Angel Trazo

Candidate statement

I am running for AAAS Student Representative because I hope to give back to the organization which has profoundly shaped my academic journey. AAAS 2019 was the first conference where I presented original research. As a Master’s student who felt new to the field, I did not know what to expect, and I was greeted with warmth and encouragement. I have returned to present every year since. AAAS is where my work has been most validated and where I have been most challenged to think in new directions. AAAS is welcoming in a way that few academic spaces are; it is the reunion with friends from across disciplines, institutions, and borders that I look forward to each year. With experience serving students as an Intern Lead for the Bulosan Center for Filipinx Studies, leader of the “Cyberidentities” media studies graduate working group at UC Davis, Graduate Student Association representative, and Teaching Assistant in Asian American Studies for 5 years, I am equipped to build connections with students and organize events. I have benefited immensely from participating in mentorship sessions and other student-centered programming at AAAS, and I hope to foster similar supportive spaces that meet student needs at AAAS Seattle.