The AACC Center Staff is comprised of several teams focusing on different areas and work collaboratively with one another, our AACC Peer Liaisons, Yale staff and faculty, the greater New Haven community, and alumni.
Co-Head Coordinators
Bella Bolayon (Saybrook ‘23)
Pronouns: she/her
Major: Ethnicity, Race & Migration (ER&M)
Why AACC? I always come back to this quote from bell hooks: “One of the most vital ways we sustain ourselves is by building communities of resistance, places where we know we are not alone.”
Who is your favorite artist(s)? Japanese Breakfast and Indigo de Souza
What is your favorite New Haven restaurant? York Street Noodle
Resty Fufunan (Trumbull ‘24)
Pronouns: he/him
Major: Ethnicity, Race, and Migration (ER&M) + Statistics & Data Science (S&DS)
Why AACC? The AACC has provided such a welcoming and warm space during my first year at Yale. Although the events was mostly remote, I still got to interrogate what it meant to be part of the Asian American community. This year, I’m excited to keep exploring these identities as we transition back to in-person programming!
What is your favorite food? kare-kare (Filipino peanut stew)
What’s your favorite book? On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
Alumni Engagement
Kaashif Ahmed (Benjamin Franklin ‘25)
Pronouns: he/him/his
Major: History + Statistics & Data Science (S&DS)
Why AACC? The Asian American diversity at Yale is overwhelming, but I am hoping to educate students more about how being Muslim affects the Asian American experience. With 1.3 billion Asians being Muslim, the history and culture flows across the map from east to west. I am even more excited to learn about other Asian-American identities and how they collide with the Muslim narrative.
What is your favorite Yale class? Sustainable Innovation in Healthcare
Who is your favorite artist(s)? Adele, Bruno Mars, One Direction
Kenny Li (Pauli Murray ‘25)
Pronouns: he/him
Major: Mathematics, Computer Science & Economics
Why AACC? I’m really excited to be a part of the AACC because it really embodies the diversity of the Asian and Asian American community here at Yale. As somebody who grew up without such a tight-knight community, I’m really eager to help continue fostering solidarity and unity here on Campus!
What are your hobbies? Tennis, creative writing, making song-mashups, stargazing
What is your favorite campus study spot? Rosenkranz 2nd Floor
Communications & Design
Cynthia Lin (Grace Hopper ‘25)
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Major: English, Film & Media Studies, or Art
Why AACC? Working at the AACC means expressing and celebrating Asian American culture and histories alongside some of the most passionate and brilliant voices on campus. It gives me the chance to contribute my creative skills while learning from the Asian American community at Yale and New Haven.
What are your hobbies? Ballroom dancing, going on hikes when it’s way too cold to go hiking, spending more time making my productivity bullet journal look aesthetic than being productive, creating animations, and writing!
What is your favorite food? Fuzhounese ban mian (peanut noodles) with a generous sprinkling of scallions and my grandma’s zongzis (sticky rice “dumplings”)
Eunice Kiang (Berkeley ‘24)
Pronouns: she/her
Major: Computing and the Arts
Why AACC? Working at the AACC can realize my wish for Asian Americans to unify and bond through creativity and sharing their stories with each other. The AACC gives me the opportunity to make friends in and learn from a community of fellow Asian Americans and contribute my artistic talent.
What are your hobbies? Doodling, playing video games (Genshin Impact, Super Smash Bros), cooking and baking, watching anime and K-drama, listening to music (K-pop and anime songs), swimming, cycling, traveling, singing, drawing and painting
What is your artists/bands? TXT, GFRIEND, LoveLive!
Maheen Iqbal (Grace Hopper ‘25)
Pronouns: she/her
Major: Political Science/Global Affairs/Ethnicity, Race, and Migration (ER&M)
Why AACC? The AACC is a place where I feel like I have the space to cultivate an intentional, conscious connection with what identity means to me - in the comfort of community, tradition, and shared history.
What are your hobbies? Learning how to read and write in Urdu!
What is your favorite New Haven restaurant? Tandoor
Historical, Artistic, and Cultural Resources
Diza Hendrawan (Benjamin Franklin ‘25)
Pronouns: she/he/they
Major: Film and Media Studies
Why AACC? Working at the AACC means expressing and celebrating Asian American culture and histories alongside some of the most passionate and brilliant voices on campus. It gives me the chance to contribute my creative skills while learning from the Asian American community at Yale and New Haven.
What is your favorite Yale class? Southeast Asian Cinema
What is your artists/bands? UMI, Kehlani, Doja Cat, Rina Sawayama
Ishikaa Kothari (Timothy Dwight ‘25)
Pronouns: she/her
Major: Tentatively Ethnicity, Race, & Migration, Film and Media Studies, or Computer Science
Why AACC? I am grateful that the AACC has given me a supportive, thoughtful community and safe space for celebration, activism, and radical conversations. I love that every person and space whether it is the kitchen full of spices from home or library of AAPI stories enable us to collectively grow, heal, and learn. I am excited to help continue and grow this special community for all students.
What are your hobbies? Dancing, painting, cooking, and watching Bollywood movies
What is your favorite food? Pani Puri
Political Action & Education
Jenny Lee (Saybrook ‘25)
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Major: Ethnicity, Race, and Migration (ER&M) + Economics
Why AACC? The AACC has been a personal site of engaging in collective organizing as a process of finding home, healing, hope, and nourishment. I’m so humbled and excited to continue our liberatory journeys with/in such a brilliantly critical community.
What is your favorite food? Budae jjigae (“army stew” — the dish has such a resonant history!) + Korean street foods
What is your favorite Yale class? Third World Studies with Professor Okihiro
Naina Agrawal-Hardin (Benjamin Franklin ‘25)
Pronouns: she/hers
Major: History
Why AACC? The AACC has provided me with a home away from home on campus. It’s a place to cook food, quietly study, laugh with friends, seek advice from older students, and dive into political discourse all under one roof. I hope to work with everyone on staff to maintain this homey atmosphere and make it accessible to an even wider array of Yalies.
What are your hobbies? Making niche Spotify playlists
What is your favorite campus study spot? East Asian Studies Library in Sterling or Saybook Library
Wellness & Mental Health
Ava Estacio-Touhey (Pierson ‘25)
Pronouns: she/her
Major: Archaeological Studies
Why AACC? Working at the AACC gives me the privilege to learn more about and contribute to our community on an individual basis, as the AACC itself holds a crucial space where we can honor our diverse Asian/Asian American identities. Connecting, learning, and growing together over food, conversation, and new experiences allows us to find our own sense of self and our own way to home.
What is your favorite Yale class? Landscapes of Meaning: Museums and Their Objects
What is your favorite New Haven restaurant? Claire’s Corner Copia
Sunehra Subah (Berkeley ‘24)
Pronouns: she/hers
Major: History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health
Why AACC? The spice rack! Just kidding, my love for the AACC goes beyond that, but Sheraz does put a lot of work into our spices! The AACC is a cozy, wonderful home full of wonderful community, and I’m excited to continue healing through our organizing work <3
What is your favorite food? Thai soup from Sagar Chinese, the Indian-Chinese version of one of the first successful Bangladeshi restaurants to open in NYC
What is your favorite book? Bengali Harlem/The Mysterious Benedict Society
First-Year Coordinators
Aanika Eragam (Trumbull ‘26)
Pronouns: she/her
Major: English, Political Science, Film & Media Studies
Why AACC? The AACC was one of the first places at Yale where I felt at home. I want to help cultivate a space where other students can feel seen on campus. At the AACC, we can find community rooted in our shared identity.
What is your favorite food? Dahi puri
What are your hobbies? Writing poetry, baking, painting pottery, long walks
Jennifer Truong (Silliman ‘26)
Pronouns: she/her
Major: Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Why AACC? I want to foster a supportive environment and provide a plethora of opportunities for the Asian-American community to explore their roots and passions, invest in their futures, and strengthen their ties to their communities here at Yale and beyond.
What is your favorite food? Tamagoyaki with siracha mayonnaise; my ultimate comfort meal
Who is your favorite artist(s)? Dominic Fike and SZA
Zakira Bakhshi (Trumbull ‘26)
Pronouns: she/her
Major: Political science, Philosophy, Earth Studies or Film and Media Studies
Why AACC? I see the AACC as a bridge to connect, a way to contribute, and a step towards immense opportunities in the future. It gives me the chance to find a sense of community and grasp a broader concept of empathy and acceptance. I’m excited to develop a deeper understanding of cultural diversity and cultural representation of Asian and Asian American people at Yale and beyond.
What is your favorite book? Forty rules of love, a fraction of the whole, the mad genius
What are your hobbies? Dancing, playing outdoord games, listening to instrumental music, designing, and reading books