Gwenna Claproth

Gwenna graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2023 with a dual degree in Film and History. While at UCSC, she was consistently involved with student leadership, creating and leading events centered around themes of social justice and community. During her senior year, she was granted the Jay Johnson Leadership Award, an award dedicated to student leaders who had a positive impact and demonstrated strong commitment to their community.

Her dedication to the AA & NH/PI community is rooted in her identity and has lent itself to her work with the Okinawa Memories Initiative (OMI), a student-led public history project based at UCSC. Through OMI, Gwenna primarily worked on oral history and media production projects surrounding the Okinawan people, culture, and diaspora. She also spent time as a writing intern with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage where she researched and wrote about her own Indonesian-Dutch culture in Folklife Magazine.

Gwenna’s passion for the visibility and empowerment of the AA & NH/PI community has now brought her to APAICS, where she is thrilled to use her leadership skills and experience to further the APAICS mission.