When Jenna Koyama arrived at Syracuse University as a freshman from Hawaii, she felt lonelier than she did in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Coming from a predominately Asian environment, Koyama found the transition to SU’s white-majority campus extremely difficult.

Koyama’s situation isn’t exclusive. She joined Asian Students in America, a general Asian-interest student organization on campus, and found that many Asian American students at SU felt a lack of appreciation and understanding on campus. Now, some of these students work to create events that recognize their ethnic history and experiences.

This month, Syracuse will celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with lectures and events to highlight Asian American and Pacific Islander culture. While the heritage month is typically celebrated in May, SU is celebrating a month earlier while classes are still in session. For many students, especially those in the AAPI community, it’s a chance for the rest of SU to learn about AAPI culture and history.

“It’s always been kind of my mission to have events that really promote Asian cultures and show everyone that this is who we are, this is what we’re about, and it’s okay to be different, especially for the freshmen who were in a similar position as me,” Koyama said. “It’s always been my goal to make sure they have a place on campus.”

While the events are centered around Asian American identity and culture, the organizations involved stress students don’t have to be Asian to come to this month’s events.

“Having an opportunity to expand our horizons is really important,” said Bryan Dosono, a Ph.D. candidate at the School of Information Studies and planning committee member. “This month is a really great way for people, especially those who don’t identify as Asian American, to learn about Asian-American culture in an inclusive and safe way.”

The month’s events are hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, but student organizations such as ASIA, Korean American Student Association and Asian-interest Greek organizations have been involved in the planning process. Huey Hsiao, associate director for the Office of Multicultural Affairs and chair of the AAPI Heritage Month planning committee, said organizers aim to get more people thinking about what it means to be Asian American and how to build solidarity within the community.

This year’s AAPI Heritage month theme is “Reclaim the Past, Reframe the Future.” The theme was created with the idea that the SU community can come together both to remember local and national incidents that affect the Asian American population and to bridge relations among other communities in general.

This year’s AAPI Heritage Month Speaker for the commemorative lecture will be Class of 2004 alumnus Anish Shroff. His lecture, titled “Ethnic Identity and the Power of Being Undefined,” will be held in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons in Bird Library on Friday at 6 p.m.

Shroff received his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. He joined ESPN in 2008 as an anchor and studio host for ESPNEWS. Shroff now works as an ESPN on-air host and commentator for college sports, per SU News.

On April 18, an interactive workshop will be held between members of the AAPI community and the Latinx community. The workshop will discuss the respective experiences and cultural differences of each community. The event, titled “Breaking Barriers in the AAPI and Latinx Community,” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Hall of Languages and is sponsored by the Filipino Student Association, Lambda Alpha Upsilon and Lambda Phi Epsilon.

Other events this month include:

• A book club discussion of “Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons in Bird Library. Juniors and members of Lambda Phi Epsilon Richard Yang and Joe Paguyo will lead the discussion.

• The Mr. ASIA 2018 pageant-style contest at the 20th Annual ASIA Night from 7 to 9 p.m. at Grant Auditorium. The show will feature Steven Lim from Buzzfeed’s Worth it, a show where Lim and his co-host review cheap and overly priced foods.

• K-Night with special guest JuNCurryAhn, a Korean-American violinist. Ahn has over 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube where he produces violin covers and vlogs.

• The Raymond Carver Reading Series featuring Julie Otsuka from 3:45 to 7 p.m. in HBC Gifford Auditorium. Otsuka has been named the Spring 2018 Don MacNaughton Reader in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the author of two novels: “When the Emperor Was Divine” and “The Buddha in the Attic.” This event is also presented by the MFA Program in Creative Writing and the Department of English.

Published on April 9, 2018 at 9:52 pm

Contact Amy: abnakamu@syr.edu