Many new clubs and societies are making their debut on the Myers Park Campus for the 2022-23 school year. Students Anna Yi, Vrinda Mahajan, Nikita Rawat, Julia Moy, and Shuyan Fang, made the Park their own by creating the Asian Student Union. . In an interview with copresident Nikita, she said, “In one of our classes last year, we were looking through an old yearbook and saw that there used to be an Asian Student Union. As Asian students we were curious as to why the club stopped. We found it ironic that many cultural clubs have been disbanded or have gotten smaller when in fact, cultural diversity and awareness is being highlighted more than in the past 20-30 years.” Copresident Anna also discussed the underrepresentation of Asians at Myers Park. As Myers Park students had done before, why not provide the opportunity for the Asian population here to build and strengthen a community with one another?
In terms of their plans and goals for the club, the board answered “Our plans for ASU are to hold meetings to provide a place for Asian students at Myers Park to meet people who are similar to them. This can help students feel comfortable in their racial identity, give them a space to discuss their experiences that others may be able to relate to, and even be a place to meet new friends!” The ASU also plans to “unite through [our] different events …Asia is such a diverse region and we really want to bring everyone together through highlighting each and every culture.” Many first-generation students or simply students who feel culturally lost can come to ASU and be among their peers who share similar life experiences. Nikita said “Our main goal is to bring students together and celebrate the complete part of an Asian identity, giving no limitations to the member’s interests. It will be a place for students who are interested in all aspects of Asia, to talk to people with similar interests, whether it be politics, culture, or society.”
ASU not only has big plans for the creation of a community, but also for uniting the Asian population at Myers Park. When asked about how leadership planned to do this, Nikita answered “We plan to unite the Asian population at Myers Park by highlighting cultures and races that might be overshadowed in a large student body…” Nikita also shared her excitement about their first meeting, saying that they were “… excited to see students who decided to join our club for the first time and meet new people. Leadership can introduce themselves and some members can share their race/culture if they feel comfortable. As a new club, we look forward to seeing what our members are interested in doing to keep the club engaging!” Anna also expressed her excitement for a planned culture night, saying “It’s not completely set in stone but we really want to give everyone a chance to show off where they’re from and what they’re proud of! I expect it’ll be so much fun and it’ll definitely have a lot of great food too!”
As all three of the presidents are seniors, Nikita, Anna, and Vrinda will be graduating from Myers Park this year, they hope that ASU will continue to grow and connect people past their high school years. When talking about this, the presidents said “We are going to do our absolute best to establish a solid leadership with underclassmen this year and create a strong enough foundation that allows the club to continue..” With ASU, the Asian population at Myers Park will have a chance to create a community with students similar to them, share and learn about different Asian cultures, and overall make friends and have fun! If anyone is interested in joining the club, the Asian Student Union meets on Tuesdays once a month.