2020-2022 SPECTRUM SCHOLARS

RICHARD GIANG

Richard Giang is a third-year at Ohio State University hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio. He is majoring in New Media and Communication Technology with a focus in Human-Computer Interaction. Born and raised by two extremely hardworking refugee parents who were forced out of their homes during the aftermath of the American War in Viet Nam, Richard was taught to seize the opportunity his family has worked so hard to provide and to turn it into an opportunity to help others.

For the past seven years, Richard has dedicated his time to develop his storytelling skills in order to do justice towards the stories that go undeservedly untold. During his time in high school he started his journey by developing his skills as a photojournalist working his way into editorship within his high school newsmagazine and eventually becoming the sole design coordinator of a national award winning paper and the chairman of the Ohio Scholastic Media Association Student Representative Board. Capitalizing off of the baseline knowledge he acquired in high school, he has further honed his skills as the Managing Editor for Design for The Lantern, Ohio State’s student-run newspaper.

His development in storytelling skills has worked in tandem with his passions towards helping those who share a similar path that his parents once walked. In high school, he worked with peers in order to raise money for the development of educational resources in rural Ethiopia, providing underserved children the opportunity to answer the question of “What if I received an education?” At Ohio State, he is currently working with his peers to provide students in the Community Refugee and Immigration Services youth mentorship program the agency to tell their own stories through film photography. Richard intends to use the skills he has had the privilege to develop to help make dreams a reality for those in his community who would not otherwise get the opportunity.

After graduation, Richard hopes to pursue a national fellowship abroad pursuing a creative or research endeavor in the area of documentary and storytelling. After his gap year, he wishes to pursue a Master’s degree in either screenwriting, communications, or documentary making. Richard wants to center his career in storytelling around the power of food and its inherent ability to bridge cultures, ideologies, and backgrounds as well as provide a common ground with which to form new perspectives or challenge old ones.

Richard has interests in fashion, food blogging, music production, and boba tea. In retirement, he hopes to open up a Vietnamese restaurant in his mother’s name and teach as a professor at his local University after receiving his PhD.

JOAN LEE

Joan Lee is a third-year at the University of Southern California majoring in Urban Studies and Planning and minoring in Spatial Studies. She spent the earlier half of her life in Koreatown, Los Angeles, and the rest in Los Alamitos, CA, before moving back to LA for college. After moving to a wealthy, predominantly white suburb, Joan realized how the opportunities available to her significantly increased, even as her household income dramatically fell. Since then, she has been fascinated by how the built environment can play a huge role in determining the quality of life.

Currently, she is learning about the different ways in which she could advocate for more equity in cities. She’s excited to take advantage of what the Spectrum Scholars program has to offer, as she will be able to gauge how social impact and equity could be achieved at the private, corporate level.

At USC, Joan is a Geodesign Fellow, conducting year-long research on bridge housing for people experiencing homelessness throughout the City of Los Angeles. She also works as a tutor for the Joint Education Program and holds leadership positions for student organizations such as the Student Coalition of Asian Pacific Empowerment, the Roosevelt Network, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. In her free time, Joan enjoys exploring Los Angeles, listening to music, and baking. 

MEGAN NGUYEN

Megan Nguyen, from Revere, MA, is an undergraduate student majoring in Science, Technology, and International Affairs with a concentration in Business, Growth, and Development at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She is supplementing her education with a minor in Computer Science while committing to work focused on innovation, entrepreneurship, and social justice.

Megan’s steadfast interest in entrepreneurship led to her roles as the Director of Marketing and later Project Manager at Georgetown Ventures, Georgetown University’s only student-run venture accelerator. She has additionally worked with several startups in the D.C. Metropolitan area on business development, customer acquisition, and marketing. She currently serves as the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative’s Student Web Designer and Marketing Assistant.

As a first-generation and low-income (FGLI) college student, Megan channeled many of her experiences into a passion for learning about social justice and advocating for marginalized communities. She co-led an immersion trip to Atlanta with Georgetown University’s Center for Social Justice about the intersectionality of racial justice and faith-based activism. She also interned for the Georgetown Scholars Program to create more equitable college experiences for FGLI first-year students and currently mentors other FGLI Georgetown students through the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access’ Community Scholars Program.

Megan is passionate about the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and social justice. Her studies include courses on using financial technology as a tool for development in the Global South and how disruptive technology can serve public good. Megan is currently a Student Analyst at the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation where she conducts research, develops content, and meets with experts in the nonprofit data and digital field.

CATHERINE ORIEL

Catherine “Cat” Oriel is a Journalism & Mass Communication major at George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs (Class of 2022). She is the GW Student Association’s Director of Graphic Design and the Assistant to the Vice President for Public Affairs.

Cat is currently a graphic designer for Social Currant, a creative agency for social impact organizations. She consults as a social media associate for various organizations, such as Fabric to Finish, a fashion firm in NYC. She also works as an External Affairs and Research consultant for Transit Wireless.

She is originally from Los Angeles, California, where she graduated from the Archer School for Girls. Her passions include writing, poetry, storytelling, graphic design, reading and traveling.

JIA MIN (KELLY) ZHENG

Kelly Zheng is a junior at Brandeis University majoring in Business and Computer Science. Originally born in New York, her hometown is in Harrison, New Jersey. As a low-income, first-generation student, she is a proud daughter of two immigrants from Fuzhou, China. After college, she aspires to pursue a business role in a tech industry with the hopes of connecting technical and non-technical leaders together. Kelly is passionate about delivering and improving customer experiences with every product built and service delivered. She has been working in customer service roles since senior year of high school and believes that strong customer service begins from a new product creation. As an IT Specialist, she is interested about the technical aspects behind how hardware and software work together to provide more productive workflows.

Aside from her devotion to professional and personal development, she serves as a leader in her community to promote cultural awareness through Brandeis Asian American Student Association (BAASA). Through her work, she raises awareness to ensure marginalized voices in the Asian community are heard. On campus, Kelly is part of the Student Support Services Program and Generation One Network, where she works with faculty members to foster a community for first-generation students and tutors & mentors first-generation Computer Science students. In the future, she aspires to allocate more resources to disadvantage, first-generation populations and to continue to mentor other first-generation students.

In her free time, Kelly likes to understand issues relating to people and business, what makes companies successful, and social issues about the world. She spends time editing videos, trying new cuisines, watching UFC fighting, and developing new skills. Kelly is thankful for Charter Communications and the OCA Foundation for making higher education affordable for first-generation students.