By MELISSA ROGERS
City of Fishers
In honor of American Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, we spoke to the Asian Student Union at Hamilton Southeastern High School (HSE) to learn more about the ways in which they promote diversity and explore different Asian cultures.
Some of the events the club participates in include roundtable discussions, movie nights, origami nights, and group meetings. Students share their experience with one another and pride themselves in educating others and learning more about their culture and the cultures of their peers. The club participates in various equity events both in and outside the school, and members attended the Equity for Education rally last year.
Throughout the year, the school’s Asian Student Union collaborates with other diversity student union groups, such as HSE’s Black Student Union and the Asian Student Unions at Cathedral, Fishers High School, and Carmel High School, and hold picnics, potlucks, international nights, and talent shows. These events help them to get to know each other and learn more about culturally diverse languages, music, and foods.
The club hopes to expand even more and be able to include and teach as many people as possible about Asian culture. Hear what members have to say about being part of the Asian Student Union and what it means to them:
“The Asian Student Union is very educational,” Annabelle Batuyong said. “Being born in America, I didn’t have much experience with my culture growing up. I love how our club is enlightening and brings more diversity and culture to the community. It is a safe place to discuss differences and talk about discriminations that our community has faced, and we discuss ways to prevent discrimination and how we can implement that in the future.”
“I was born in Vietnam, so this club is a great place to implement elements of my culture and learn about different cultures, as well,” Joseph Hoang said. “My main goal for the club is to spread as much of the culture as possible, whether that’s by sharing food or music.”
“I was born in China, so I was always told to be more American than Asian,” Maddie Chu said. “This club instilled a sense of pride in being Asian and allows us to embrace Asian culture without being discriminated or being made fun of for it. The Asian Student Union is instrumental in bringing more awareness to stereotypes and breaking down the stereotypes.”
“It’s a place where people can come together and be able to learn more about your culture and other people’s cultures in a safe and fun environment,” Alex Lynn said.
“The Asian Student Union gives me a sense of belonging and community,” Emma Bui said. “It has allowed me to share my experiences with people who relate to me, and it’s a group that I can always fall back on. A lot of people have the connotation that you have to be Asian to join Asian Student Union, but it’s a very inclusive club and we encourage everyone to join and learn more about Asian culture.”
Click here to keep up with the HSE Asian Student Union on Instagram.