching faculty across all disciplines at various California Community Colleges. She obtained her dual bachelor’s degree in history of the near east and political science from UCSD. She earned a master’s degree in education—emphasis in multicultural counseling and social justice and a doctorate in educational leadership from SDSU. She also obtained a second doctorate in philosophy—with an emphasis in education for social justice from USD. Dr. Sadat Ahadi is a national and statewide award winner for her work and leadership involving equity, diversity, inclusion, and antiracism in education. She continues to research, publish, and provide ongoing training related to antiracism, decolonization, and racial equity in education.

Monica Diego Schmidt is a Senior Library Technician at Palomar College, working from both the Main Campus library and the Fallbrook Campus library. She earned her bachelor's in History, focusing on both Mexican and Filipino migrant labor in California, and earned her master's in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. In honoring her grandparents' and parent's vision of the value of an education, she continues to use research and teachings to educate the public about the strength and resilience of America's ethnic origins.