WHAT ARE SOME GOALS YOU HAVE FOR APAC THIS YEAR?
I think that so far APAC has done a better job in getting better exposed on campus, and I think we
have the financial resources and the experience to put on great events, but what I really want to do
is to develop a stronger community in APAC. I don’t even think this can be achieved with a huge
APAC community--I think it would be better to have a tight-knit, passionate group of mem bers. I
think APAC attracts a very specific type of person, or someone who cares about very specific issues, so I think if we try to expand too quickly it would dilute our purpose. I think others in the organization want to broaden our reach to the general Chicago community, but I just don’t think we’re
there yet.
ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC ISSUES THAT YOU PERSONALLY WANT TO FOCUS ON?
I really want to continue on discussions with intersectionality. We had a panel with Rainbow Alliance
[the LGBTQ advocacy group] last year, and I would like to continue this thread of dialogue. I also
want to talk more about South/Southeast Asian issues. Last year all the participants in Mr. Panasia,
our annual male talent showcase, were East Asian, and I don’t want this to just be an East Asian
community.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE EVENT THAT APAC HAS DONE IN THE PAST?
I really liked the “Discussion on Colorism” event that we held in collaboration with ASA [African
Students Association]. I was really afraid coming into it that it wouldn’t be a very active discussion
(people tend to shy away from educational discussions), but it was filled and packed with solely
student-led conversations. People shared very interesting and informative insights, personal experiences, and even academic research. It was nice to see that the general student body doesn’t necessarily need something “fancy” to catch their eye.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU HOPE TO SEE OR GET FROM MAASU OR THE MAASU NETWORK?
I wish there were more avenues to meet with MAASU member schools. APAC has in general been
to conferences within Chicago but they’ve often been with young professionals, or people a little
older. It would be nice if we had more social things with MAASU just so we could meet up and see
other groups in Chicago.