Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month Celebration

 

West Jordan High School Students Perform at the Samoan Ava History Celebration at  SLCC Taylorsville Campus

Salt Lake Community College has been celebrating the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage month throughout the month of April—usually celebrated in May. The celebrations hosted by various student clubs provided the opportunity to all people from AAPI ancestry and the diasporic communities from those geographic regions as well as the community, to celebrate the AAPI culture, traditions and history.

SLCC community learning the art of making lei's

“It is wonderful that we have a month to showcase our culture with the rest of the student body,” says Mone Langui, President of the Pacific Unity Association (PUA) Club. Aye Chan, President of the Asian Student Association, mirrors Mone’s sentiment saying, “to have a month where we get to display and share our culture with our peers is extremely meaningful.”

Chef  Wan Ho Koi teaching SLCC community how to make sushi

The AAPI events hosted served as an educational opportunity for attendees where they had the chance to actively participate in the event while learning the history of different cultures that are part of the AAPI. Participants had opportunities to get involved, from lei making to a sushi and musubi cooking class.

SLCC students learning how to make Japanese Star made out of paper

“I enjoy learning. As a student at SLCC, I love that we all can attend events like this where we can learn about other people’s cultures and get a little exposure for a moment,” says Caleb Cope, an SLCC student.

Student proudly showing SLCC AAPI Heritage Month t-shirt

As the AAPI heritage month celebration concludes at SLCC, Aye wants students to remember, “We just want to remind students that there is a space for them, and it is important to continue to share our culture.”