AANAPISI Staff Profiles

Ken Songco - Director, Federal Student Services Grants
tel: 408-855-5037
email: kenneth.songco@wvm.edu
Location: N1-201A, Main Building

Ken joins Mission College with eight years of experience managing federally-funded programs and leading teams in the nonprofit sector. He received his B.A. in Psychology at UC Santa Cruz and earned his M.P.A. at San Francisco State University. Prior to joining Mission College, Ken worked at the Japanese Community Youth Council, one of San Francisco’s most successful youth organizations. He played a dual role serving as Associate Director of the AACE Talent Search TRIO programs and Project Director of the San Francisco College Access Center, a Cal-SOAP program. Under his leadership, Ken administered three education programs that served over 3,200 participants annually and assisted more than 4,000 low-income students to graduate from high school and enroll into postsecondary institutions. He brings five years of experience in leading lobbying and advocacy efforts to help protect federal funding of educational opportunity programs such as TRIO and the College Access Challenge Grant Program. Ken also served a one-year term as Lead Project Director for the California Student Opportunity and Access Programs, acting as liaison between the Executive Director of the CA Student Aid Commission and the sixteen Cal-SOAP Project Directors.

 

Julie Vu - AANAPISI Program Coordinator
tel: 408-855-5288
email: Julie.vu@wvm.edu
Location: Welcome Center, Main Building

Julie earned her Bachelor of Arts (BA) from San Jose State University (SJSU) in Early Childhood education.   She likes doing cultural events.  With her friendly and patient attitude, she is sensitive and values your opinions and feelings.  She embraces differences which contribute to the unique culture of the Mission College community.  She came to the United States when she was 21 years old as an immigrant and speaks Vietnamese fluently. 

 

Kent Gomez - AANAPISI STEM/Transfer Counselor
email: kent.gomez@wvm.edu
Location: C1-127, Main Building

Kent is a graduate from San Francisco State University's (SFSU) Counseling program with emphasis in college and career counseling. He is passionate about empowering students with sociopolitical and economic barriers find a way to overcome challenges in life and become role models in their community.   He immigrated to the United States at the age of 15 and studied at Mission College for his Associate's degree. He went on to further his education and came back to Mission College as a counselor.

 

Vinh Phan - AANAPISI ESL Transitions Counselor
email: vinh.phan@wvm.edu
Location: C1-127, Main Building

Vinh joins Mission College with six years of experience in mental health, student development, student advocacy, and counseling. He graduated from St. Mary's College with a Bachelor's degree in Management and later obtained his M.A. in Counseling Psychology at the University of San Francisco with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. As student at West Valley College, Vinh was very active on campus and had the privilege to serve as both Student President and Student Trustee. After receiving his Bachelor's degree, he continued his work in the CA Community College System as an Interim Director of Student Activities at West Valley College and later became an Instructor for Social Justice and Leadership at Los Medanos College in Pittsburg. In addition to his current position with the AANAPISI program, Vinh teaches Behavior Health Education at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara. As an immigrant who became the first in his family to graduate from college, he looks forward to using his professional expertise to empower students toward achieving their academic and personal goals.

 

Grant Objective Team Leads 

Tim Karas - Educational Dean, Liberal Studies and Language Arts

tel: 408-855-5164
email: tim.karas@wvm.edu
Location: Library

Grant Objective Areas - ESL Curriculum; Strengthening Academic Support 

 

Danny Nguyen – Educational Dean, Science, Engineering, & Mathematics

tel: 408-855-5417
email: danny.nguyen@wvm.edu
Location: S1-201, Main Building

Grant Objective Areas-  Improved AAPI Transfer Pathways; New Best Practices Cohort – STEM

 

Daniel Peck - Director of Research, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness

tel: 408-855-5239
email: daniel.peck@wvm.edu
Location: S3-202B, Main Building

Grant Objective Areas - AAPI Data Collection Systems; Research and Assessment

 

Daniel Sanidad - Educational Dean, Student Support Services 

tel: 408-855-5139
email: daniel.sanidad@wvm.edu
Location: E1-601A, Main Building

Grant Objective Areas-  ESL Transitions; Strengthening Student Support Services and AAPI Outreach; Bridges for Improved Success; New Best Practices Cohorts - AAPI

 

AANAPISI Community/Campus Advisory Committee

To foster dialogue and establish strategic relationships with the South Bay AAPI community, the AANAPISI Project has organized an active AAPI Community/Campus Advisory Committee that convenes twice a year. It is tasked with exploring the broader problems facing local AAPI students that create barriers to higher education; such discussions are intended to welcome the input of community advocates that will enhance the Project's capacity to meet the learning needs of AAPI students at Mission College. The Advisory Committee consists of leaders from non-profit organizations, local AAPI feeder high school districts, the government sectors, and Mission College faculty, staff, and administration.

 

From left to right: Ken Songco, Dan Sanidad, Ron Muriera, Vinh Phan, Tim Karas, Theresa Chan, Danny Nguyen, Rosalyn Chan, Quyen Vuong, Julie Vu, Kent Gomez, Joan Powers, My Loi, Daniel Peck

Not pictured: Norma Ambriz-Galviz, Robert Guest, Penny Johnson, Thanh Ngo, Char Perlas, Christine Pham, Buu Thai