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Category: identity

  • Pat Tillman Foundation Scholars 2021 Essays

    Last year I applied to Pat Tillman Scholars program. It was the last time I would apply since I am no longer eligible. It’s not the first scholarship I applied to (and certainly not the last) that I’d be rejected from. However, I think it is important to recognize that rejection happens and it happens…

  • On being the “model minority”

    The last few weeks have been challenging for many Asian-Americans as we witness the rise in violent anti-Asian American hate crimes throughout the United States. It’s been nearly three weeks since the shootings in Atlanta that killed Yong Ae Yue, Suncha Kim, Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Daoyou Feng, Xiaojie Tan, Paul Andrew Michels,…

  • Explaining “contradictory” identities, joining the military, a sense of service, and military benefits

    Last week while reviewing some of my dissertation data with the research assistants, we dove into some contradictory remarks. My data consist of interviews, or “semi-structured conversations,” with veterans at a university during their first semester as undergraduates. During these conversations, I have a set of questions that guide my question-asking. I like this method…

  • Queering leadership: leadership narratives as stories of self-commodification

    Recently, I was invited to contribute my research about how Naval Officers who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender talk about their leadership performance through “sea-stories.” The book, which centers on Queer Linguistics as an approach, really forced me to re-examine my analysis through a Queer Theory and Queer Linguistics lens. The chapter will…

  • When the communicative style misrepresents the message

    In a truly diverse workplace that “embraces” inclusion, are we actually communicating effectively with our diverse audiences? This week I attended the Washington DC Student Veterans of America (SVA) Summit because I recently joined (was hired by) the Georgetown University Veterans Office team as the graduate assistant. While I don’t play a leadership role in…

  • The transition from civilian to service member to civilian: the complexities of veteran identity

    It occurred to me when I came across the comprehensive review by Borsari et al. (2017) that much of the research guiding existing programs to help veterans, ranging from mental health to acculturation within academic environments, begins with the transition and not before the transition and certainly not before the veteran’s military service. However, they…