Dean Jacob Perea
Dr. Perea led the SFSU delegation to Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Long a supporter of cross-cultural interaction, dating from his days as a Peace Corp volunteer in Africa and his educational work with the Navajo Nation, Dr. Perea has spearheaded an effort in recent years to establish transnational educational linkages with China. This course was the culmination of two prior years of visits, discussions, negotiations with colleagues in Hong Kong and China. Dean Perea, in addition to leading the College of Education for over a decade, has also pioneered programs that link poor and underserved youths to university education, particularly in his nationally-recognized “Step to College” program.

Associate Dean David Hemphill
Seminar co-leader Dr. Hemphill led the effort to conceptualize and develop the course, which focused on understanding the educational implications of the trans-Pacific Chinese diaspora for California educators. Long interested in cross-cultural education due to his upbringing in Japan, and his decade of work with immigrant education programs in Oakland and San Francisco Chinatown, Dr. Hemphill was also instrumental in raising funds to support student participation in the seminar from donor Chris Larson. Hemphill has also published extensively on issues of language, literacy, and cultural studies. His teaching and research interests include cultural studies in education, critical theories of education, international education, popular culture, educational research methods, adult education, literacy, and second language acquisition. He is also a jazz trombonist and arranger.

Associate Professor Ming-yeh Lee
Seminar co-leader Dr. Lee also played a key role in developing the syllabus and readings for the course. Herself an immigrant originally from Taiwan, Dr. Lee brought deep personal insight to the course’s focus on the Chinese diaspora. Dr. Lee is a graduate of National Chengchi University in Taiwan, the University of Illinois, and the University of Georgia. She has presented at international conferences and published in areas of adult immigrant students, adult learning and equity and social justice in education. Dr. Lee is the recipient of an outstanding teaching award and a national research award. She was also involved in a community-based family literacy program that emphasized outreach to adult immigrant students. Dr. Lee’s research interests include adult learning, adult immigrant students, and issues of race, class, gender in adult educatio

Cristina Segura
I'm Cristina Segura a student in the Equity and Social Justice in Education Program. By taking this course in Hong Kong and Guangzhou I got to expand my knowledge of the Chinese Diaspora. Being in Hong Kong and Southern China gave me the opportunity to be immersed in the Chinese culture and see how the schooling system in China works. From this experience I feel more qualified to work and understand the Chinese population that most Bay Area schools have. In the future, I plan to receive my teaching and administrative credentials where I intend to open a bilingual charter school.

Sarah Gamino
I’m Sarah, and I am currently working toward a MA in Education focusing on Equity and Social Justice issues. I earned my BA in Sociology at U.C. Berkeley and have worked at several educational non-profits. My goal is to work in a program that helps people of color attain college degrees. This course was an amazing opportunity to travel to Hong Kong and China, places I may never have gone otherwise. Visiting the schools, meeting teachers and students, and being able to attend lectures from professors at the University of Hong Kong were experiences I will never forget. I feel that I have a much better understanding of the history and culture of these areas now than I did before the trip. Not only that, but I was able to learn in depth about the educational system of another country. This course is very special and valuable and I hope it continues for many years to come.

Anthony Witte
I work at the Chinese American International School (CAIS), a Mandarin-English immersion program in San Francisco. I spent my first three years as a teaching assistant, English lab teacher, and student advisor. I just began my 4th year as the director of diversity and inclusion, after recently finishing my MA in Equity & Social Justice. I’m also a multiethnic American; Chinese, Latino, Russian, and French (possibly German), and am especially interested in multicultural education. This study tour gave me a chance to exchange ideas with exceptional colleagues and lecturers, and to see how other schools are trying to accommodate students from diverse backgrounds, under competing ideologies, within rapidly changing environments. Seeing such diverse educational environments in Asia helped me view our situation in San Francisco from a much broader perspective. P.S. - the food was incredible!

Billy Caudy
I'm Billy, a physics teacher at Balboa HS in San Francisco. I have a Master's in physics from SFSU and am currently enrolled in their teaching credential program. This course exposed me to many novel pedagogical ideas and practices. In particular, I think I will be a better disciplinarian this year after seeing how the teachers we observed in Hong Kong and Guangzhou structured and lead their lessons. Also, many of my students are recent immigrants from China. Traveling there myself gave me insight into the educational and cultural background of these students, which I hope will help me to be a better teacher to them.

Sherry Congrave-Wilson
My name is Sherry Congrave-Wilson and I have been a Social Science teacher at the secondary level for over 14 years. I am currently working on a MA in Equity and Social Justice with an emphasis in Global Education at San Francisco State University. My experience in Hong Kong and Guangzhou with ISED 891 has given me a strong basis and background for better understanding the diasporic heritage of the Chinese-American students I have taught in the past and will teach in the future. I have come to the realization that all teachers should become ethnographers of their students in order to truly establish a relationship of mutual understanding and respect. Professionally, this trip allowed me to develop networking contacts with other teachers, professors and nonprofit activists within the international educational community. Many of these contacts I know will be life long.

Hera Chen
I'm Hera. I have been an Infant/Toddler teacher and a nanny for the last 3 years and I am in the Early Childhood Education master's program. I had the most amazing experience in Hong Kong and Guang Zhou with our little SFSU family. The HKU professors and faculty could not have been more generous with their time, energy and knowledge. It was incredible to actually be able to see lessons being taught in classrooms during school visits and having the chance to speak with students and teachers about their experiences. I focused all my observations on the students' experience. Having little to no idea of what was in store for us, could not have been more fun.

Carlos Soto
I have been working in the field of education for about nine years. For the past seven years, I have focused on work in the field of urban education through an organization called Making Waves Education Program. I am also a  student in the MA program in Equity and Social Justice in Education at SFSU. This course provided me with incredible perspective on global issues affecting education. Additionally, it provided valuable lessons in conducting research in a cross cultural context.

Veronica Lee

I’m Veronica, a first grade teaching assistant at Convent of the Sacred Heart. I have been working in
the childcare field for 10 years and working toward a MA in Early Childhood Education. I am a third
generation Chinese American and the first in my family to return to the village of my ancestors. This course gave me the opportunity to see how my life would have been different if my family had not immigrated to the U.S. and stayed in Guangzhou. I have the freedom of expression, an individual identity, and I have a voice that I took for granted until I took this course. It also gave me the insight to see the struggles that not only my grandparents faced in their decision to uproot their family to a foreign place with no language, but for all people who have immigrated to a new country.

Bonnie Taylor

I’m Bonnie. I'm in the Equity and Social Justice program at SF State. I studied Sociology at UC Berkeley, and I currently work in the SF Unified School District as a paraprofessional in Special Education. I enjoyed the opportunity to understand the cultural and educational backgrounds of the many of the immigrant students whom I work with. I recommend this program to anyone who wants to expand their cultural and global understanding of education.

Scott Booth
I’m Scott. I am currently in the Equity and Social Justice program, as well as the Special Education Credential program. I work in the San Francisco Unified School District as a paraprofessional in a Special Day Class for students with emotional disturbance. I plan to be a special education teacher by next year when I receive my credential. This course gave me an opportunity to understand and learn about how the institution of education is practiced in another country. I will always remember this amazing experience.

Phonita Yuen
I'm Phonita and I am working on my M.A. in Early Childhood Education. I am also a before-school Chinese teacher. It was an honor and invaluable experience taking this course in Hong Kong and Guang Zhou. I was able to learn practical techniques from both places to motivate my students in learning Chinese in addition to building great friendships with my peers.

Sarah Wilson
For 10 years I have been active in the labor movement, as a union member and organizer.  Most recently I have been working for the hotel workers' union in San Francisco, an organizing union made up mostly of immigrant workers.  Two years ago I entered the MA program in Adult Education at SFSU, in part to explore the role that education can play in organizing for social and economic change.  ISED 891 gave me a fantastic opportunity to research firsthand how various groups are using education to organize workers in the very different and dynamic contexts of Hong Kong and Guangzhou, and to gain a much richer, deeper understanding of these contexts than I would ever have been able to do otherwise.

Linnea Becket

My name is Linnea Beckett, and I am currently pursuing a MA in Education, focusing on Equity and Social Justice at SFSU.  I have a BA in Religious Studies from Lewis & Clark College.  In the fall of 
2000 I lived in Bolivia, studied and worked in a community built alternative education program just outside of Cochabamba, Bolivia.  The experience opened my eyes to different pedagogical practices, cultural paradigms, social stratification and language issues.  After college, I taught sustainable agricultural methods to elementary school students on a farm in Watsonville.  These days, I tutor elementary and middle school students in San Francisco.  My interest in the Educational Practices in Transnational Spaces program came from the desire to experience how the people of Hong Kong and Guangzhou approach education and to use that information in reflecting on the systems we have in place in the United States.  This program allowed me to deepen my research in language policy, social constructions and globalization in the unique environment of Guangdong Province.  It was truly a remarkable 
experience that will influence my research and teaching in the future.