academics

Tram Le
Interim Director

Tram received a BS in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge; an Arts Administration certificate from New York University; and an MA in Asian American Studies from UCLA. 

Prior to coming to Pitzer College, Tram was the Community Bridges Program Manager at the Ford Theatres, a 1,200-seat amphitheater in Hollywood, where she created programs to increase diversity and community engagement, specifically from underserved and underrepresented populations in Los Angeles County.

Tram co-founded Club O’ Noodles which is not only the first Vietnamese-American theatre troupe, but also a pioneering group within the Vietnamese community that experiments with modern performance including comedy, drama, and performance art.  As a Board member for the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA), she curated the multi-art exhibitions, F.O.B: A MultiArt Show and F.O.B II: Art Speaks – The Intersection of Arts, Politics, and Community, showcasing over 100 artists of different mediums challenging the different labels, including the pejorative word, “fob,” that are put on Vietnamese refugees as well as questioning conventional notions of art.  She spearheaded the first Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF) with thousands of people attending 8 days of screenings, workshops, symposiums, and galas to honor hundreds of international filmmakers and their works.  ViFF continues to launch the careers of numerous filmmakers making films of, by, and for the Vietnamese diaspora.

Tram is currently working on a documentary called Laughter from the Children of War exploring how a group of 1.5 generation Vietnamese American refugee students found their voice through theatre.

Joshua Minchul Grisé '15

Major: Undecided
Hometown: Born in Gyulsung, South Korea, raised in Lexington, KY
Ethnicity: Korean American
Extracurricular: Travel

I'm looking forward to studying abroad at Korea University and improving my language skills.

Esther Ha '14

Major: Psychology and Asian American Studies
Hometown: Greenwich, CT
Ethnicity: Korean American
Interests: Golf, anything with food (eating, cooking, watching food network), writing, movies, cute things.
Interesting fact: I've played violin since I was 2 1/2 years old.

Isabelle Le '14

Major: Psychology and Asian American Studies
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Ethnicity: Vietnamese and French
Extracurricular: Asian Pacific American Coalition Sponsor, Saturday Tongan Education Program Tutor

I'm looking forward to our monthly food, art and mental health-related events and planning film screenings with CAPAS!

Chloe Shih '15

Major: 3-2 Engineering
Hometown: Hacienda Heights, CA
Ethnicity: Taiwanese American
Extracurricular: Circle K International, Shingiru Crew
Hobbies/interests: Film and photography, editing, dance, spoken word, singing, instrumentals, musicals

I'm looking forward to learning something new about myself this year.

Kirsten (Kirstie) Simons '15

Major: Psychology
Minor: Asian American Studies
Hometown: Hilo, HI
Ethnicity: Chinese and Caucasian
Extracurricular: playing with my dogs when I'm home; doing crafty things; attempting to bake & cook; watching TV, especially the Real Housewives
Hobbies/interests: Film and photography, editing, dance, spoken word, singing, instrumentals, musicals.

This year, I look forward to experiencing L.A. through CAPAS and other 5C API organizations' activities, taking more psych classes, meeting new people and making new friends.

Manuokalani (Manu) Tupper '15

Major: Anthropology and Environmental Analysis
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Ethnicity: Native Hawaiian, Chinese, and Caucasian
Interests: Lazy days at the beach with good friends

I hope to reenergize CAPAS this upcoming year as a place for the API community of the Claremont Colleges.