Maya Soetoro-Ng | |
|---|---|
 Soetoro-Ng in 2013 | |
| Born | Maya Kasandra Soetoro (1970-08-15)August 15, 1970 (age 54) Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents | |
| Relatives | Barack Obama (half-brother) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | |
| Thesis | Border pictures: Hybrid narratives for the humanities classroom (2006) |
| Doctoral advisor | David Ericson |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Social science |
| Institutions | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa |
Maya Kasandra Soetoro-Ng (née Soetoro;/ˈmaɪ.əsuːˈtɔːroʊˈɪŋ/;[1] born August 15, 1970) is an Indonesian-born American academic, who is a faculty specialist at theSpark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, based in the College of Social Sciences at theUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is also a consultant for the Obama Foundation, working to develop the Asia-Pacific Leaders Program. Formerly a high school history teacher, Soetoro-Ng is the maternal half-sister ofBarack Obama, the 44th president of the United States.[2]
Soetoro-Ng was born in Saint Carolus Hospital, a Catholic hospital, inJakarta, Indonesia,[3] the daughter of Americancultural anthropologistAnn Dunham (1942–1995), an American of Swiss, German, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and English descent andIndonesian businessmanLolo Soetoro (1935–1987). She had two half-brothers,Barack Obama (born 1961), the 44th president of the United States, and Bayu Yusuf Aji Soetoro (born 1981), and a half-sister, Rahayu Nurmaida Soetoro (born 1984).[4] She also had an adoptive sister, Holiah Soetoro (1957–2010).[4][5] Soetoro-Ng has said she wasnamed after American poetMaya Angelou.[6]
Soetoro-Ng and Obama spent several years together in Indonesia and inHawaii before her mother decided to return to Indonesia with her.[2] After her parents divorced in 1980, her father remarried. From this marriage, Soetoro-Ng has another half-brother and a half-sister, who are of no relation or familial connection to Obama.[7]
While living in Indonesia, Soetoro-Ng was home-schooled by her mother. From 1981 to 1984, Soetoro-Ng attendedJakarta International School.[8] Like Obama, Soetoro-Ng returned to Hawaii and attended the privatePunahou School inHonolulu, Hawaii,[9] graduating in 1988.[10]
Soetoro-Ng received her B.A. degree fromBarnard College of Columbia University.[11] She then received anM.A. in secondary language studies and anM.A. in Secondary Education fromNew York University.[12] In 2006, she received aPh.D. in international comparative education from theUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.[13]
According toThe New York Times, Soetoro-Ng "has often spoken warmly about her relationship with her older brother" and their families have "often celebrated Christmas in Hawaii" together.[2]
Soetoro-Ng is currently a faculty specialist for theSpark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, which is based in the College of Social Sciences at theUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, as well as a consultant for the Obama Foundation's Leaders Program: Asia-Pacific. Dr. Soetoro-Ng teaches courses on: Peace Education; the History of Peace Movements; and Leadership for Social Change. She also overseesexternships for undergraduates who are majoring or minoring in Peace Studies and coordinates the institute's community and globalservice learning programs.
Soetoro-Ng was an assistant professor at the Institute for Teacher Education at the University of Hawai'i College of Education and continues to do some consulting work, promoting international exchange and understanding, in partnership with the East West Center. She authored a children's book,Ladder to the Moon, that was inspired by her mother and her daughter, Suhaila; it was published in 2011.[14][15] She is working on a book about peace education and a young adult novel entitled Yellowood.[2]
Soetoro-Ng was a high school history teacher atLa Pietra: Hawaii School for Girls and theEducation Laboratory School, both inHonolulu, Hawaii. She previously taught and developed curriculum at The Learning Project, an alternative publicmiddle school inNew York City, from 1996 to 2000.[16]
In 2009, Soetoro-Ng helped bring her mother's dissertation to publication in the form of the bookSurviving against the Odds: Village Industry in Indonesia.[17] She wrote a foreword to the book and participated in its launch at the American Anthropological Association annual meeting.
In 2019, Soetoro-Ng, along with Todd Shuster and Jennifer Gates cofounded The Peace Studio: a non-profit organization whose mission is to support, train and unite the next generation of artists, journalists and storytellers to inspire people everywhere to become active peacebuilders.[18][19]
Soetoro-Ng's doctoral research at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa focused on Multicultural and International Education. She examined the use of narrative to develop more complex understandings of identity in multicultural classrooms. She promoted the learning of Social Studies—history and current events—from multiple perspectives. She has developed and implemented peace education curricula in public high schools and for K-12 teachers in Colleges of Education. With partner Kerrie Urosevich, she founded the nonprofit Ceeds of Peace (ceedsofpeace.org), which connects families, community leaders and educators in a 360 degree approach to raise and educate peacebuilding leaders.[20] With environmental law professor Maxine Burkett, she co-founded the nonprofit, Institute for Climate and Peace (www.climateandpeace.org) which works forclimate justice at the intersection of climate change and positive peacebuilding.
In May 2007, Soetoro-Ng announced that she would assist Obama in his campaign for presidency,[21][22] and took two months off to campaign for him.[23] She participated in the2008 Democratic National Convention,[24] where she spoke briefly about growing up with her brother and brought an Asian-American presence to the stage.[25]
Soetoro-Ng also spoke briefly about the Obama administration's accomplishments at the2012 Democratic National Convention inCharlotte, North Carolina, on September 4, 2012, sharing the podium with First LadyMichelle Obama's older brother, formerOregon State University men's basketball team head coach,Craig Robinson.[26]
In 2003,[27] Maya Soetoro marriedKonrad Ng (Simplified Chinese: 吴加儒), aChinese Canadian fromBurlington, Ontario, Canada.[28][29] Ng, who is ofMalaysian Chinese descent, is now also aUS citizen.[30] He was the director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and an assistant professor at theUniversity of Hawaii's Academy of Creative Media.[31] He is now the executive director of the Doris Duke Shangri La Center for Islamic Arts and Culture in Hawaii in Honolulu, Hawaii. They have two daughters, Suhaila[31] and Savita.
Soetoro-Ng has described herself as "philosophicallyBuddhist.”[23] She speaksIndonesian,[32] Spanish,[33] and English.
Nolan, Daniel (June 11, 2008)."Obama's Burlington connection".The Hamilton Spectator. Archived fromthe original on April 11, 2013.(subscription required)
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