Meet the Staffs

Pamela K. Sari, Ph.D.

• Director
• Pronouns: she/her/hers
• Email: psari@purdue.edu

Pamela K. Sari is an American Studies scholar who specializes in the intersection of religion and transnational Asian/immigrant communities. She earned her Ph.D. in American Studies and graduate minors in Anthropology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Purdue University.  As a graduate student, she was involved in Asian Pacific American Caucus and Student Steering Committee to propose the AAARCC. She was a 2019 Summer Research Associate at The Pluralism Project, Harvard University. Her favorite parts of working at the AAARCC are the faculty/staff-facing and student-facing opportunities to weave Asian American and Asian experiences into Purdue's campus through research and programming. Her other favorite parts are late afternoons at the AAARCC when students gather with their communities: listening to music, doing homework, talking with each other. The cultivation of community that takes place is real, contagious, and energizing!

Samantha Huang, M.S. Ed.

• Program Administrator
• Pronouns: she/they/ 她
• Email: huan2309@purdue.edu

Samantha (Sam) is an artist turned coordinator. Using her BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Go Vols!), Sam's research explores the narrative and visual representation of gender and sexually diverse Asians in different regions of the US. As a graduate student working in residence life at IU Bloomington (Go Hoosiers!), Sam advised the undergraduate leadership councils for Asian Pacific American Thematic Community and Spectrum (LGBTQ+) Thematic Community at Teter Quad. Sam’s student affairs journey took her to the NASPA Fellows Program at Eastern Michigan University (Swoop!) and the New Students and Family Programs at the University of Florida (Go Gators!). Back at home, Sam volunteered with the Campus Events Board and Dogwood Arts to host art and cultural celebrations in the Knoxville community. At the AAARRC, Sam always looks forward to the weekly veggie harvest and the annual Retracing Our Roots retreat!

Maia Talbert, B.Sc.

• Administrative Assistant
• Pronouns: she/her/hers
• Email: matalber@purdue.edu

Maia is a Purdue graduate from the Honors College with a bachelor’s degree in planetary sciences. She was a researcher for the Department of Physics and Astronomy, presenting at the 243rd American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in January 2024, and briefly a researcher for the Department of Health and Human Sciences, presenting at Purdue’s Undergraduate Research Expo in November 2023. Maia was also involved with Purdue’s Chinese Calligraphy Club, serving as treasurer in senior year, and with AAARCC throughout junior and senior year (volunteering and later working as a student staff member). Outside academics, Maia is a pianist/musician, poet, and artist with a passion for languages and translation (she understands English and Japanese, and is learning Swedish and Chinese). One of her favorite parts of working at the center has been introducing visitors to the place, especially since AAARCC, as the youngest cultural center, is still something staff and students alike work to promote across. The more you learn about the center, the more it becomes a home away from home!

Mukhamad Suhermanto, B. Ed, M.Eng

• Graduate Student Assistant
• Pronouns: he/him/his
• Email: msuherma@purdue.edu

Mukhamad Suhermanto, known as Herman, grew up on the slopes of a mountain in East Java, coming from a farmer household. During high school, he participated in an exchange student program in Anchorage (AK), which broadened his horizons. As a first-generation college student, he completed his undergraduate studies in Engineering Education at the State University of Malang and was awarded a scholarship to pursue a Master of Engineering at Kocaeli University in Turkey. Herman's academic journey continued with a prestigious Fulbright scholarship, enabling him to undertake a PhD program in Environmental and Ecological Engineering. Before joining Purdue, he taught Thermodynamics in the Mechanical Engineering faculties at the State Polytechnic of Jakarta and the State University of Malang.

Apart from his formal education, Herman enjoys learning languages and is proficient in five languages: Javanese, Bahasa Indonesia, English, Turkish, and Arabic. He has a passion for cultural events and has contributed to Javanese traditional dance performances in Washington DC and Anchorage, Alaska. Additionally, he performed on stage in Turkey to promote Indonesian culture to international students and Turkish citizens.

Nguyen Le

• Graduate Student Assistant
• Pronouns: he/him/his
• Email: le219@purdue.edu

Nguyen, an international student from Vietnam, is currently pursuing his PhD program in Language and Literacy Education at Purdue College of Education. Previously, he served as a teaching assistant at Purdue University and a lecturer at the University of Foreign Languages in Danang, Vietnam. He also chaired a small book club to help Vietnamese college students improve their English reading skills. His research concentrates on the language policies in Vietnam, perceptions of Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans, and narrative research of multilingual families in the US. Coming to AAARCC, he is eager to meet people from diverse backgrounds and enjoy the cuisine, music, and talks from other cultures.

Aerrielle Condino

• Student Staff
• Pronouns: she/her/hers
• Email: condino@purdue.edu

Aerrielle Condino is a sophomore in Mechanical Engineering. She currently works as the undergraduate student staff for the AAARCC but has been involved with the center since her high school years. Last year, she conducted research as a Peer Information Consultant (PIC) and volunteered with the center in high school. During her two years in college, she has been active in cultural organizations on campus and is currently the Vice President Internal for the Asian Student Union Board. She hopes to continue her involvement in these communities and meet new people. In her free time, Aerrielle enjoys spending time with her sister, sharing meals with her brother, dressing up her cats and dogs, attending concerts, and singing karaoke!