MOTIVATION CONFERENCE 20
The Motivation Conference 20 Team
Co-coordinators
Stephanie Smith
My name is Stephanie Smith and I am one of the MC 20 Coordinators. I am a 3rd year at UCSC majoring in Business Management Economics. This is my second year with APISA and working on MC. As a student of color and person of mixed ethnicities I would like to see more students from under represented communities reach higher education. This is what I hope to gain from being a part of Motivation Conference.
Sangsavang (Stevie) Phothisane
My name is Sangsavang (Stevie) Phothisane and I am currently a third year majoring in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology. I have been working with APISA for over a year and I feel privileged to be a part of the space APISA has created over the years. My goal with Motivation Conference is to ensure that students understand that higher education is attainable to everyone – that no matter where you come from or what your social-economic status is, you still share the same opportunities as anyone else.
Interns
Sabrina Im
I'm a 3rd year Literature major, with a concentration in World Literature and Cultural Studies. Along with the Asian Pacific Islander Student Alliance (APISA), I'm also involved with the Khmer Student Union (KSU); and I've served as an intern for the Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center. As a first generation college student, when I first came to university, I was lost. I was far from home and had no sense of community. But being involved with various projects like Motivation Conference, I found voice and community through interacting and helping others. It's important to keep building bridges among our communities of color, because I think it's one of the only ways to keep moving forward.
Ravineel Singh
My name is Ravineel (Ravi) Singh and I am a 3rd year Biology major. I have been involved with the Asian Pacific Islander Student Alliance since my 2nd year and strongly believe in what they strive to accomplish every year through Motivation Conference. I was a volunteer last year, and my experience working with the High School students taught me much. Motivation Conference helped me better identify and position myself as an individual from two distinct cultural backgrounds (Indian and American). I hope that this year we may give the same opporunity to our participants through our various workshops.