Vanna Song on Clubhouse

Bio

Next time I see a dead deer on the side of the road, I’m going to leave and come back dressed as Santa Clause with a sign that says: “Help! Need ride!” All jokes aside! Hello! Pleasure to meet you! I'm Vanna! I am a member of the Khmer Diaspora, who resettled to the US, and lived here for a little over 3 decades. Talk to me about Southeast Asian Studies, Southeast Asian linguistics, making our world more accessible for all, from ethnic minorities to disabled persons, science and tech, working in international development, foreign policy, science and tech policy, education policy, and government and non-government sectors. I speak English, Khmer, and Thai and I am acquiring Burmese and Chinese. Right now I am a research consultant for a local non-profit that seeks to provide support and resources to underserved Southeast Asians in the local community of Tacoma, Washington USA. The demographic includes Southeast Asian youths, incarcerated adults, and seniors who speak little to no English. These people are entitled to have access to health care which includes mental health, information translated and interpreted into Southeast Asian languages, education, employment, and other services in order to thrive in the community, nation, and world alongside everyone else. My primary objective is making STEM education more accessible to blind students in Southeast Asia, particularly in Cambodia and Thailand. I chose this path of paying my experience of being able to access science as a blind person myself growing up in the US forward in order to enable those SoutheastAsian citizens an avenue to participate and contribute in various sectors of Southeast Asian society, such as employment in various sectors, be their own voices in policy making decisions, innovate ideas that would benefit not only their lives, but also the lives of their fellow countrymen disabled and non-disabled, and contribute to their own quality of life. I will get back to that when bureaucracy allows me to travel again next year. On the lighter side, I like learning about non-human animals, hanging out with my friends, eating good food, especially if it is hot, and exploring and trying new things. My drink is Crown Royal and my favorite animal is a tiger. I'm here to learn,  network, and exchange ideas. If you don't have Twitter, please back channel me for other ways to connect.