The Asian Student Union (ASU) was invited to attend and help organize an event celebrating different Asian cultures with MSU’s Asian Pacific American Student Organization (APASO) on Dec. 3. The event, called the Winter Celebratory and run by the Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American/Asian Faculty and Staff Association (APIDA/A), included nearly 15 ELHS participants alongside hundreds of attendees.

According to Han Truong, the president of ASU, they were invited by the Haslett ASU after they helped organize the event.

“The goal [of the event] was to address issues within our school we want changed,” Truong (12) said. “They wanted us to embrace cultures within our community through interactive activities and food.”

Hanaa Yoo, a sophomore at MSU, is one of the people that helped organize the event and turn it into reality.  

“The purpose of the event was to benefit both the MSU student body and our surrounding community through solidarity,” Yoo said.

The Haslett and Okemos high school’s Asian student organizations also helped organize and attended the event. There were various MSU ethnic student organizations present at the event, all representing different cultural groups within Asia. The clubs had posters to show what their club was and to showcase the benefits of joining. Some of the clubs included Professional Asian Student Association (PASA), MSU Japan Club and CTRL+A, a dance club and more.

During the event, there were performances put on by the clubs including dancing and diabolo, which is a Chinese yoyo.

At the end of the event there was a Kahoot in which Okemos, Haslett, and East Lansing high schools competed to see what they had learned throughout the event.

“[I liked] the Kahoot because even though I got most of the answers wrong it let me learn more about the event,” Corinne Neil (11) said. 

Sooyeon Min (11) is the Publicist at ASU.  She went to the event to celebrate her culture and see Asian people that live in the community.

“I mean, to be honest, I feel like I literally am the only [Korean] person present [at school],” Min said.

The event also offered milk tea with tapioca pearls and a variety of food including Indian, Japanese and Chinese cuisine. The food was provided by local restaurants such as Sindhu Indian Cuisine and Make it Sweet Bakery. 

“My favorite part was the boba, the activities were also really fun,” Min said.

To Nijiko Nomura (11) spreading awareness about diversity and Asian hate can be helpful to stop Asian hate and discrimination.

“Many people don’t know about these topics enough and make hurtful comments without fully understanding what they’re saying,” Nomura said. 

The meeting also talked of APIDA (Asian Pacific Islander Desi American) holidays and celebrations and learning about different cultures.

“New Years is a big holiday in Japan and my family,” Nomura said, “My favorite part is making osechi which is a traditional Japanese food for the New Year.”  

This was the first time for the APIDA/A Winter Celebratory but they hope to make it an annual event. Additionally, APASO offered to let high school students attend their other annual events, including Cultural Vogue, a celebration of cultures, and any other events the organization puts on.