Ancient Bracelet

Voi means elephant in my language. They are giant yet gentle and friendly.
I dreamt of being an illustrator since I was 12 years old when I snuck into a bookstore and read books about how to draw dinosaurs. It’s rain season right now in Viet Nam, just the right weather to enjoy a bowl of Pho. My family used to have a small Pho restaurant and whenever there was leftover soup, we’d happily enjoy it as dinner (beef was expensive 20 years ago). I’m back in my hometown, Phan Thiet, right now for its famous dragon fruit and delicious fish sauce.

Phuong Ha has been seen overstaying her welcome in libraries and bookstores across Houston, Texas from an early age. When she wasn’t reading magical books and manga, she was daydreaming about her own adventures. Her obsession with the art of storytelling led her to pursue a B.A. in Literature and Broadcast Journalism from the University of Houston and become a program manager for a local literacy organization. As a literacy advocate, she worked closely with educators to develop strategies on incorporating more writing in the classroom and delivered creative writing programs to over 23,000 kids. Currently, she is the Education and Outreach Manager for Asia Society Texas where she spends her time collaborating with educators and community partners to make cultural studies accessible for all audiences.

Rayén Torres is the Business and Policy Programs Manager at Asia Society Texas. She has more than 15 years of experience in social science research, education administration, and teaching at high school and college. As part of her research interests, she authored and co-authored several journal articles and book chapters on the intersections of cultural diversity, migration, and education. Rayén has a Bachelor’s in International Relations and a Master’s in Economics and Political Sciences and has undertaken postgraduate seminars in Hunan Province, China.

Ashley Gelato is a storyteller with a penchant for the whimsical. Whether it’s in Edtech or Game Development, Gelato aims to intertwine diverse narrative perspectives into one cohesive experience, turning challenging concepts into creative exercises. Her passion for Digital Humanities was fostered throughout her time as a game developer at the University of Texas’s ‘Epoch: History Games Initiative’ where she shipped ‘Ako: A Test of loyalty’ and later on at the University of Houston, where she was trained to illustrate societal need using qualitative tools such as Stata. Gelato holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in History from UT Austin with certifications in Business Spanish and Digital Humanities. Furthermore, she possesses a Masters of Public Policy from the University of Houston’s Hobby School. Whenever Gelato isn’t busy meeting societal demands, you’ll find her gaming, drawing, crafting, or daydreaming of new tales with an iced matcha in hand.