Our Team
"The Project Voice team is ever-growing and evolving into a team of inspiring and ambitious individuals who choose to join and commit because they care about what we stand for as a collective. When I began leading a team of my own, I realized that my project was not just about me. It was about the folx; it had always been about the folx."
- Jess
Co-Hosts
Jessica Nguyen
Founder | Co-Host
Jessica Nguyen identifies herself as a 2nd generation Vietnamese American and proud daughter of immigrant refugees. Many know Jessica as the founder and host of Project Voice. However, if you ask her, she sees herself first and foremost as a lifelong digital content creator who is constantly learning to work with all mediums and thinking about what the next project will be. Read more about Jessica’s past and ongoing projects at byjessicanguyen.com.
Julie McConnell
Co-Host | Social Media Marketing Intern
Adopted from Vietnam, Julie McConnell was raised in Maine. She is now currently residing in Boston as a student at Emmanuel College, studying business management and marketing. In her free time she enjoys cooking/eating, traveling, and petting dogs.
Afsana Oreen
Co-Host
Afsana Oreen is a Masters in Public Policy candidate at Duke University. Tired of listening to music while crunching data at her consulting job, Afsana turned to podcasts for comfort and intellectual stimulation. She is grateful to have this platform to profile cool Asian-American creative souls who understand her experiences of being a first-gen Bangladeshi-American and aspiring journalist/novelist.
Transcribers
Lorene Espineli
Transcriber
Lorene Espineli is an educator, musician, creative problem solver, and a gigglebox! Born and raised in Katy, Texas, she still considers herself very 'state-riotic' as so many Texans do. After living in both Portland, Oregon and Austin, Texas; she is thrilled to be living in diverse, multicultural Oakland, California. Working as a high school math teacher for six years in Portland, Oregon she is transitioning to working with youth in the Bay Area. She spends her free time riding bikes with friends, reading graphic novels, and dreaming of Hogwarts; and she looks to Beyonce and Solange for inspiration.
Alani Fujii
Transcriber
Alani Fujii is a junior at Barnard College studying Urban Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Originally from the Washington DC metro area, she was primarily raised by a single Japanese father with her twin sister. Being a Black Asian has informed her work so much, and she works with Blasian Narratives, a docu-theatre media project that seeks to build bonds between Black and Asian communities through narrative.
Ivy Hang
Transcriber
Queer Vietnamese femme (she/they), living in Philadelphia, originally from Orange County, CA. Studied Linguistics, focusing on child language development and American Sign Language at UC San Diego. Now on the path to her Master of Education in Human Sexuality Studies at Widener University. Hopes to be positive queer Asian representation in the sex ed world. In her free time, she’s learning to love her body through self-photography and fashion/lingerie. Also enjoys practicing ASL, reconnecting with her Vietnamese heritage, trying new food, practicing aerial hoop, and being a devotee to the Disney overlords.
Thoa Hoang
Transcriber
Born in Vietnam, raised in California, Thoa Hoang now resides in Washington, D.C. Thoa graduated from the University of California, Berkeley (Go Bear!) with a dual degree in Political Economy and Social Welfare. When she is not at her 9 to 5, she likes to travel, sleep in cars, hike, and drink boba.
Minnie Ng
Transcriber
Minnie Ng is a 1.5 Generation Chinese settler from Hong Kong. She resides on unceded Coast Salish Land, otherwise known as Vancouver, BC. She currently studies Psychology at the University of British Columbia and plans to pursue her Bachelors of Education after graduating. She enjoys staying home, video games, drawing (digitally & traditionally), and film, especially animation.
Melanie Ngan Nguyen
Transcriber
Melanie Ngan Nguyen was born and raised in Vietnam, and lived in Singapore for 5 years. She is currently double-majoring in Government and Economics at Smith College, MA. In her down time, Melanie loves cooking, going for long walks, acting in theater productions, and watching movies with a twist.
Shivangi Ramachandran
Transcriber
Shivangi Ramachandran is a writer, editor, and a musician. She is originally from New Delhi, but currently lives in NYC, working 9-5 as an editor at a publishing house (and 5-9 as a musician at open mics). She has written for magazines like Brown Girl Magazine and Portable TV. She also hosts her own podcast, Chaat Masala (http://chaatmasala.podomatic.com/), covering Bollywood news and reviews.
Claire Tran
Transcriber
Claire Tran is a California native and New England transplant. She studies journalism, political science, and public health at Boston University. A first generation Vietnamese American, Claire also staffs re:asian, an online publication for Asian American and Canadian voices. Right now, she's probably tweeting or making yet another playlist.
Waen Vejjajiva
Transcriber
Waen Vejjajiva is a student at Columbia University, studying Political Science. She is originally from Bangkok, Thailand. In the past, she has written for newspapers and worked at a radio station. She also has experience in political organizing, and currently volunteers with Womankind, an organization dedicated to supporting and uplifting the NYC Pan Asian community.
Special thanks to...
J.J. Querubin
Audio Editor
JJ Querubin is currently a student at Savannah College of Art and Design, pursuing a degree in Sound Design. For the past three years, JJ has worked on short live-action and animated films. After college, she wishes to expand and work on more Asian American content in all platforms of media. She hopes her efforts will help pave a path for other Asian American talents in the entertainment industry.
Julia Xu
Social Media Marketing Intern
Born in America but grew up in Shanghai, China, Julia X currently studies Studio Art, East Asian Language and Literature, and Museum Studies at Smith College. Besides being her introvert self, she enjoys singing, dancing, film, and hiking.
Joanne Nguyen
Music Producer | Newsletter Editor
Joanne Nguyen is a multimedia artist who engages in authentic, immersive storytelling at the intersection of multiple art forms and cultures. After graduating from Stanford University in 2019 with a B.A. in Communication (Digital Media Studies), she moved to Seoul, South Korea to pursue her dream lifestyle that consists of endless creative inspiration and being able to hear her favorite Korean bops everywhere she goes. When she’s not working on personal projects, you can find her spending quality time with loved ones at aesthetic cafes and finding new music to jam to/recommend.
Portfolio: www.joannemainguyen.com
Grace Abe
Graphic Designer
A Japanese-American born and bred in suburban New Jersey, Grace studied English at Brown University in Providence, RI, and now works as an art director in Boston, MA. In her spare time, she volunteers for ASPIRE, a non-profit that builds and provides leadership, mentorship, and identity development programs for Asian American women and girls. With experience in design and illustration, her interests also include storytelling, comics, and improv.
*Grace is also the reason why we have this beautiful website - all illustrations are done by her as the rebranding project lead!
Contact Grace at: midorikoa@gmail.com, or on Instagram @midorikoa