Being a club of only 18 people, Asian Student Union fights to gain recognition in our school. They do fundraising, post on social media and do things around the school to raise awareness for their club.
On Thurs. April 24, the Asian Student Union (ASU) hosted their first speaker, Jackie Nguyen, to talk about her experience as a Vietnamese-American business owner.
Nguyen brought drinks from her cafe, Cafe Cà Phê, and ASU provided cookies from local business, Brown Suga*.
Nguyen spoke at this event about what it is like to be Asian in a community without places for people to appreciate their culture. She mentioned that when she realized there were a lack of spaces for herself and others to exist, she took it upon herself to create a space.
She urges younger people to do the same as her; realize that there isn’t a space for underrepresented people to exist, and do something to fix that.
Junior ASU Co-President Alexandra Dollmann acknowledges this belief and states that it is part of why ASU hosted this event.
“I just think that it’s important for people to know that there is a community for them, and also just to spread awareness about our club personally,” Dollmann said.
This event was a hit with those who attended, but just one hour before the event began, only 12 people were signed up to attend.
Dollmann spent the last hour before the event started trying to set up while marketing the event to fill the 75 slots available. This included stopping people walking in the halls to encourage them to sign up, asking teachers to spread to their AIs that the event was happening and texting the link out to other club group chats she was a part of. Ultimately, 55 people ended up attending the event.
This club is centered around inclusivity, yet is one of the most underrepresented clubs in the school.
“Yes, I do feel that the Asian Student Union is underrepresented,” Dollmann said. “It seems like our events or voices don’t get as much attention or support as other groups, even though we’re trying to build community and celebrate our culture and sometimes can be disappointing that we’re overlooked.”
While it may seem that ASU doesn’t receive a lot of attention, they have no plans to stay in this position.
“We want to plan more visible events that highlight Asian cultures, like social media posts or decorations in the library,” Dollmann said. “We’re also thinking of collaborating with other student groups to show unity and increase turnout. Posting more on social media and talking to school leaders directly could also help us get more support and recognition.”
