Meet Our Team

We are a grassroots group of parents, community members, and educators committed to promoting comprehensive U.S. history to be taught in Georgia K-12 schools.

Asian American Voices for Education Staff

Weonhee
Melissa

Student Staff

Board Members

Teacher Advisor Board

Professor and Policy Advisors

Special Projects Volunteers

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Weonhee Shin

Executive Director

Weonhee was raised in Virginia and now resides with her family in Decatur, GA. Although she attended public K-12 schools, she didn’t learn of America’s diverse history until adulthood. She is now advocating for a different educational experience for students here in Georgia. Learn more about her perspective and experiences here.

Melissa Paa Redwood

Operations Associate

Melissa joined AAVEd in the fall of 2023, and has lived in the Atlanta area since 2019. Before working with AAVEd, she received her Masters in U.S. History with a focus on Asian American women’s transpacific activism. She also served as the inaugural supervisor for Emory University’s Asian Student Center, established in 2021.

Outside of work she is an avid reader, an amateur painter and a doting cat mom.

Jenny Zhou

Content Design & Marketing

Jenny Zhou is a second-generation immigrant born and raised in Atlanta Georgia. They learned about AAVEd’s mission through being the featured artist for the 2025 AANHPI Heritage Month Kit. Jenny studied Computational Media at Georgia Tech, where they explored the intersection of technology, media, and visual design. As an illustrator and artist, Jenny draws inspiration from traditional Chinese painting, impressionism, and nature. They believe that it’s important to incorporate diverse cultural perspectives into art to educate and connect with the community. 

Outside of being a web designer, artist, and marketing specialist, they also enjoy growing native flowers and vegetables in their garden, hiking with their dog, and reading manga. Learn more about Jenny on their portfolio website.

Jackie Kwun

Student Ambassador

Tell us about your experiences with studying history in school:
In 7th grade I was excited to finally learn about Asia, but then was quickly disappointed. All I really took from the lessons was that China has pollution, a dam and Communism. We watched a documentary about North Korea, and kids were giggling at the brainwashed people under North Korean rule, and learned that in India [people] throw bodies into the Ganges river (kids were laughing at the “funny” Indian accents), and the list just goes on.

It felt really humiliating when other kids would glance at me, assuming I was from China [where it was polluted and Communist]. Many of my Asian friends also felt the same way and we were left dissatisfied, learning about the worst [aspects] of our heritage. Nothing we talked about put any of the [Asian] countries in a good light. 

What motivated you to serve at AAVEd?
As an Asian American student in GA public schools, I have always felt underrepresented in the school curriculum where diverse stories and histories are not included nor celebrated. I have always wanted to make a difference in my world but wasn’t sure where to begin. After coming across AAVEd, I felt like this could be the place where I can grow and take a stand for myself. So I took a step forward, and here I am :D

What do you hope to accomplish in your time with us?
As of right now, I’d like to continue creating weekly highlights of Asian American stories so that our histories are accessible and celebrated. I’d also like to work with other students to start a youth coalition in my local community. I’m ready for the ride! 

Fun fact: 
If I could shape-shift into something, I’d be a rock—so that I could sleep all the time!

Riley Shen

Student Ambassador

Tell us about your experiences with studying history in school: Up until maybe World History, most of the history we learned in school was sort of one-sided and black-and-white. For example, when we learned about labor history and the United Farm workers, Asian American names such as Larry Itliong or Philip Vera Cruz weren’t taught. Or when we learned about the Manhattan Project, no one mentioned Chien Shiung Wu. However when there is some representation, it is mostly the victim story being taught, and not the way Asian Americans protested against the Vietnam war or led the United Farm Workers or fought for citizenship.

What motivated you to serve at AAVEd?
I actually learned about AAVEd through the volunteer website Catchafire! AAVEd’s mission for a more inclusive and representative curriculum and also the fact that AAVEd was based at home in Georgia really spoke to me. Then on a call with AAVEd’s founder Weonhee, listening to her speak so passionately and extensively about Asian American history truly inspired me to join AAVEd.

What do you hope to accomplish in your time with us?  As AAVEd’s historical content creator, I hope to not only do thorough research and educate our social media audience on untold Asian American stories, but to also expand our audience through engaging storytelling. With social media I hope we can reach more and more people that also believe in AAVEd’s mission!

Fun fact: 
 I naturally have no wisdom teeth :)

Linda Hinh

Board Chair

Linda is a First-Generation Vietnamese American that was born in Louisiana, but raised in the suburbs of Atlanta where she currently lives with her husband, son, and fur-baby. She’s a graduate of Georgia State University (GSU) and is a Technology Underwriting Director for a national insurance carrier.   

Linda’s passion is to ensure that everyone has the same rights and opportunities in life, with a focus on the Asian American Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community.  Among other activities, this passion includes chartering an Asian-Interest sorority to GSU and co-founding her current company’s AANHPI Business Resource Group. After learning about AAVEd and their critical mission to incorporate Asian American studies in the Georgia school curriculum, she realized that this was lacking during her education and knew that she needed to be an advocate.  Asian Americans have a rich history filled with struggles and successes that contributed to the course of American History. Linda is a strong believer that knowing more about your own history as well as others allows us to build empathy and create allies.  

Jeanie Duque Dizon

100 Heritage Month Box Project

Jeanie Dizon is a graduate of Brown University and received her MFA from The American Film Institute. As a documentary filmmaker, she has focused on children and human rights. Her feature Death of a Cemetery documented the plight of the living residents of Manila North Cemetery in the Philippines and highlighted how vulnerable populations are at the mercy of disease and climate change. She is also a writer who pens about Asian American issues, from motherhood to racism faced by immigrants.

Her interest in education started when she noticed a lack of Asian American History being taught in schools, even during Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. She is a passionate advocate for the inclusion of Asian American stories and history into school curriculum.

Asif Jessani

Board Member

Asif Jessani is a professional volunteer. He currently serves as a board member for Artworks Gwinnett, Gwinnett County Parks Foundation, and Gwinnett County Public Library Foundation. He also serves as an advisory board member for the United Way of Greater Atlanta – Gwinnett and Atlanta Speech School. With a passion for early childhood education, he is also involved with Gwinnett County’s early learning initiative, Building Babies’ Brains. As part of the Ismaili Muslim Community, he has been a volunteer preschool teacher for the past 24 years.

Asif is also actively involved with the communications and outreach team for the Ismaili Muslim Community and previously led the marketing and media team for the United States Ismaili Games. When he isn’t volunteering, Asif takes on the responsibility of partner at CCS: Marketing & Technology, which provides chief marketing and technology officer services and branded items for mission-driven organizations.

Grace Fong

Board Member

Grace is an Atlanta transplant who was born and raised in the suburbs of Maryland. She lives in town, with her husband, daughter, and cat. Representation and visibility are important to Grace. As a parent, she wants her child to be able to see herself in the books she reads, the toys she plays with, and the history she learns. Following the work of AAVEd inspired Grace to expand her knowledge of Asian American history. In doing so, she discovered a rich and diverse history that was missing from her early education. Grace is excited to join AAVEd as they strive to lift Asian American voices and honor the stories of all people to transform GA schools. In doing so, it is her hope that her daughter grows up with a fuller and richer appreciation of what it means to be Asian American.

Vincci Wong

Board Member

Vincci Wong is a people-focused leader passionate about communication, education, and self-care. She believes in creating spaces where individuals feel supported, empowered, and heard, with a strong focus on inclusive leadership and uplifting diverse voices.
 

She is the Director of Communications and Human Resources at Mayzo, with over ten years of HR experience and a background in education, insurance, and operations management. Vincci is also an active member of Women in Chemicals and Women in Manufacturing, supporting the advancement of women in industry.

Vincci became involved with AAVEd through Linda, whose introduction connected her to the organization’s mission and work. She believes education is a powerful driver of unity and social change, and that classrooms should reflect and affirm the identities and histories of all students. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, writing, leadership development, and prioritizing self-care.

Ahra Cho

Gwinnett County Public School MTSS Coordinator / SEL Lead

Ahra is a 1.5-gen Korean American immigrant who spent her early childhood in Virginia and moved to Gwinnett County, Georgia in 5th grade. She proudly identifies as a southern Asian American, aligning herself to the history of resistance and fight for human rights in the U.S. south. She is a public school educator in Gwinnett with a background in Language Arts, Social-Emotional Learning, and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. She is the Executive Director and Founder of the Asian Student Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to engaging AAPI youth to create community impact through leadership development, civic engagement, and advocacy.

Hong Dinh

Gwinnett County Public School Classroom Teacher

Ms. Hong Dinh (M.Ed in ESOL & Educational Leadership) is an educator from Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia, USA. Currently teaching third grade, she is a grade-level chair and ELA/Literacy lead teacher. Her certificates include Elementary/K5, ESOL, STEM, and Gifted. She is a Fulbight Teacher for Global Classroom. Ms. Dinh is also a book author and the founder of a fan page with 62,800 followers. Her books and Facebook fan page (Hoc kieu My tai nha, or Learning American Way at Home) are resources for Vietnamese educators, teachers, and parents worldwide.

Queena Kou Roquemore

Gwinnett County Public School Classroom Teacher

Queena is a proud product of Gwinnett County Public Schools and has spent the past 16 years teaching in the same county where she graduated. She recalls not having her first Asian teacher until her senior year of high school, which makes her especially proud to work at a school with a diverse staff. Over the years, she has taught 2nd, 4th, and 5th grades, as well as middle school Chinese culture and language (6th–8th grades).

Tram Nguyen

Gwinnett County Public School Classroom Teacher

Tram Nguyen, a first-generation Vietnamese American who immigrated from the Philippines, teaches 5th grade in Gwinnett County Public Schools. She is pursuing a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction at Georgia State University, focusing on language and literacy education. Her research explores digital literacy and multimodal learning for multilingual learners, such as podcasts and video games. As a teacher ambassador with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Tram brings creativity and innovation to her inclusive classroom, creating space for diverse stories and expression. She shares practical, culturally responsive strategies that honor students’ identities while navigating Georgia’s curriculum and standards.

Vivian Dao

Gwinnett County Public School Classroom Teacher

Vivian is the proud daughter of Vietnamese immigrants and a public school educator born and raised in Georgia. She graduated from the University of Georgia with her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Her goal is to foster learners’ love of life and learning while also cultivating their critical and creative thinking skills. Vivian envisions a world in which children will see themselves reflected in the curriculum and develop compassion for others’ stories as well.

Kyung Lee

Gwinnett County Public School ML Instructional Specialist

Kyung immigrated to the United States from South Korea at the age of 5 and grew up in a small rural city in Florida. Growing up, representation was rare and the feeling of isolation was prevalent. Kyung wanted to embrace diversity and be able to share her culture with others.

While her teaching career started in Florida, Kyung moved to Georgia back in 2019 and started working in GCPS as an elementary teacher, DLI (Dual-Language Immersion) teacher, and currently as a Multilingual Learner Program Specialist.

Lendy Tat

Gwinnett County Public Schools

Lendy is currently an educator and pursuing a Masters of Arts of Teaching program at Georgia State University.

She is a first generation college graduate and graduated with a Bachelor’s from Georgia State University in Business Economics.

They come from a family of immigrants with Chinese and Vietnamese roots. She was born in Connecticut, but spent most of her life growing up in Gwinnett County, Georgia. She has deep affection for her diverse upbringing and continues to strive to better her community.

Lendy is an aspiring polyglot and enjoy engaging with nature.

Lisa Chu

DeKalb County Public School Classroom Teacher

Tracey Alviar-Martin

Education Resources & Curriculum Advisor

Dr. Alviar-Martin is an Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction whose scholarship focuses on civic education from global, human rights, and comparative perspectives. Originally from Manila, before joining academia Theresa taught in international schools in Hong Kong and Bangkok; and a refugee camp in the Philippines. Her publications include articles in Teaching and Teacher Education, Theory and Research in Social Education, Teachers College Record, and an edited volume, “Research on global citizenship in Asia: Conceptions, perceptions and practice” (Information Age Press, 2021).

Sohyun An

Education Resources & Curriculum Advisor

Dr. An is a social studies teacher educator and curriculum scholar. She is an immigrant from South Korea and a mother of two children in Georgia’s public schools. She teaches, researches, and parents with a goal for a world that hurts less.

Ruth Youn

Education Policy Consultant

Ruth is a Texas-born-and-raised writer, parent, public education advocate, and community organizer. She received her education policy training at IDRA, where she researched policies concerning classroom censorship, culturally sustaining curriculum, and safe and sustaining school climates.
 
Ruth is currently part of the Education Team at AAJC where
she provides education policy analysis and strategy recommendations for state-level grassroots initiatives across the United States.
 
Despite being a graduate of the K12 public school system and a public university (where she minored in History), she only learned about Asian American history a few years ago—via a podcast! Because of this, she came on board to co-found AAVEd, with the belief that all students deserve to learn complete, complex, and comprehensive U.S. history.

Justine Chung

Marketing & Graphic Design

Justine is a graphic designer, wife, and mom to two kids and 40+ plant babies. She loves traveling, art, photography, culture and mostly FOOD.

She lives in Decatur but has lived in a few different countries growing up. Being a minority Asian in places she’s lived, she often experienced feeling like an outsider.

She believes representation and advocacy matter, especially if we can integrate them into early education. Growing minds will accept diversity more openly and effortlessly if they are exposed to different cultures early on. Kids in marginalized groups will feel more confident if they see themselves represented in culture and history. That’s why she became interested in helping out with AAVEd; big changes come from small steps.

Justine contributes with the visual communication aspect. What we say and how we say it is most important and always helps if it is visually on the spot!