Pictured above: AAPIA members and officers pose for a picture at an event hosted by the Chinese Culture and Language Club at the Tampa campus.
Courtesy of @aapia_usfsp on Instagram
By Michelle Pham
Sometimes it is hard to find other students to relate to if you’re a minority. That is why the Asian American and Pacific Islander Association (AAPIA) was founded.
The club was formed this fall for Asian students to come together and celebrate their different cultures.
For some members, it is their first time being in a club like the AAPIA.
Freshman psychology major and Vice President Jasmine Tran said the club is comforting to her.
“I wanted to find a minority group that would fit with my identity,” Tran said. “Living in a predominantly white school really amplifies how I am a minority.”
Club President and freshman environmental science and policy major Kristen Gayos had a similar answer as to why the club was started.
“Living in a predominantly white community, we felt that it was important to have a safe space on campus where AAPI identifying individuals could come together,” said Gayos.
Gayos said the club differs from similar student organizations at USF because of the club’s encompassment around multiple Asian cultures, rather than having one for each country.
The AAPIA also stands out on campus because of its relative novelty.
“Our organization differs from others on our campus because of our recent development,” Gayos said. “It was founded within the first week of the fall semester.”
Founded off the basis of the campus’s inactive South Asian Association, the AAPIA aims to “revamp” itself as a more inclusive organization than the former.
According to the club’s mission on BullsConnect, the AAPIA “is devoted to uniting, encouraging, inspiring, and uplifting the student population by creating an environment that will cultivate a vision of a campus that embraces Asian Culture,” as well as providing a “safe space for the Asian community through programming and intentional experiences.”
Despite the small Asian population on the St. Petersburg campus, the members have hope that it will attract more students.
Freshman international studies major and AAPIA Activities Coordinator Mika William also stressed the club’s significance despite a small Asian population on campus.
“With our campus being as small as it is, the number of Asian students we have is not the largest,” William said. “However, this ended up being a blessing to us because rather than further dividing ourselves into subgroups, we can all come together, on the common ground of all having Asian heritage, and share our unique cultures and experiences with other students similar to us… allowing us to learn and celebrate our fellow members cultures.”
Although it was established to serve Asian students, the club welcomes everyone who would like to learn about Asian cultures.
“We all work to embrace our cultures and to welcome everyone,” Gayos said when asked about non-Asian members joining.
On Sept. 30, the club hosted a movie night in the Office of Multicultural Affairs where members watched “Howl’s Moving Castle.” In addition to more movie nights, the club plans on hosting a number of other events that celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander cultures, like a fashion show displaying different clothes and styles of various Asian cultures as well as an event celebrating the Lunar New Year.
William plans to ensure future events will be a place of inclusivity and support for its members in the wake of COVID-19.
“This group has not only given us a place to gather, but created a forum to discuss the struggles that we as Asian Americans are facing with the major change in societal perception of us,” William said. “We are planning group meetings in the future where we will educate others and give space for Asian students to discuss the discrimination that they have experienced before and after the surge of racism the pandemic has brought against us.”
AAPIA meetings are held every second and fourth Thursday of the month at 4 p.m. in SLC 1400. For more information about the club visit its page on BullsConnect or its Instagram page @aapia_usfsp.
Michelle Pham is a freshman marine biology major at USF St. Petersburg.
Molly Ryan contributed to this report.
Hi, This is an excellent article on AAPIA. I would like to get in touch with President of AAPIA, Kristen Gayos. Could you please email her my email address or email her email address to me.
Thank you,
Ruth Whitney, Member
City of St. Petersburg Community Benefits Agreement Advisory Board (CBA Advisory Board.