Carly Danner
MSMU Asian Culture Club (ACC) hosted a spectacular night of fun. Activities included painting lanterns, calligraphy, origami, vibing with some music and games. This includes musical chairs, knees cup and balloon stomps!
I had the enlightening opportunity to sit down and talk with some members of the E-Board. The full list of members consists of Yen Carino (President), Brianna Young (Vice President), Andres Tinio (Secretary), Rachel Ku (Treasurer) and Ashley David (Events and Social Media Coordinator).
We discussed the true meaning of the mid- autumn festival tradition and the ACC. The mid- autumn festival is celebrated as the feast of the harvest. It is meant to be a time of thanksgiving and quality time with friends, family and loved ones. This had similar aspects of Thanksgiving which is celebrated every November. It was a comforting feeling to be in a similar atmosphere here on campus.
The event also included great food, with delicious options of shrimp fried rice, chicken stir fry and egg. Enjoying this great blessing of food and taking a moment to practice gratitude for new college friends provided me with an idea of the sole purpose of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
On the topic of the ACC, many board members shared that the club means family and the love that they have for their culture and shared it with others.
The overall goal of the ACC and having a mid- Autumn festival celebration here on campus was the promotion of education on Asian culture, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion.
This mission was a success because after speaking with some attendees of the event, there was a prevalent sense of belonging and gained knowledge reported.
One student, Aliyah Ambriz noted, “What interested me was the number of activities that they had and also that they provided food that aligned with the Asian culture.”
Another attendee who wishes to remain anonymous expressed, “I wanted to try my hand at making a lantern but stayed after and met some cool people. I gained a greater view, and it helped me realize just how many people are a part of the Asian culture community. It was a lot of fun to hear what it meant to them to bring the festival to campus.”
Regarding education on Asian culture, some students painted symbols significant to some Asian cultures such as cherry blossoms and fish on their lanterns.
All things considered, the event was a huge success in the emergence of diversity and inclusion on campus. Learning about cultures and customs that differ from your own is a very educational, enlightening and fun experience!
Although diversity, equity and inclusion are still unfortunately a work in progress worldwide currently, hosting events on campus such as the festival on campus gives students the opportunity to learn about different cultures.
We are certainly a step in the right direction!
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