いらっしゃいませ

Photo above: TASC Chalks the Quad with PSA! :)

As the FACT conference rolls into town, I think it’s an appropriate time to publish this.

I’m quite amazed at the Asian American (AA) community here at the University of Illinois (UIUC). The contrast to Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) community is quite jarring. UIUC really has worked to create a culture within the AA student body that is productive and collaborative. 

Many different organizations have set up their own “family” group systems to facilitate the relationship building, but I don’t see a rivalry between groups other than friendly competition when it comes to events like Capture the Flag and what not. In fact, the opposite is true. People are definitely more humble here than at WashU. To have officers, family heads, and even presidents of other clubs in my own family group has shown this. Furthermore, the relationships aren’t just within the exec/board members. Everyone can feel like they’re part of the family, even if they don’t have an official position.

My alliances might be with TASC (Taiwanese American Students Club) and TIA (Taiwan Intercultural Association), but that doesn’t stop me from supporting other groups like PSA (Philippine Student Association), VSA (Vietnamese…), CUSA (Chinese Undergraduate…), etc.

What’s kind of surprising and very refreshing here is that the presence of commonly underrepresented Asian Americans is even stronger here. I feel like growing up, I had been so focused on being Taiwanese American and developing that identity that I had really neglected to take the time to learn about other cultures. The thing is, everyone has a story - you just have to open up your mind enough to hear it.

This collaborative AA community builds a level of tolerance that I think is currently really hard to find anywhere in the country. I think that the existence of a strong Asian American Association (AAA) and Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) helps a lot, and other schools should learn from them. The Asian organizations have made a really great first step toward educating the entire world, and working toward a more accepting world. 

Overall, being here has given me a lot to think about. Even after only 2 months here, I feel like I myself have become a more tolerant individual, and have been striving to make connections within all of APAC. While I have been and plan on maintaining a focus on being Taiwanese American, I think I’ll continue to explore my identity as an Asian American as well.