Toni Hays

Candidate statement

Toni Hays is a doctoral student of English affiliated with the departments of Asian American Studies and Gender & Sexuality Studies at UC Irvine. In her research she analyzes post-1965 Asian/American literature and cultural production. Currently, Toni represents the Asian American Studies department in UCI’s Humanities Center Graduate Liaison Network. Additionally, Toni co-represents the English department in UCI’s DECADE, the Diverse Educational Community and Doctoral Experience program; in collaboration with the Office of Inclusive Excellence, DECADE works to increase the participation and retention of women and underrepresented minorities in graduate programs. Toni is also a member of CAALS, the Circle of Asian American Literary Studies. Her essay, “Speculative Hybriscapes: Thinking Race Through Continental Arrangements," was awarded the 2019 CAALS Essay Prize.

If elected the Student Representative for the Association for Asian American Studies, I would use my (trans)disciplinary experience to organize student-centered programming at the annual meeting. With an attention to interdisciplinarity, I would work to develop mentorship opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. Furthermore, to build the global outlook of Asian American Studies, I would support initiatives fostering international exchanges to advance the needs of AAAS member in both the US and abroad.