Community Dinner 2023: A New Beginning đ
APASAâs annual Community Dinner, as told from the perspective of Kylie Meng-Lin, our External Community Chair and Simran Goel, our APASA intern.
6:00pm - The hallway outside of TCC Forum was buzzing with excitement, as the voices outside escalated louder, closing in to the 6:10pm entrance time. After many tireless months of community outreach, working with local food businesses, detailing marketing schedules and RSVP/wait-list forms, and coordinating last-minute lineup changes, Community Dinner 2023 was finally upon us. And this event, truly left an indefinite, and remarkable impression on not only us, but our lovely community and guests who attended as well.
As an APASA intern [Simran], this was my first ever APASA Community Dinner and I was lucky enough to see the behind-the-scenes of the event as well as the culmination of all the efforts of our lovely, lovely External Community Chair, Kylie! And for me [Kylie], I had the opportunity to build and host a meaningful event catered to the community I cherish dearly. And in this process, I was prompted to not only redefine what âhappinessâ and âsuccessâ truly meant for me, but also discover where my authentic voice laid.
This year I [Kylie], wanted to change the structure of Community Dinner from the past, and prioritize the unconventional narratives within the APIDA community in order to deconstruct the Model Minority Mythâa myth that hinders so many from exploring their genuine passions and discovering their hidden talents. Since I was young, Iâve always felt as if I was fighting for my own survival and representation every second of the day. I never felt real nor did I feel I was my own person. Rather, I was an image of what others wanted me to be, or what society subjected me to be. I remained invisible and unheard, begrudgingly loyal to societal constructs as a means of staying safe and hidden. I [Simran] have felt similarly in the past - I often felt discouraged from exploring new or unique industries and instead based my decisions for my career path along with decisions for my life in general on what others expected of me. I was excited for Community Dinner and the chance for the USC APIDA community to meet APIDA representation in diverse industries and learn from them. As the guestlist was revealed on APASA platforms, I only became more thrilled for the experience to meet these accomplished and talented people and hoped that those interested in attending the event was just as excited as I was!
Community Dinner differs from other career-related events in that the emphasis is not on professional networking or sharing resumes, but rather helping students form connections with the larger APIDA community outside of USC and navigate the intersections of their professional aspirations and ethnic identities. Thus, coordinating such an event with the theme I [Kylie] had in mind was daunting, and it was not smooth sailing in the beginning. But over time, and through tidal waves of logistical changes and constant internalized questions of âwhat-ifsâ, everything eventually came together. As me and a few of my committee members sat in the USG office until the late hours of 10:00pm the night before, all we could do was release a huge sigh of relief. The pamphlets were folded, the name cards were printed, the gift bags were neatly organized, and all logistical emails were sent out to our professionals and student RSVPs. As we laughed and listened to NCT127âs âHighway to Heaven,â all we had left was to anticipate the next day to come.
As the line of chattering students lined up outside the room, the members of APASA Eboard and interns [including me, Simran] scurried around to organize and neaten the place to welcome our guests soon to arrive by escort. Just before letting the students in, we welcomed 15 exciting guests, truly encapturing Kylieâs idea of âunconventional.â
These guests included:
Ryo Higuchi-Sanabria (they/them/their): Assistant Professor at USCâs Leonard Davis School of Gerontology
Alina Tang (she/her/hers): Content Strategist at Spotify
Daniel Yi (he/him/his): Head of PR and Corporate Communications at HYBE America
Jennifer Liu (she/her/hers): Lead Work Reporter at CNBC Make It
Lyane Peralta (she/her/hers): Marketing Manager at Asian Pacific Community Fund (APCF)
Anais Kim (she/her/hers): Senior Art Director at ILIA Beauty
Alexander Quach (he/they): Games Producer at Riot Games
Ragini Bhasin (she/her/hers): Senior Director/Independent Filmmaker at Jubilee Media
Diane Tsai (she/her/hers): Senior Producer at TIME
Amol Sathe (he/him/his): Directory of Cinematography (Lighting) - Walt Disney Animation Studios
Mary C. Jordan (she/her/hers): Certified EMDR Therapist/Anxiety and Trauma Expert/Certified Multicultural Expert (Private Practice)
Rohan Parepally (he/him/his): Senior Associate Consultant at Bain & Co.
Glenn Fukushima (he/him/his): Senior Vice President (Publicity) at 300 Elektra Entertainment
Anjali Dhingra (she/her/hers): Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company
Jung Oh (he/him/his): Strategic Enterprise Account Executive at Untapped.io
Pictured top row from left to right: Glenn Fukushima, Jung Oh, Amol Sathe, Daniel Yi, Ragini Bhasin, Jennifer Liu, Lyane Peralta
Pictured bottom row from left to right: Rohan Parepally, Anais Kim, Ryo Higuchi-Sanabria, Alina Tang, Diane Tsai, Mary C. Jordan, Alexander Quach, Anjali Dhingra
Fortunately, I [Simran] had the pleasure and opportunity to speak with HYBE Americaâs Daniel Yi, prior to the start of the event. I learned about the steps he took that lead up to this point, including his years as an a graduate student at USC and how USC has changed and stayed the same over the years. It was very inspiring to hear about his career path from pursuing journalism at the Los Angeles Times for ten years to Senior VP of communications in MedMen to where he is now as the had of PR and communications at HYBE. We thoroughly discussed the increase in popularity of the Korean pop genre, otherwise known as Kpop, and how that has affected the music industry, including job availability and music itself. While I only was able to speak with him for a brief period of time, it was very valuable to learn that there are many paths one can take to achieve the goals and career they desire the most!
Students then filed in uniformly, patiently waiting in line to grab their food and drinks, catered by New Moon Catering and sponsored by Pirq and FIJI water, respectively. Working with New Moon was one of the most accommodating experiences, and the aroma of their Braised Tofu with Curry and Kung Pao Chicken, as well as the other dishes we requested, loomed through the air.
As students made their way to their seats, our amazing MCs, Taran Gupta and Cody Chen, opened the event with introductions and a moment of silence for the victims of the Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay shootings. With the whole APIDA community on edge during this time, APASA wanted CD to be an event in which we as a community progressed forward, while remembering and acknowledging those who came before us and the histories embedded within our roots. I [Kylie] then opened the roundtable discussions with a speech, sharing my deepest wish for the night: for everyone to learn a new story and expand their social horizons, regardless if the industries they aspire to be in were represented at CD or not. And with that, a set of 3 roundtables and one open forum of informative, and inspiring discussions commenced.
Seeing students sneaking in last-minute words to the professionals they spoke with or scrambling to the next guest was honestly quite comical, but truly heartwarming to see. Everyone listened so intently and smiles spread across their faces when they were asked to add one another on LinkedIn. What I loved most was all the questionable stares me and the MCs got as we tried to speak into TCC Forumâs broken microphone, which apparently made our voices indistinguishable, incomprehensible, and buzzy, as we attempted to give 2-minutes warnings prior to each new rotation. While the microphone situation did not proceed as smoothly as intended, the warmth and tenderness of the atmosphere was enough to overshadow such a minor mishap. Eventually, I had APASAâs Programming Director, Yusuf Rahman, use his powerful voice as a replacement for the microphone, which made the situation more fun, light, and memorable than regretful.
After the final open discussion, as our assembly worked to get everyone seated back in their chairs, we began the raffling of our prizesâLED Lights, Banana Duck Plushie, and Echo Dot Speakerâpresented by APASAâs Co-Internal Community Chairs: Lisa Ly and Tina Nguyen. Everyoneâs eyes immediately zoned in on the raffle ticket chosen for the Banana Duck plushie. Thus began an intense, suspenseful battle of focus and desperation. As our MCs finished reading off the raffle numbers, an uproar of groans echoed through the room, with applause and cheers coming from the left-hand side. As the last murmurs of âItâs so cuteâ and âI wanted that duckâ faded off, everyone around the room sat with grins on their faces. That, once more, was another moment positively imprinted within our minds.
The event came to a close as we celebrated the committee that made the event come together. Kylie and other Eboard members quickly hussled to give all the guests their gifts before the group photo that we all gathered to take with each other. After the photo, I [Simran] stayed with the other APASA members to clean-up the event, as Kylie and other Eboards escorted the guests back to the parking structure, engaging in lively conversations to finish off the night and say their goodbyes. Back at TCC forum, I [Simran] and the others wiped down tables and cleaned off the food and drinks, making sure the room was left spotless. While cleaning up, we enthusiastically discussed the guests and the impact they undoubtedly had on the group of individuals that had attended the event. We spoke of impactful words and experiences along with discussions that were held at the tables. As we spoke about Community Dinner, I could only feel ecstatic for next yearâs event - one that I hope those who attended will attend again, and those who werenât able to will do so next year!
After sending off each guest, we all walked back to TCC forum under the chilly-starry night sky. It was interestingâyou could actually see some stars that night, even thought there werenât too many. The night of felt like a fever dream, as APASA celebrated together and I [Kylie] eventually came home to my roommate who buzzed about how WDASâs Amol Sathe came up with the idea to make the abuelaâs (from âEncantoâ) cheeks flushed when embarrassed, how ILIA Beautyâs Anais Kim reflected on the importance of seeking opportunities and living comfortably with uncertainty, and how HYBEâs Daniel Yi quizzed everyone on the infamous question of why Seventeen, a Kpop boy band, is called âSeventeenâ if they only have 13 members.
I received emails the next day from our guests and students, thanking APASA for a wonderful event. Thatâs when I fully realized that Community Dinner was now over, and what a fruitful experience it was.
So what does âhappinessâ and âsuccessâ truly mean to me? Well, that reflection would require a separate blog post. While I donât have a definitive, concrete answers of those two concepts, I believe Community Dinner helped me grasped them more. I was taught happiness is supposed to be this grandiose, all-encompassing emotionâsomething earned and achieved that is given to us by others and not ourselves. But maybe itâs not in the big, most enchanting thing but the small, little things we as a society tend to bypass because weâre always chasing more and not allowing ourselves to breathe. Maybe itâs not the destination weâve been taught it isâbut the journey itself and the conversations we engage in over a lifetime. Even a small mistake, like the microphone situation, can be one of our happiest moments, as ironic as it sounds. So I hope to continue learning about othersâ stories and encouraging those around me to do the same, reflecting on the social, cultural, and historical relevancies of my own roots, and making mistakes along the way. Thatâll challenge me to expand my own social horizons as I continue traveling my own unique path.
Group photo of our wonderful APASA eboard members Anjali, Katie, Sydney, and Kylie!
Thank you to the Community Dinner Committee, our Co-Graphics and Marketing Directors, APASA, the student attendees, our 15 lovely professional guests, New Moon Catering, Pirq, FIJI Water, and the guests who were unable attend due to last-minute schedule changes. All of your enthusiasm made Community Dinner come to life, from beginning to end, and vitalized the meaning of community.
Thank you for making Community Dinner memorable. We hope to see you all again soon!
*Guest Biographies can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KAEFVc2b93tvty84KiQ0kuaVSpiTtHr5yHE0AwkKPl4/edit.