Donnelle McGee

Donnelle McGee is the author of the novel Ghost Man (Sibling Rivalry Press), Shine, a novella, (Sibling Rivalry Press), and Naked, a collection of poetry (Unbound Content). His work has appeared in Controlled Burn, Colere, Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, Home Planet News, Iodine Poetry Journal, Permafrost, River Oak Review, The Spoon River Poetry Review, and Willard & Maple, among others.

His work has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His newest book, American Reverie, is a call-and-response poetry collection created with coauthor Synnika Lofton. Donnelle is the founder and publisher of Thera Books, an independent publishing house.

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David Yang

David Yang is a Faculty Counselor at Mission College. David is a proud first-generation college student and son of Hmong refugees. His hobbies are trekking to find peace and spiritual joy, playing and coaching basketball and spending time with his family and he also has a published podcast, (The State of RE podcast).  

David has worked with students of risk and need for over 25 years. He started with foster youth and incarcerated youth and worked his way into the higher education system over the last for 18 years.  

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Thuy Trang

Thuy Trang (she/her) is a counselor who has been happily supporting students for 20+ years in the community colleges. A Vietnamese refugee and immigrant, Thuy is a first-generation college student who appreciated free food when she was at UC Berkeley because ... well, it’s free and she was a hungry student! 😊

What makes Thuy smile is seeing students who did not think much of themselves as “college material” turn into confident people who are proud of their identities and achieve their goals. In her spare time, Thuy still enjoys free food but also loves to read, breathe in fresh air and daydreams about becoming a ninja.

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Jenniger Nguyen

Jennifer Nguyen (she/her) is the AANAPISI/AANHPI SAP program coordinator at Mission College that supports the success of APIDA students (from programming, grant initiatives, etc). Jennifer is a first-generation college student and second-generation Vietnamese-American born and raised in Milpitas, California.

After completing her undergraduate, Jennifer took a gap year in LA to work with students. This inspired her to move out to New York City where she completed her master's program and taught elementary school in Brooklyn for seven years before moving back to the Bay Area.    

In her free time, Jennifer enjoys adding to her ever-growing Smiski collection, collecting snoopy-related knickknacks, spending time in nature, and thinking about delicious food.  

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Ken Songco

Ken Songco (he/him/siya) is Dean of Student Equity & Success at Mission College in Santa Clara, CA, part of the West Valley-Mission Community College District. He provides leadership and direction for the Office of Student Equity and Success which oversees campuswide diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism efforts, including the college’s Student Equity Plan.

Ken also serves as the Project Director for Mission College’s Title III AANAPISI program and AANHPI SAP Program. He also works in collaboration with Student Services Division leadership to help oversee the college's matriculation services such as orientation, educational plans, self-placement, and follow up services. Ken also acted as the coordinator for the Mission College Umoja Program during its initial launch in 2021.

With over 19 years of management experience in the non-profit and higher education sectors, Ken seeks to continue his life’s work of transforming institutions through centering the needs of BIPOC communities while decentering whiteness with an equity, anti-racism, social justice lens.

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