“The Asian and Pacific Islander Student Association [APISA] strives to offer a safe and inclusive space/community for any student that is interested in Asian culture,” said Pavy Thao, APISA’s faculty advisor. On Oct. 12, APISA hosted a meet-and-greet where they handed out free pizza, greeted new members and discussed the future plans of the club.
The meeting started off with a game of “Guess the Language,” in which an APISA officer played “Let It Go” from the movie “Frozen” in a multitude of languages and the attendees raced to guess the language the segment of the song is sung in.
After the icebreaker activity, the pizza arrived, and APISA spent the rest of the meeting chowing down on the free food provided whilst discussing what the future might hold for the club. From possible events to a consistent meeting time, new and old club members gave their input on what they would like to see APISA accomplish in the coming year.
Whilst everything is still in the planning stage, APISA is planning to host a variety of both in-person and virtual events, where students can choose the level of social distancing they are comfortable with and still stay involved. The current list of events APISA is hoping to carry out in the coming academic year:
- Trick or Treat Surprise Event to celebrate Halloween.
- CommuniTEA Session where students can register a drink of choice and have a conversation about experiences of the API community.
- Movie sessions featuring movies relevant to current issues, especially those which highlight API topics.
- Attend the 2023 National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education (NCORE) in New Orleans, Louisiana.
As a student-oriented association, their goal is to create an environment where students can form connections and share their issues and challenges. “Not only people with API heritage are welcome, anyone that is open to learning about the API and wants to build a community is free to join APISA,” expresses Sunny Lim, an officer for APISA.
Find updates on APISA events on their Instagram or contact Kenneth Ho (kenneth.ho@bellevuecollege.edu), who is the student contact of the association, for further inquiry.
