Sunshine Roth was always interested in sharing Asian culture with her fellow students. While an Asian culture club had existed at Moorpark College many years past, it had lapsed into inactivity. Roth took matters into her own hands and organized the Asian American Pacific Islander Student Association in 2023.
“When I saw there wasn’t a club on campus for AAPI students and culture, I decided to start one myself,” explains Roth. “I’ve never put together a club or something like this from the ground up, and it’s certainly been a learning experience. I hope that we can bring more people into the club and that we can collaborate with other cultural clubs on campus.”
Moorpark College’s AAPI Student Association may be slight at just eight members, excluding board members. Still, Roth, a second-year communications major and club advisor, and Diane Nguyen, a professor of mathematics, intend to change that.
On Feb. 13, 2024, the club hit the ground running with a colorful celebration of the Lunar New Year on Raider Walk. The AAPI Student Association sponsored a food truck, and board members outfitted in traditional garb offered free food to students wearing red, gold or yellow. In addition to the free items, students were invited to play games and construct origami creatures.
Organizing such a public-facing event quickly is a remarkable achievement for a young board that only assembled itself this academic year. Nikki St. Charles, a second-year student majoring in art history who serves as the club’s public relations officer, submitted the original proposal to the Associated Students of Moorpark College. Dealing with the event’s logistics created stress for St. Charles, but the stress was worth the payoff.
“I think this was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. This took months of planning,” says St. Charles. “I’m so happy that the this event seemed like a success, and I couldn’t have done it without the help and support of AAPI and ASMC.”
Nguyen, who encourages board members to organize and share amongst themselves, couldn’t be more proud of the club.
“I used to be an advisor for another club,” says Nguyen. “I got involved, and it didn’t turn out well. This time, I decided to leave it to the board, and I let them take care of themselves. I encourage the board to share their culture so that everyone benefits.”
Previous iterations of the AAPI club have been lost to history. However, Nguyen and Roth cited that its former incarnation had a more limited scope. Roth and Nguyen believe there is room for all races and ethnicities in the AAPI Student Association.
“I think the greatest benefit of joining the AAPI Club is learning about AAPI cultures and meeting new people in the club,” says Roth. “You don’t have to be Asian or Pacific Islander to join.”
During its Jan. 30 meeting, Nguyen presented the Lunar New Year from the Vietnamese perspective, sharing a dragon’s head mask and treats with student attendees. Nguyen also talked about the zodiac and traditions in greeting relatives with benedictions of health, happiness, prosperity and etiquette in distributing and receiving red envelopes.
“In the Vietnamese culture, the elders sit in front, and the children line up. They approach the elder and wish them health, happiness and family to be united. The elders give the younger generation and envelope with money inside. The children then reciprocate with the same greetings,” explains Nguyen.
Nguyen is passionate about student clubs on campus. Clubs provide excellent networking opportunities. Clubs also benefit prospective transfer students with volunteer or leadership experiences.
Nguyen believes clubs serve a more practical purpose that goes beyond fun and games.
“You want to be part of the campus you attend. You want to get to know people and form a network of peers to help you with the social life of campus but also to help with academics,” explains Nguyen. “This is something that community colleges lack, unlike at a four-year college.”
Students interested in joining the club may send a direct message to the AAPI Student Association’s Instagram account or email Roth at [email protected] for an invite to the club’s Discord channel. The club meets every other Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. in Room AC-204.
