Bao Pham, a junior, took action to create Asian Student Association (ASA) so people of all Asian descent could have a place to celebrate their community. As a sophomore last year, he noticed the under-representation of his people, particularly during Pacific Islander Month in May.
To address this issue, Bao founded ASA, which aims to build a strong community within the school and ensure that these communities feel represented and heard. Though Bao founded the Asian Student Association, he is not the president. Haylee Au, who is of Vietnamese descent and is not only the junior student council president, but she is also ASA president. Haylee is very hardworking, reliable, and kind. She’s an amazing asset to this club and this school.
Asian Student Association is a very valuable resource for all individuals from diverse Asian backgrounds. The club represents many people from Asia, which makes me personally, and many other people, have a hope for our school, and for the world in general. It’s nice to see a group of people from all around Asia come together to accept everyone, no matter where they are from. If only we could do that for the whole world. But at least we started with our school.
The club has planned to host several fundraisers and events to raise awareness within the community. These initiatives promote harmony and peace of mind to let people know that they are cared for and represented. This is the first year the club has been a part of this school, but I have a feeling that this club will live on for many years.
The club is currently planning a fundraiser for the Moon Festival, a celebration observed in many Asian countries. The festival dates back over 3,000 years in the Zhou Dynasty and originated as a royal sacrificial ceremony associated with moon worship and agricultural activities, and still is to this day.
In China and several other countries, the Moon Festival, also known as the Mid-Autumn Festival, is a three-day public holiday that lands on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. This is a very important holiday in places like China, Singapore, Korea, Japan, and many more. The festival starts on September 29th and ends on October 1st, 2023.
As this school year starts to dive into the semester fast, let’s be real, having a community to celebrate your similarities and differences is an amazing thing that will carry on in this school. Especially when they are in the good hands of Bao and Haylee.
