Thaomi Michelle Dinh

Candidate statement

Thaomi Michelle Dinh is an ACLS Emerging Voices Fellow at the University of Chicago conducting research on care and storytelling in Asian American cultural studies. She earned her PhD in English from the University of Washington, where she also taught the American Ethnic Studies department, and has published work in the Journal of Asian American Studies (JAAS), Amerasia, International Examiner, and The Margins. As Section Representative, she would be eager to bring administrative skills that she gained as Assistant Editor of JAAS from 2017-2020, where she helped facilitate communications, manage editing and publishing schedules, build an archive for future editors, and plan annual meetings. Michelle is also excited about graphic design, multimedia projects, and zines, and she hopes to bring her creative skills to this role. If elected, she will (1) solicit feedback from Section leaders to advocate for their needs and gather suggestions for upcoming conferences, (2) use creative methods to increase Section visibility and engagement, and (3) maintain an archive for future Section Representatives. Michelle is grateful for the space AAAS made for her as a graduate student, and she hopes that she can continue to contribute to this community in whatever capacity she can.