Reflections from AY 25-26 Awardees
Aman Reddy '27
Throughout the summer, I have been reaching out to current and former faculty at the University of Iowa to schedule interviews virtually and in person throughout the school year for my study comparing IMG physicians on J-1 and H1B visas and their motivations for coming to the Midwest. The Asian American Studies Small Initiatives Grant will be crucial to funding this project. As I begin interviews in the coming weeks, the grant will fund the necessary materials required for proper transcription and coding. It will also help cover the travel expenses for my trip to Iowa City this fall to conduct many of the in-person interviews.
Brian Dinh '26
Due to the AASP Small Grants Initiative of Winter 2026, I was able to finish my senior thesis and research project concerning gentrification pressures and cultural preservation efforts in the Argyle neighborhood of Chicago. In particular, the funding was essential for supporting my in-person ethnography efforts, as many events required a fee for admission and required travel from Evanston to Chicago multiple times a week over the span of three months. Having these costs covered through the grant helped me focus on completing my thesis and being present at events. This allowed me to interview nineteen people over the span of the project, which has helped me improve my thesis. Additionally, I was able to purchase online materials and books to review for my literature, which enabled me to have a stronger foundation for my analysis and research deeper into gentrification and its effects on ethnic enclaves.
Emma Wilkinson, PhD candidate in Linguistics
At the beginning of Spring Quarter 2026, I received my AASP small grant for my dissertation project. I am conducting paid interviews with Chicago-area Japanese Americans to learn about the life experiences, identities, and language production of these Midwestern Japanese Americans. To compensate my participants for their time, I am sending them gift cards through the Tango card service. Using my AASP small grant so far, I have compensated 9 participants. In combination with the previous 20 interviews I conducted, I am submitting an abstract to the conference New Ways of Analyzing Variation to present preliminary findings from my research. The generous contribution I received from the Asian American Studies Program made this additional data collection and subsequent abstract submission possible. In the summer, I will continue to conduct interviews and compensate them using these funds.