UIAAAN Newsletter - Winter edition
| December 15, 2015
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| Featured Alumnus: Tianyi Zhu | Mr. Tianyi Zhu graduated from U. of I. with a B.S. degree in Sports Management. Now he is an international entrepreneur and angel investor. He co-founded West Suburban Angels, is chairman of the Zhu Holdings Group Company and Jiangsu Fuel Cell Energy Technologies. He is also a venture advisor and M&A agent to numerous Chinese companies and funds, and advisor and board member to several startups as well. Tianyi is a partner in Smart Health Ventures, and board member to Cooper China R&D. He is a serial entrepreneur, having had his official start in entrepreneurship at the age of 19 when he founded Life&Qi, an alternative medicine company that operated through partnerships and dealings with organizations and companies in China. Read more... | | 
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| Join us in Supporting Students in Campus | The University of Illinois Asian American Alumni Network (UIAAAN) is 100% volunteer run and funded. In partnership with the Asian American Cultural Center (AACC), we work to connect alumni like you to students on campus through the UIAAAN Scholarship. The scholarship recognizes students who take Asian/Asian American studies and incorporate what they learn into their campus life. We encourage students to develop leadership skills, and to learn from and work collaboratively with their counterparts across campus. Since its inception in 2013, the UIAAAN Scholarship Fund has provided modest support for four students who have demonstrated dedication and commitment to the Asian and Asian American community. Our goal this year is to award $500 each to two students who are working to become the next generation of leaders in our communities around the world. We invite you to join us in supporting the next thinkers, dreamers, and world-changers with a gift of $5, $25, $100 or more. The awards will be presented April 26, 2016. Give securely online here by credit card. Thank you! | |  Proud 2015 UIAAAN Scholarship recipients (holding certificates, from left to right) Monica Shah, Marc Chua, and Mia Xin, flanked by Jennifer Hayek (UIAAAN Information Service and Analysis Director) with her daughter Mai-lin Hayek, and Ning Zulauf (UIAAAN President) Watch and hear Mia's story on YouTube.
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| Update on Ben Moy and the Sabotile Launch | Benjamin Moy was featured in our Spring 2015 newsletter as an Industrial Design senior at Illinois. His Illinois experience not only made him step out of his comfort zone, but also allowed him to work with his talented classmates and to create the board game Sabotile. Currently, Ben and his team are talking with Panda Game Manufacturing and Alliance Game Distribution to produce copies of Sabotile and ship them around the world. Launch date is March 2016! Read the latest about Ben and his Illinois story after his May 2015 graduation. | |  Ben Moy (far left) with Sabotile
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| AACC 10th Anniversary Kick-off | On September 24th, 2015, UIAAAN and the University of Illinois Alumni Association co-sponsored the Asian American Cultural Center (AACC)’s 10th Anni- versary kick-off event at the Illini Center in Chicago. This 2-hour evening program highlighted accomplishments and future goals of the cultural center and provided an opportunity for about 40 Chicagoland alumni to catch up with old friends, make new ones, and meet the UIAAAN board, over delicious food. The AACC further celebrated its 10th anniversary on Oct. 16th-17th, at the beginning of Homecoming Week. Besides a special art exhibit and open house at the Center, a banquet was held at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center in Urbana, which was attended by over 150 guests from all around the country (even as far as L.A.) who graduated as far back as the 1970s. UIAAAN President Ning Zulauf described the evening as "well-attended and heartwarming", and said it was exciting and moving to meet alumni and hear their stories about the growth over 50 years from the petition for a safe space for Asians to the opening of the AACC’s doors in Sept. 2005, to the impact on thousands of students by the education and events that have been offered by AACC since. | | 
Chicagoland gathering of alumni at the Illini Center in Chicago on September 24, 2015, for the UIAAAN/UIAA 10th anniversary kickoff celebration. The Asian American Cultural Center opened its doors in Urbana in September 2005. |
| Asian Americans on TV | On November 6th, 2015, Netflix aired a new original series, Master of None, by two Asian American creators, Aziz Ansari (star of the show) and Alan Yang, portraying conversations between generations, cultural differences and relationships. It also addresses the struggles of being Asian American in the entertainment business. In a 44-minute NPR interview by Terry Gross, Ansari and Yang shared how their own experience was integrated into the writing of the show. Furthermore, Ansari wrote an article published in The New York Times (Aziz Ansari on Acting, Race and Hollywood) pointing out how we can try a little harder to bring more Asian Americans onto the Big Screen. |
| Volunteers needed February 26-27, 2016 | Illinois International Networking in Chicago (IINC) Saturday, Feb. 27th - RSVP by 12/23 The UIAAAN is invited as one of the collaborative partners for the Illinois International Networking in Chicago (IINC) event for international students to meet and network with alumni in Chicagoland for career guidance. IINC is a first-ever networking event for UIUC international students and alumni with international back- grounds to take place in Chicago. Around 30 alumni volunteers are needed for this exciting career-focused networking event, which includes lunch with 100 international students. IINC is co-organized by Global Career Network (a gathering of international student organizations), the U. of I.'s Career Center and Office of International Student and Scholar Services, and UIAAAN. Time: Saturday, February 27th from 11:30-3:00 pm Location: University of Illinois in Chicago, Student Center West Cost: Free for alumni (except for your parking, which will cost around $8.50) RSVP: Please send an email to Wen Zhang (wenzhang1189@gmail.com) or Ning Zulauf (nczulauf@gmail.com) by December 23rd if you are interested in volunteering Illinois Leadership Center in Champaign: Alumni Coaches Needed Feb. 26th-27th Imprint is one of five institutes offered by the Illinois Leadership Center; this program focuses on teaching students the art of transitional leadership– how to manage personal and professional transitions, how to lead in new environments, how to create a personal brand and build a network. At the Illinois Leadership Center, we focus on developing students' leadership skills through a variety of programs and services, developing essential skills like communication, self-awareness, integrity, and interpersonal skills. Click here for more information about the Center. Are you a leader in your field? Check out the schedule for the Imprint weekend Feb. 26th-27th, 2016, and we'd love to have you volunteer as an alumni coach! Please send an email to Jeff Yacap (jtyacup@illinois.edu) if you are available. |
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| Did you know UIAAAN has a Facebook Group!? | | If you are on Facebook, please join us and share your thoughts, events and news on our and UIAAAN Group page. Feel free to post and share anything you would like. |
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 | We encourage and nurture meaningful relationships to create a supportive community of Asian and Asian American alumni and students by providing comprehensive programming and opportunities that illustrate University of Illinois pride. |  |
| | © 2015 University of Illinois Asian American Alumni Network | |
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