Southeast Asian Pasts and Futures (SEAPF) Program

Program overview

Southeast Asian Pasts and Futures (SEAPF, pronounced “sea puff”) brings together students to explore diasporic communities and celebrate cultural strength and resilience within Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI), Southeast Asian/ Middle East and North Africa (MENA), other Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and first-generation cultures and/or identities.

At its core, SEAPF cohort program focuses on decolonization—transforming knowledge, institutions, and our own identities. It centers the voices and experiences of students with links to Southeast Asia and re-examines the museum and the university as spaces we may claim and transform.

The inaugural 2021-2022 SEAPF Cohort at U-District.

Growing up in the United States I always felt like I was two halves of a person who didn’t quite make a whole. When I was at school or with friends, I always felt too foreign — but whenever I was at home, I felt too American. I had never felt as though I truly belonged anywhere until I became a part of Southeast Asian Past & Futures.
Justin Totaan

Goals of the program

With the support of UW faculty and community partners, the participants:

build lasting AANHPI/BIPOC/first-gen connections to support them in their education and life after graduation
practice identity-centered and community-engaged research
develop skills in advocacy, networking, and problem-solving
make a difference in local communities

While the program centers on Southeast Asian identities, experiences, and heritage, it is open to all interested students, whether pre-major or already in the major. Everyone is encouraged to apply!

Class meetings

Meetings will be held weekly, primarily on the Bothell campus. Meetings not held at UW Bothell will convene at museums, community sites, or via Zoom.

2021-2022 Cohort engaging with art collections at the Burke Museum.

There’s something powerful about combining personal connection with this research …
I feel a much deeper connection to my family story.
Molly Kappes

Enrollment

The full cohort program is a 2-quarter sequence: 5-credits of BIS 498 – Undergraduate Research in Winter Quarter and 5-credits in Spring Quarter 2025. Students can enroll for either one or two quarters and earn up to 10 credits. Students who enroll in both quarters will receive priority. All students are welcome to apply regardless of race, sex, immigration status, or other identity.

SEAPF will fulfill Arts & Humanities (A&H), Diversity (DIV), Interdisciplinary Practice & Reflection, upper division, and major requirements. Students are encouraged to connect to their academic advisor to discuss how SEAPF can count toward their graduation requirements. Registration details will be shared with admitted applicants.

How to apply

The priority application deadline is December 31, 2024. After this date, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, depending on available space.

Apply to be Part of the SEAPF 2025 Cohort

2023 SEAPF Cohort at the W on UW Bothell campus.

Students

SEAPF is an initiative of the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (IAS). You can email the program Co-Directors* for more information:

Dr. Raissa DeSmet (rdesmet@uw.edu), School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences
Nhi P. Tran (nhiptran@uw.edu), Undergraduate Advising

Faculty

We appreciate your help in encouraging undergraduate students to apply for the SEAPF cohort program! If you know of any students who would be a great fit, please nominate them by completing the student nomination form. We will send the students a personalized invitation to apply.

Student work

2024 Southeast Asian Pasts & Futures Journal & Cookbook

In the 2024 journal & Cookbook, SEAPF cohorts present their past of growing up in a multicultural background and the family recipes passed on to them. Through dozens of photos and reflections, each expresses gratitude to those important participants in their paths and the meaningful cuisine that bridges them with their origins.

2021-2022 Southeast Asian Pasts & Futures Journal

2021-2022 SEAPF Cohort Journal

SEAPF students introduce their distinct perspectives, lives, and passions through various pictures and stories of their journey in the SEAPF 2021-2022 journal. Many discuss culture and identities through multiple forms, including personal artworks, civic engagements, and cultural research.

LUCE Pedagogies Conference Presentation

Hear SEAPF students share their stories and reflect on their experiences as part of the cohort.

Recent News

Students look through small archive of historical artifacts (like thread, beads, or charms)

Cultural Belongings Offer a Window to Deep Family Histories

SEAPF was featured in King County TV during the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, May 2022.

Nguyen, a senior in the School of IAS looking through museum shelves

Objects as Mirrors of Culture

Students reflect on their experiences with the SEAPF program, noting how hands-on learning and analysis have enriched their perspectives, and deepened their understanding of cultural values and identities.

A Lineage of Teaching With Love 

Raissa DeSmet, the director of SEAPF, encourages her students to embrace their whole selves by creating projects that center their experiences and identities.