Dear Higher Education: Letters from the Social Justice Mountain

Roots and Ridges: Caregiving as Brown Asian Women Faculty

Ashmi Desai

Assistant Professor

Hoa Nguyen

Associate Professor

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Abstract

This Dear Higher Education letter speaks to our experiences as Brown Asian women faculty in higher education, who are navigating academia while serving in caregiving roles. As women faculty caregivers, our experiences can be isolating and, at times, riddled with a constant sense of imposter phenomenon. We write as South and East Asian immigrants, educators and practitioners of dialogue, and as the women (mothers, daughters, sisters, and aunties) who sustain the necessary labor of multigenerational care. This letter is rooted in the intersection of our professional and personal worlds, and the continued hope and courage for transformative change in the academy through peer mentorship, the sacred trust of confidantes, and the strength of community.

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Author Biographies

Ashmi Desai , Assistant Professor

Ashmi Desai (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Conflict Management and Public Dialogue at San Francisco State University (SFSU) and also directs the Conflict Transformation Certificate there. Ashmi completed her Ph.D. in communication from University of Colorado, Boulder, where she received the International Student of the Year Award and the Provost Fellow Award in Information Science. Her Master’s Degree is in Development Communication from Gujarat University in India.

With over 12 years of experience and professional certification in mediation, dialogue, and restorative practices, Ashmi is also a trainer who prepares students, professionals, and incarcerated individuals to earn certification in these transformative approaches. She is currently finishing a book manuscript on journalistic practices in Maoist conflict zones of central India, to be published by Routledge. With Dr. Hoa Nguyen, Ashmi has co-edited another book on global dialogue perspectives and published numerous journal articles and book chapters on dialogic pedagogy. 

Through research, pedagogy and community engagement, Desai is committed to finding ways to make communication more just, inclusive and authentic across intersectional identities and contexts. In her free time, she enjoys film appreciation, yoga, podcasting, hiking and cooking different cuisines.

Hoa Nguyen, Associate Professor

Hoa N. Nguyen (she/her) is an Associate Professor for the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Valdosta State University, an AAMFT-approved supervisor, and a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Georgia. She joined the Valdosta State University faculty in July 2017, after completing her doctorate degree in Human Development and Family Sciences with an emphasis on MFT from Virginia Tech. She is the recipient of VSU College of Education and Human Services Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award and received the Faculty Champion of the Year Recognition from the Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion.

 

Nguyen’s research focuses on dialogic pedagogy and cultural humility. She publishes research in family therapy education and has co-edited a book with Dr. Ashmi Desai, on Global Perspectives on Dialogue in the Classroom: Cultivating Inclusive, Intersectional, and Authentic Conversations. She also serves as a member of the American Family Therapy Academy Board of Directors and is dedicated to inclusive, intersectional, and collective practices. Valdosta, Georgia is home to her, her husband, and their cat and corgi pup. They find joy in nature walks, cooking, crafting, films and videogames.