From 5-8 p.m on Friday, Nov. 21, Asia Day will be held to celebrate the diversity of Asian culture on UW-Eau Claire’s campus. One of the student organizations behind this new event is the Asian Pacific Islander Student Association (APISA). 

APISA seeks to create a community which celebrates Pan-Asian identities on campus, according to Lee Da Yang, the president of the organization and a third-year communications, marketing and economics student. 

“College is about broadening your experiences, so that’s really what attracted me to APISA, because it was a lot of Pan-Asian identities,” Yang said. 

Yang said she envisions this growing organization as being “a place of belonging” for students who may not feel represented on campus. 

As part of this initiative, APISA has hosted events highlighting various cultures, such as a Korean dessert night, pho night and a Chinese moon cake night to begin the semester. 

Janiece Moua, the event coordinator and a fifth-year integrated strategic communication and Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) student, is behind many of these events, which Yang described as relaxed and fun. 

“We are doing a MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) event next Tuesday,” Moua said. “It’s a Taekwondo night where APISA is collaborating with the MMA Club, and we’re trying to learn karate and Taekwondo together.” 

Moua, like Yang, said she sees APISA as a special organization for its capacity for diversity and forging intercultural connections.

“APISA is very unique in the aspect that we have the most Asian diversity on campus when it comes to an Asian student org,” Moua said. “On our board, we have students that represent the Hmong culture, we have students that are Tibetan, we have students that are Filipino.” 

In order to celebrate the work that all of the members do each year, APISA takes a retreat each year, Yang said. 

Moua said the upcoming spring’s trip is something special: a weekend trip to Chicago. The organization hopes to use this time to explore other Asian cultures and communities, such as Chicago’s famous Chinatown. 

In order to facilitate this event, APISA is planning fundraisers and looking even further ahead to consider the possibility of holding another Asia Day, Moua said. 

Yang said she is excited at the potential for the club’s growth as future events continue to spread the message. 

“APISA is open to everybody who is interested in learning about other Pan-Asian cultures and/or if they are interested in eating food,” Yang said. 

Both Moua and Yang said they have been positively impacted from their involvement in this organization, especially regarding the kindness and positivity of their fellow members. 

“Looking back, I think I’m forever thankful that I decided to do the board,” Moua said. 

APISA meets every other Tuesday from 5-6 p.m. in Centennial 1106 in the Multicultural Student Services office. 

Crist can be reached at [email protected].