The Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and the Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Foundation are pleased to announce the selection of two 2016 Fellows: Bronson Purcell and Seungkyul Joseph Park.

Bronson Purcell

Bronson Purcell is a senior in his fourth year at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. Born and raised on the island of O‘ahu in Hawai‘i, his personal, cultural, and political identity as a young Native Hawaiian of mixed descent holds great meaning for himself. Political science is his declared major. Most of his academic background consists of literature, law and policy, and Native American studies. He integrates his identity and passion for social justice into his academic endeavors as well as his work projects.

At Evergreen, Bronson works as a peer advisor within First Peoples Multicultural Advising Services. Their office is dedicated to equity and promoting on-campus diversity education through multicultural events, conferences, and critical race workshops led by both faculty and students. Bronson also works within the Office of Admissions to assist with prospective student visits to the college as he believes his Evergreen experiences have been transformative. Soon to graduate, he hopes to go on to do work that is becoming of a good and industrious young kanaka maoli. January 2016 marks the start of Bronson’s participation in CAPAA/ACLF’s Fellowship program.

Seungkyul Joseph Park

Seungkyul Joseph Park is a soldier, aspiring policymaker, and freelance journalist. He currently studies Political Science and Journalism at the University of Washington. Park’s main interests are international relations, diversity, and feminism issues. Park hopes to help establish a more equitable and interconnected global society by providing representation for disenfranchised and underprivileged minorities.