We are super excited to announce AAPAAN’s 2026 AAPI Advancement Award recipient: Professor Sylvia Chong!
The award honors faculty at the University of Virginia for their contributions to the AAPI community, and the recipient is chosen by alumni through an online nomination and voting process.
We will honor Professor Chong at the AAPAAN Celebration Dinner event on April 25, from 7-10 p.m. EDT, part of Asian Alumni Weekend.
About Sylvia Chong
Professor Sylvia Chong is Associate Professor of English and American Studies and Director of Minor in Asian Pacific American Studies. She has made extraordinary and lasting contributions to AAPI culture and community at UVA. As the founder of the Asian Pacific American Studies minor, she built the intellectual and institutional foundation for Asian American studies on Grounds, creating opportunities for generations of students to engage critically with AAPI histories, identities, and cultures. She has mentored countless Asian American undergraduate and graduate students, offering guidance, advocacy, and a sense of belonging. Her scholarship is widely recognized as groundbreaking in the field, expanding national conversations about race and representation in U.S. cultural history.
Just as importantly, Professor Chong has shown a deep and sustained commitment to UVA’s Asian American student population, as reflected in her work featured in UVA Today examining the university’s complex history with Asians and Asian Americans.
She is not only a leading scholar but also a dedicated community builder whose impact on AAPI relations at UVA is profound and enduring.