Qianru Li

Candidate statement

My non-traditional path to UC Irvine occurred because of a lack of resources available at my previous institution. Although I am interested in Asian American everyday performance, my previous program did not have faculty whose research corresponded to my area, and the university didn’t have an Asian American Studies department. As a junior scholar in theatre, I was fortunate to discover my intellectual home by participating in the 2018 AAAS conference in San Francisco. I felt for the first time, as a scholar of color, that I had found my community in academia. I was so motivated by watching scholars presenting their research that wrestles with systemic oppression against minority communities that I decided to re-apply to universities that have Asian American Studies departments. Thus, I deeply understand how impactful a lack of access to resources could be to any student. Recognizing how resources are distributed unevenly between different institutions and my privilege of now studying at a prestigious university, I hope that by nominating myself for the position of Student Representative I can advance communications between AAAS administrators and students from all disciplines, especially students whose research relates to Asian American Studies but do not have access to this field in their institutions. I aim at facilitating an environment that is more inclusive to young scholars, and I am dedicated to increasing the visibility and involvement of undergraduate and graduate students at the annual AAAS conferences.