Meet the Fellows
My name is Iman Ali and I am from Dearborn, Michigan. I graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2019. While at Michigan, I earned a BA in Honors Anthropology and minored in Arab and Muslim American Studies and Race, Gender, and Nation. I chose to work with Michigan in the World because I am passionate about democratizing knowledge and making information more accessible. In addition, I wanted to learn more about the role that the University of Michigan played in shaping the US occupation of the Philippines and its impacts.
Colin is a junior majoring in American Culture and Film, Television, and Media. He primarily studies representation of people of color in media, mostly focusing on representations of Asian Americans. This past year, he’s produced a film about Asian American experiences and directed a film about displaced members of the Michigan community. Colin joined Michigan in the World to connect more with his Filipino heritage and to learn more about representations of Filipinos in the American empire. Reel: Youtube
Ilina is a graduate from the University of Michigan (2019) with a BA in History and a minor in Gender & Health. She chose to work on this project due to her previous research in postcolonial South Asia and Asian American experiences. In her work, Ilina strives to bring visibility to her Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) counterparts whose histories are often neglected. Her aim for this research was to also to make global colonial narratives more accessible to the public and begin to re-center narratives around those who were colonized.
Connect: LinkedIn
Caroline is a junior majoring in political science and history. She is from Kenilworth, Illinois. She chose to work on this project because of her interest in public history and the power dynamics of colonialism. Caroline was also driven by her admiration for archival research, particularly at the Bentley Historical Library.
Alex is a UM alumnus who graduated in May 2019 with a dual major in history and political science, with honors in history. He wrote his senior thesis on the emergence of sanctuary cities and limited cooperation policies, and the federal government’s attempts to nullify these policies from 1985-2011. Alex joined Michigan in the World because he intends to pursue a career in academia and wanted the opportunity to further his research skills by working on a project geared towards a public audience.
Steph is the Graduate Student Supervisor for the Michigan in the World project. She is completing a PhD in History with a graduate certificate in Women's Studies at the University of Michigan. Her research and teaching interests focus on the history of US empire, Asian American history, and gender and sexuality. She hopes that through this project academic knowledge and archival material about the US colonial period in the Philippines will become more accessible to the public, and useful for educators in K-12 and at the college level.
Website: stephanieteodociofajardo.com
Twitter: @stephtfajardo
Dr. Deirdre de la Cruz is Associate Professor of History and Southeast Asian Studies. She is also the director of the Anthropology and History program at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Cinda Nofziger is the archivist for Academic Programs and Outreach at the Bentley Historical Library. She works with faculty and students to develop and implement classes using archival materials. She greatly enjoyed working with and learning about the Philippines from the MITW fellows.