Congratulations are in order for the second cohort of fellows to graduate from AAPI New Jersey’s Teach Asian American Stories Fellowship Program. On May 15, an intimate graduation ceremony was held for the five educators at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

The one-year fellowship provides educators with a deep understanding of Asian American and Pacific Islander history. Fellows complete the program with the knowledge they need to integrate AAPI history into their curricula, as well as train and mentor other teachers through professional development workshops.

The 2025 Graduating Fellows are:

Grace Chun
Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction
Cresskill Public Schools

Keri Giannotti
Social Studies
Bloomfield High School

Rachael Richard
Social Studies
Bernards High School

Faith Roncoroni
ELA American Literature and Comic Literature
Phillipsburg High School

Michael Suñga
English Teacher
Livingston High School

The Teach Asian American Stories initiative was established in response to New Jersey’s passage of the AAPI curriculum mandate, which went into effect in 2022. Fellows are selected through a competitive application process open to educators across the state. Since its inception, TAAS has trained 1,881 teachers, graduated 11 fellows, and facilitated more than 100 professional development workshops.

“Being a Korean American teacher and learning all of this was really eye-opening,” said Grace Chun. “Digging deeper was something I really wanted to do because I didn’t learn all of this growing up. I think it just ignited more of that passion.”

Each of the fellows were tasked with developing and conducting their own workshops and passing their knowledge along to fellow educators. Chun admits that she was intimidated at first but now is very comfortable talking about all of the content she has learned in front of a room of people. Over the past year, she has held four 90-minute workshops with middle and high school teachers and is looking forward to doing the same at the elementary school level.

Earlier in the day, TAAS also held a full-day workshop on teaching AAPI history and contributions, led by Professor Dr. Khyati Joshi. It was also the first workshop and convening for the 2026 cohort, which, at 11 fellows, is the largest since the program began in 2022.

“I hope that something ignites for them too. So they can become passionate and continue the work that has started,” said Chun.

2025 Fellow Michael Suñga, an English Teacher at Livingston High School, said he has not only brought his learnings into the classroom but also into his personal life, connecting with his parents in a more meaningful way.

“This has been an incredible experience for me to be able to reflect on my own background,” said Suñga. “It’s been really exciting and a pleasure working with these brilliant fellows.”

According to Suñga, he will be teaching an AAPI Studies pilot class at Livingston High School this upcoming school year, and students have already expressed interest. 

Dr. Khyati Joshi, a scholar of race, religion, and immigration, cofounder of the Institute for Teaching Diversity and Social Justice and a professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, beamed as the graduates shared brief remarks on their learnings. 

“AAPI New Jersey made my dreams come true,” said Dr. Joshi. “The Fellowship allowed me to  put to paper what has always been in my head and heart. I feel so fortunate because I have learned so much with you. I am so grateful.”

The graduates were recognized by Assemblymembers Ellen Park and Shama Haider for their commitment to fulfilling the requirements of the mandate and serving as ambassadors for this vital history.  

“This is great. I love this new wave of encouragement and curiosity,” said Assemblywoman Park. “I think it’s important that we talk about and teach Asian stories and hopefully this will be something that will be national because our population is also growing.” 

Participants were provided with lesson plans, student handouts, and a beautifully illustrated map of New Jersey that highlights the contributions of Asian Americans over the past 250 years.

As fellows and educators learned about significant events in AAPI history, one participant with close ties to a pivotal moment in history shared her lived experience.

Annie Tan, a former special education teacher who currently runs Apex for Youth’s virtual mentoring program, is the second-cousin of Vincent Chin. Chin was beaten to death with a baseball bat in Detroit, Michigan in 1982 by two white men during his bachelor party. The racially motivated attack sent ripples through the Asian American community. Neither of the men who killed Chin spent a single day in jail. 

“If we don’t know about our history then we can’t fight against injustice,” said Tan. “Whenever I tell the story of Vincent, it’s always jarring and sad. It never gets easier to tell his story. I forget that I’ve been living with this for decades while people are just learning about it for the first time.”

Tan decided to attend the workshop to build affinity with other educators and find new ways to empower her students, many of whom are from low-income and immigrant backgrounds. She looks forward to sharing everything she has learned and to continue helping them break free of a “victim mentality.”

“That I still get to tell my cousin Vincent Chin’s story remains an honor and a horrific legacy. But a legacy that needs to continue to be told,” said Tan. “He would have been 70 years old this year, if he had lived.“

“TAAS exists to ensure stories like Vincent Chin’s are not forgotten—and to support educators who bring them into the classroom,” said AAPI New Jersey Co-Executive Director Roslyne Shiao, who leads the TAAS initiative. “When teachers feel supported, students feel seen. And every student deserves to know they belong.”