Many in the South Asian community have achieved stability that our ancestors were never afforded. Yet, this success hinges on a delicate balance that far too few of us acknowledge. The truth is, the immigrant experience is still marred with challenge—and for people like my dad, it’s made invisible, too.
Read MoreMuch has changed since the first time I filled out Trojan Check. I celebrated my 20th birthday and began having to cope with the reality of adulthood. I changed my major and minors maybe eight times (could be nine, I stopped counting). And of course, I joined APASA as an intern along with 13 other wonderful people whom I still stay in touch with today.
Read MoreThis year’s Night Market theme was “Plant Your Roots”. Yusuf, our Programming Director who led this event this year, wanted to open a space for the APIDA community to plant their roots in heritage and showcase their vibrancies on USC’s campus. It was also an opportunity for others to learn more about and grow closer to the array of cultures that color our local community.
Read MoreIt was a chilly Friday evening, but the Rosen Family Screening Room felt warm with a feeling of anticipation as it began to fill up with its audience for the night. Once everyone had gotten their chance to grab a delicious Beard Papa’s cream puff or a different snack of choice and settled into their seats, it was time to introduce the movie that we would be watching. Drum roll, please…it was Blinded by the Light!
Read MoreWe learned about the campaign itself, which focuses on preventing An Nguyen from being deported to Vietnam after serving his prison sentence in the United States. From the prison-to-deportation pipeline and what steps we can take as a community to prevent people like An from being separated from his family, the presentation also touched on why advocacy in general is important for people to participate in.
Read MoreWe finally started to put together our class of 14 remarkable individuals. After spamming their DMs with congratulatory messages, it was time for them to be initiated through the traditional APASA Santa Monica orientation.
Read MoreAs I stood by the doors to TCC forum, I realized just then what all the past summer was amounting to. This was the scene of CraftComp Social, APASA’s very first event of the 2022-2023 school year, taking place on August 26. It was also my first event as Programming Director, and I can’t pretend I wasn’t nervous.
CraftComp Social was born out of a desire to not just welcome students back to campus after a difficult two years, but to also share some of the beautiful diversity of the APIDA community. That’s why I settled on arts and crafts as the theme of the night—what better way to educate others and showcase our collective heritage through art that has existed for centuries?
Read MoreWe live in a divisive world where many communities experience relentless violence and oppression. We face racist, discriminatory taunts at our identity, sometimes disguised as microaggressions and jokes and, at worst, translated into violence.
Now, we claim #TheRighttoHeal.
Read MoreBack after a couple of years of COVID-19, Taste of LA came back better than ever to act as a capstone for the amazing year APASA has had. Normally an annual event, this event aims to showcase the many ethnic enclaves that LA has through eating the food of the culture and walking through the neighborhoods. This year, our group of 30 students took a trip to LA’s Historic Filipinotown where we saw the neighborhood’s most famous monuments, drank some boba, and ate Filipino food from HiFi Kitchen.
Read MoreNight Market finally made a comeback in Spring 2022 🎉 WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO! There were so many aspects of Night Market to take into account—coordinating with member organizations for booths, finding performers for our lineup, reaching out to a wide variety of APIDA food vendors, designing how we wanted McCarthy Quad to look…. But the 2022 APASA Night Market was a testament to the vibrancy of the APIDA communities at USC and how one night can bring us all together 🤩. We hope the night was filled with laughter and impeccable vibes!
Read MoreAnticipation filled the room as our APASA assembly scurried around the TCC ballroom setting up check-in tables, food tables, and settling in our artistic guests and performers. . . With CAE set to open its doors at 6:45, lines began to crowd the outside space of the TCC basement prior, amusing our check-in workers . . . A lively atmosphere of students could be seen scaling the tables arranged on the rim of the ballroom. And soon, darkness engulfed the room and our emcees, Sophia Lu and Yusuf Rahman, trailed along the stage, opening the event with warm smiles.
Read MoreAPASA’s annual Speakers Event welcomed Tim Chantarangsu, a beloved internet icon from many of our childhoods, to Bovard Auditorium this year. As young Asian Americans, we were elated at the opportunity to meet and listen to someone who was a familiar face for representation in the media growing up.
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