Asian American Cultural Center 2014 Year in Review

A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

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n the following pages, we bring you highlights of the 150 programs AACC staff presented that reached 12,000 participants. You’ll see that our staff is highly productive and very caring educators. Maria Conrad keeps our busy center running smoothly and efficiently as our Office Support Specialist. Assistant Director, Mai-Lin Poon has led our new Intercultural Horizons internship and our wide-reaching outreach programs, including AsiaFest and Lunar New Year celebrations. Assistant Director, Kenny Importante leads our AACC internship, leadership development programs, and Asian American programming. Beloved by student leaders and colleagues alike, Kenny was honored in April with the Illniois Student Affairs Outstanding New Staff Award for the great contributions he has made over the past three years. Our graduate assistants, student interns, volunteers, and many colleagues and student leaders continue to bring their energy to enliven our community center.

public university, and that 85% come from Asian counties, half from China alone. This summer we added a new full-time position of program director for international education. We are pleased to have Yun Shi join our team to coordinate OIIR programs supporting international students and developing programs enhancing global competencies of both domestic and international students.

Augmenting our modest annual budget allocation from the campus, we received over $70,000 in gifts and grants during fiscal year 2014. For example, our University of Illinois Asian American Alumni Network created a new scholarship for returning undergraduate students who have contributed leadership in the Asian American campus community.

Further, a small group of very loyal alums established a new endowment to support one AACC student intern each year with an Asian Pacific American Alumni Leadership internship.

We are thankful for the generosity of our many friends This fall 2014 semester 35% of our Illinois student body, and supporters. Time has passed quickly at the AACC over 15,000 of 43,600 students, are of Asian descent and we are already planning our 10th anniversary. We (15% are Asian American students and 19% are Asian hope many of you will join us next fall for that celebration. international students). You may have heard that UI has the largest number of international students of any American David Chih Director Asian American Cultural Center and Assistant Dean of Students

A WARM WELCOME TO

YUN SHI

PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

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e are very pleased to announce that Dr. Yun Shi has joined our team as Program Director for International Education and the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations. Dr. Shi brings 20 years of experience as an international educator. She has worked most recently at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke as Assistant Director of International Programs and formerly as the Asian Program Coordinator. Yun taught at the university level for 13 years in China prior to coming to the United States. She earned a PhD in education from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a MEd in education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in English from Xi’an International Studies University in China.

Her primary responsibilities include coordinating OIIR programs supporting international students, and developing programs enhancing global competencies of both domestic and international students. She collaborates with Student Affairs departments, academic units, and student organizations, advising students and serving as a resource supporting international education. We are excited to have this new position in OIIR as we continue to support the mission of Student Affairs in preparing the leaders of tomorrow in a diverse and global society.

ASIAN AMERICAN LEADERSHIP AWARDS YUKI LLEWELLYN AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ASIAN AMERICAN STUDENT ORGANIZATION

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he Yuki Llewellyn Award for Outstanding Asian American Student Organization recognizes excellence among student organizations that have shown dedication to the Asian and Asian American community in developing and implementing activities, programs, and services that promote unity among Asian Americans and awareness of Asian American issues. There are 1200 registered student organizations on campus and the AACC is fortunate to collaborate with many of those that focus on Asian and Asian American experiences.

ASHA UIUC

CHINESE STUDENT AND SCHOL ARS ASSOCIATION

KOREAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION

UI ASIAN AMERICAN ALUMNI NET WORK SCHOL ARSHIP

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resident of University of Illinois Asian American Alumni Network, Ning Zulauf announced the first annual UIAAAN Scholarship Recipient.

TRACY MAPAYE

OUTSTANDING ASIAN AMERICAN ALUMNI Outstanding Asian American Alumni Award This award recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves through outstanding contributions to the Asian American community, exceptional success in their professional careers, or meritorious service supporting the mission of the University.

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asjit Singh has become a leading voice for social justice in the Asian American community, especially in his current position as the Executive Director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), a civil rights and educational organization. He has been a passionate voice for the Sikh Americans and the challenges that they face since his days at the U of I as a founding member of the Sikh Student Association. He graduated from the UI in 2004 with a BA in business administration. In August 2013, he spoke at the 50th anniversary of the historic civil rights march on Washington.

OUTSTANDING ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNIT Y BUILDER Award honors individuals who embody the spirit and mission of the Asian American Cultural Center. The award recognizes significant and sustained commitment to building a stronger Asian American campus community.

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he Community Builder Award recognizes significant and sustained commitment to building a stronger campus- in partnership with the AACC. We honor Barkstall Elementary School of Champaign Unit 4 School District for its unwavering support and collaboration in helping the AACC teach 500+ children each year about Asian cultural traditions. Over each of the past six years, UI students and staff have worked with Barkstall faculty in celebration of the Lunar New Year, including learning about traditions as celebrated in Asia and around the world.

OUTSTANDING ASIAN AMERICAN FACULT Y/STAFF AWARD The Outstanding Asian American Faculty/Staff award recognizes faculty, academic professionals, and civil service staff who have shown commitment to the Asian American campus community in providing mentoring, advising, programming, counseling, teaching and research opportunities that develop students’ self-awareness and that promote understanding of Asian American issues.

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r. Rakhi Sen is a staff psychologist at the Counseling Center. She has served as the International Student Outreach coordinator, administering the InterLink mentor program and InterConnect workshop series to help international students adjust to the university community. She has presented at multiple conferences about Asian and Asian American issues, and is a key collaborator with the staff professional staff across campus to help better serve international students.

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r. Yoon Pak. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Education Policy Organization & Leadership and Core Faculty in the Asian American Studies Department.

Teaching her course on Asian American Education, Dr. Pak is dedicated to expanding her focus to contemporary issues of Asians and Asian Americans in higher education. In 2014, she co-authored Asian Americans in Higher Education: Charting New Realities. Dr. Pak has also served as a mentor to all under-represented students in the College of Education.

OUTSTANDING ASIAN AMERICAN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT LEADER This Outstanding Asian American Undergraduate Student Leader award recognizes exceptional undergraduate student leaders who have served the Asian American campus community as advocates for promoting understanding of Asian American issues and leaders of activities that promote unity among Asian American students.

Christine Caroline Somy Kim Alex Wen

OUTSTANDING ASIAN AMERICAN GRADUATE STUDENT LEADER This award recognizes graduate and professional students for excellence in developing and implementing programs for the Asian American campus community, excellence and innovation in classroom instruction that furthers knowledge of Asian American communities, and/or excellence in research that promotes awareness of Asian American issues.

Gaeun Seo Aston Zhang Pei Zou

SUSAN YUNG MAUL AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PROGRAM/EVENT The Susan Yung Maul award recognizes excellence among programs or events that have shown a significant impact in serving the Asian American community, developing awareness of Asian American issues, and promoting unity in the Asian American campus community. The award honors Susan Yung Maul, retired director of the Illini Union, for her 31 years of contributions to the Asian American community and the University.

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llinois Fast-a-Thon is a collaborative effort between the Indian Student Association, Muslim Student Association, Jain Student Association, Dharma, Sigma Beta Rho, Alpha Iota Omicron, Illini Thakkat Foundation, Vietnamese Student Association, Avicenna Community Health Center – SI, Quench Foundation, and the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations. Participants raise money for charity as they observe a fast in honor of Gandhi and the salt strikes and hunger strikes he led during the fight for independence against the British. This year, all of the organizations were able to raise $2,950 for the Zakat Foundation and Wesley Food Pantry!

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ilipino Americans Coming Together, or FACT, is a collegiate conference that brings together Asian-Americans from all over the nation through the efforts of the undergraduate students, alumni, and the FACT committee from the Philippine Student Association (PSA). The theme for the conference this year was “This Way Up”; it called for a movement toward intersectionality amongst Filipino/a Americans, Asian Americans, and the delegates’ university campuses. Over 1,000 delegates from 20 different universities come to the U of I for one weekend because FACT gives them a chance to explore their identities through workshops, ceremonies, and the FACT Variety Show. During FACT 2013, coordinators Grace Geremias and Jeselle Obina also focused on philanthropy through the charity Advancement for Rural Kids, also known as ARK.

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angar, presented by the Sikh Student Association, was designed to uphold the principle of equality between all people of the world, regardless of religion, sexuality, caste, etc. through sharing a meal together. Langar also helped to promote awareness of Sikhism on campus and build solidarity amongst Sikh students and community members.

AACC PROGRAMS AND EVENTS FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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he Asian American Cultural Center hosts a weekly lunch program every Tuesday called Food For Thought. It aims to educate the audience about a topic related to the Asian and Asian American community while it nourishes both the mind and body. Now in its tenth year, people look forward to enjoying a free catered lunch from local ethnic restaurants and appreciate participating in a discussion on Asian and Asian American culture, identity, and contemporary issues. Some of the most successful Food For Thought presentations this year included: “Southeast Asians as Minority Within Asian America” presented by Post Doc, Long Bui, “On Being Out as an International Student” presented by a student panel, and “Mental Health Awareness Among Asians and Asian Americans” presented by the Counseling Center professional staff.

These weekly lunch discussions help bring to light issues that Asians and Asian Americans face, and allow for a safe space for discussion and learning.

CHAI TIME

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his year’s CHAI Time, a weekly Monday night social hour at the AACC, continues to provide open space for campus community and student organizations to enjoy the numerous amenities that our center has to offer. Our AACC affiliated registered student organizations (RSOs) often take the time to host these weekly programs. Highlight of our CHAI Time events in 2014 include a screening of Tohoku Tomo, a documentary film highlighting service learning in the aftermath of March 2011 earthquake in Japan, a Filipino Barrio Fiesta co-hosted by PSA & Intercultural Horizons Interns, House of Pancakes, hosted

by Asian American Student Housing Organization, a reception for new international students for both spring and fall 2014, dinner dialogue for Queer Asian and Asian American students, and workshop on leadership and communication hosted by Society of Asian Scientists & Engineers. Each semester, CHAI Time draws over 500 students participate to our social events.

THEME DINNERS

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he AACC partnered with the University Dining Services to host two themed dinners during the 2014 school year. In January, thousands of students attended a themed meal at the Ikenberry Commons Dining Hall to celebrate Lunar New Year. Many student organizations including Philippine Student Association, Vietnamese Student Association, and TASC Special Ops performed at the dinner showcasing a part of their culture while students enjoyed meals from multiple countries. This past October, in celebration of Diwali, the AACC and the University Dining Services teamed up once again to host another themed dinner. The Ikenberry Commons Dining Hall and Illinois Street Residence Dining Hall hosted the themed dinner representing food from India. Student organizations including Ghungroo Dance Company, Awaaz, and Zinda performed cultural performances as well as aCapella for diners.

CHICAGO TRIP

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he AACC and the Asian American Student Housing Organization (AASHO) invited the campus community to a Chinatown Trip in Chicago, IL on Saturday April 12th, 2014. It was a successful one day trip that included a guided tour of Chinatown, visiting the Chinese American Museum, free time to explore, and an authentic Chinese cultural dinner. Participants explored various historical parts of Chinatown and learned about the history of Chinese and Chinese Americans and their experiences.

LUNAR NEW YEAR

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014 was the year of the Horse, and it brought huge success and good fortune. This was the 7th year of the Lunar New Year project and it has greatly expanded to more schools in the Champaign-Urbana community: Leal, King, Westview, Barkstall, Garden Hills, and Bottenfield elementary schools. This project engaged over 2000 students in more than 53 class rooms where each student learned about this holiday that is celebrated worldwide but is not as well known here in the United States. Students from the U of I taught crafts, volunteers read stories, and schools had huge assemblies where children performed their own lion dance. We also worked with the Champaign Public Library and the Urbana Free Library where many families attended and learned about this holiday.

ASIANTATION

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his year AACC hosted our annual Asiantation event at SDRP. Asiantation features Asian & Asian American Pacific Islander Registered Student Organizations (RSO) and other campus partners. New and returning students were in for a special treat as several of the RSO’s had cultural performances. The evening began with a brief presentation from AACC staff and Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Gigi Secuban. Following the cultural performances, everyone was able to taste delicious food from various parts of Asia. The food was cooked and/or sponsored by the different organizations. It was a great evening to mingle with friends both old and new, as well as an opportunity to get involved with the Asian Pacific Islander American community at the University of Illinois.

MULTI-RACIAL & MULTI-ETHNIC STUDENTS INITIATIVE

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n its third year of the initiative, the committee was able to host three outside speakers: Becky Martinez, consultant and trainer with an emphasis on social justice, leadership, and mixed race students; Amanda Niskode-Dossett, Research Associate in University of St. Thomas presented on actions and steps to can take individually and collaboratively across campus when working with multiracial students; lastly, our third speaker, Ken Tanabe, founder of Loving Day presented on how mixed race communities celebrated Loving Day around the world June 12th. This year, we are proud to work with the new Registered Student Organization Multiracial & Multi-ethnic Student Union. In November of this year, a delegate of students and staff also attended the Critical Mixed Race Studies Conference at DePaul University.

ART EXHIBITS

“This Voice of Mine” (January 29 – March 31, 2014) was a collection of photography by UI student Pooja Patel. The collection portrayed pictures of women of all ages that Patel took in India during winter break.

Patel’s second generation Indian American identity plays a significant role in her work as an artist and is reflected throughout her work.

“#WeAreIllinois” (July 14 - October 17, 2014) is a powerful collection of photographs and quotes from the Intercultural Horizons Internship program’s social media initiative. It aims to celebrate what U of I stands for, diversity, and at the same time find common ground and experiences that binds students at U of I together. This initiative hopes to promote cross-cultural understanding and appreciation across various ethnic and racial groups on campus.

In order to address the cultural empowerment of Asian and Asian American women in various cultures, “Women, Culture, & Society” (April 1 – July 1, 2014), featured paintings and photography by a diverse group of Asian American artists from the Champaign-Urbana community, including university students, local art instructors, and other

“A Community of Immigrants” (November 3, 2014-January 30, 2015), a group art exhibit features pieces that depict the personalized stories of the Urbana-Champaign immigrant population.

It uses various versatile media such as painting, photography, and fabric to tell the stories of immigrants in our community.

AAPI HERITAGE MONTH

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sian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the University of Illinois provide a multitude of cultural festivities that are educational and entertaining with lectures and celebrations.

May has been recognized as AAPI Heritage Month nationwide since the 1990’s, and the University of Illinois isn’t one to miss a formal celebration regarding AAPI community on campus. For the whole month of April events are in place celebrating, engaging, and educating the community about the different Asian and Asian American experiences in East Central Illinois where there over 50 different subgroups representing the AAPI population. Cultural performances, workshops, and events successfully engaged the public and this year we hoped to continue on the successful celebration.

On April 5th, Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) and the AACC hosted the 20th Anniversary of APAC Alumni Weekend. Many of the student leaders who have helped progress Asian and Asian American issues here on this campus came to speak on a panel to answer current students’ questions and issues giving advice and direct to make a difference on this campus. Culminating the entire AAPI Heritage Month, the AACC capped the celebration in conjunction with On April 7th, the Philippine Student Association the Japan House by hosting Asia Fest, incorporating and Intercultural Horizons collaborated to host performances, food demonstrations, and cultural the first Filipino Barrio Pistahan Celebration at the crafts and activities to the campus community.

AACC. The entire campus and local community was invited to experience Filipino culture through educational and cultural games were taught to the attendees. Cultural performances, food, and singing were entertaining and happily received by the students and families.

AAPI Heritage Month was a huge success celebrating the different cultures and ethnicities that represented Asian American Pacific Islanders.

The community saw many talented, passionate, and inviting student and local organizations who were more than happy to share their culture.

On April 19th, the Midwest’s ASHA for Education The AACC could not have wished for a more hosted the Holi Festival of Colors carnival. Holi supportive and dedicated group of people. is one of India’s biggest celebrations where people throw colored powder on one another to represent the colorful arrival of Spring. Lively music and performances entertained the masses.

ASIAFEST

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sia Fest, a pan-Asian celebration, was held on May 3rd, 2014 where the Asian American Cultural Center and Japan House culminated the Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebrations for the 2014 school year. Asia Fest included multiple performances from local artists and performers such as the Philippine Student Association, Ghungroo Dance Company, and the ChampaignUrbana Chinese Folk dance. 35 organizations from the Champaign-Urbana community and student organizations from the U of I campus offered numerous interactive activities to showcase to the community. Several cooking demonstrations were presented by Ambar India Restaurant and Basil Thai which allowed attendees to sample and taste different Asian cuisine. Concurrently, people participated in many activities at the Japan House including origami, Japanese calligraphy and a garden tour. The AACC and the Japan House witnessed hundreds of eager and excited guests during the event’s perfect sunny weather.

APAC 20TH

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his past April APAC celebrated their 20th anniversary at the AACC. The day consisted of reviewing the past 20 years of APAC the creation and progression of the Asian American Cultural Center and discussions on how to move forward.

There was also the reveal of the new alumni funded internship the Asian Pacific American Alumni Leadership Internship. Alums also had the chance to see student organizations’ dance performances, as well as a magic show by a student, followed with lunch and time to network with other alums.

This event was a nostalgic event for the alums who came back to U of I and it was also an inspiriting learning experience for the current student leaders.

RESOURCE COLLECTION

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ACC is home to more than 1000 books, CDs, DVDs and magazines of educational and leisure reading resources about Asian and Asian American and other members of the Asian Diaspora. With exciting additions from generous donations and regular purchases, our collection never stays the same! This year, we’ve added over 150 items in books and DVDs of APA authors or APA related content including an autographed copy of The City Son by Samrat Upadhyay.

Students, staff and faculty can browse through these books at the center or at home through our LibraryThing (librarything.com/profile/aacc-illinois) and can check them out with a valid I-Card. We want to carry items you want to read! So please send us your suggestions at aacc@illinois.edu.

BOOK CLUB

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he AACC Book Club encourages students, staff, faculty, and community members to engage in Asian and Asian American related issues via literature. Every semester, the book club explores books in the growing genre of Asian American Literature. This fall, we invited author Samrat Upadhyay to share his book: The City Son. This novel is set in the author’s home country, Nepal. Upadhyay paints a vivid portrait of a scorned woman’s lifelong obsession to get revenge for her husband’s infidelity that has devastating ramifications for her husband’s illegitimate son. This event was co-sponsored by the Nepali Student Association, Residence Hall Libraries, and International & Area Studies Library.

ICU: DINNER DIALOGUE SERIES

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he Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations, the Asian American Cultural Center, in collaboration with the Study Abroad Office, have launched an intercultural dialogue series called iCU (Now I See What You Mean). While many programs and workshops at the University of Illinois have focused on informing international students about American culture to help them adjust to campus life, this weekly iCU series is a new initiative to provide a space for international students to freely share stories about their home country to domestic students as well as other international students. The goal of the iCU series is to provide international and domestic students the opportunities to engage in meaningful interaction, to promote cultural understanding and diversity through transformative learning experiences. The theme for fall 2014 is China, as the largest number of international students at the University of Illinois come from China. As the co-host of the series, the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) assist in promoting the series, recruiting participants, and facilitating the discussion. Participants engage in discussion of various topics such as myths & facts, cultural performances, student life, and holidays & celebrations in China. Two hands-on sessions, Chinese calligraphy and dumpling making, provide more opportunities to participants to share and appreciate cultural aspects. Participants enjoy authentic Chinese food, fun activities, free prizes, and most importantly, meaningful conversations with people from different cultural backgrounds. This series is expected to expand to include other countries and regions of the world in future semesters. Other co-hosts include Korean Student Association

SAVE THE DATE FOR SPRING 2015 AACC EVENTS LEADERSHIP AWARDS APRIL 20, 2015 LOCATION: ALICE CAMPBELL ALUMNI CENTER

ASIA FEST MAY 2, 2015 LOCATION: JAPAN HOUSE

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AACC

OCTOBER 17, 2015 ALICE CAMPBELL ALUMNI CENTER

AACC INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

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he AACC Internship is continually growing and accomplishing new things while engaging the campus and Champaign-Urbana community advancing Asian and Asian American issues. This year, thanks to the generous donations from Asian American alumni, a new internship position was created, the Asian Pacific American Alumni Leadership Internship, held for the first time by junior Monisha Shah. AACC interns participated in many events such as AsiaFest, Lunar New Year, as well as communicating with local artists for art exhibits and RSO’s on campus along with completing daily tasks that keep the Asian American Cultural Center running. The internship focuses on professional development by honing in on presentational and interview skills, as well as community building by supporting the different RSO’s on campus and building connections among students on campus. Next year will be the 10th anniversary of the creation of the internship positions at the center.

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN ALUMNI LEADERSHIP INTERNSHIP

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group of gracious Asian American alums have joined together to establish Asian Pacific American Alumni Leadership Internship Endowment. This internship endowment highlights the what the alums have started before the creation of the AACC making the connections between Asian American student leaders and the alumni group. This fall, we designated Monisha Shah, the first APA Alumni Leadership Intern. She is responsible for working with APAC and provide ways for current students to be more active with UIAAAN and other alums. We appreciate the endowment put together by our alums and excited to continue to have established connection with this group.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

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ACC continues to provide various leadership development opportunities for its students. This past year, we hosted six RSO Leadership Dinner featuring campus resources, staff, and faculty. These dinners were regularly attended by over 52 student organizations affiliated with the AACC. Over the summer, AACC participated as a host site for a NASPA Undergraduate Fellowship Program (NUFP) summer intern. This year’s summer intern, Millicent Bean hails from Appalachian State. She helped us put together our summer programs and assisted in researching the ways in which mixed-race students are supported on college campuses. In addition, AACC hosted OCA National’s APIA-U Leadership Training, an interactive college leadership training program that involved small group discussions, hands-on exercises and presentations during the month of October.

INTERCULTURAL HORIZONS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

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he Intercultural Horizons Internship is a collaborative effort by the Asian American Cultural Center, University YMCA, Diversity & Social Justice Education, and International Student and Scholar Services to promote inclusion in the U of I’s increasingly diverse population. A team of five interns in the Spring of 2014 and five new interns for the Fall 2014 semester and Spring 2015 semester work together to decrease the gap between international and domestic students. By creating programs and social media campaigns, Intercultural Horizons interns help to build a dialogue between different cultures while making all students aware of the prevalent commonalities and unique differences these cultures hold. Educating the student population through individual stories and interaction programs, Intercultural Horizons interns plan to create more mediums for this impactful dialogue to occur.

Most notably, the interns in spring 2014 began a social media campaign entitled #WeAreIllinois that continued through the fall. #WeAreIllinois, inspired by the popular blog ‘Humans of New York,’ seeks to tell unique and personalized stories of students at U of I through the medium of photography and journalism. It aims to celebrate what U of I stands for, that is, diversity. At the same time #WeAreIllinois finds common ground and experiences that bind everyone together. This initiative hopes to promote crosscultural understanding and appreciation across various ethnic and racial groups on campus. Many voices, single story. We are Illinois. This project speaks to the goal of Intercultural Horizons as it serves as a platform for better cultural understanding.

REGISTERED STUDENT ORGANIZATION AFFILIATES KOREAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION

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he Korean Student Association (KSA) is the largest Korean international student organization at the U of I, with over 100 members in nine different teams. We are committed to serving and engaging Korean students on campus as well as the local Korean community through career services, networking, cultural events, sports tournaments, philanthropy efforts, and annual festivals. Representing the second-largest international student population at Illinois, KSA has increasingly sought to become a bridge between other student organizations, campus units, and local businesses.

This spring, we were awarded the Yuki Llewellyn Award for Outstanding Asian & Asian American Student Organization at the AACC Leadership Awards for our efforts to make the campus more inclusive and diverse. Our executive board members won the Outstanding Asian & American Graduate Student Leader Award and the Outstanding Asian & Asian American Undergraduate Student Leader Award. The KSA Career School Illinois was also nominated for the Outstanding Program Award.

We started off the fall semester on August 28th with our annual KSA Grand Orientation, a comprehensive information session for Korean international freshmen and transfer students. We provided pizza (sponsored by PNC) and “K-book”s which included all the information first-year Korean students would need, such as the best-rated Korean restaurants in town, how to transfer money from abroad, how to get around Champaign-Urbana etc. We invited more than fifteen Korean Registered Student Organizations to come and introduce themselves as a way to recruit new members. Overall, we had a successful night, with over a hundred students showing up to the event.

One of the most exciting events we held this year was the 1st UIUC Graduate Student Field Day. Hosted by our Graduate Student Services Team on a bright Saturday morning on October 4th, the event attracted a diverse student population in the Korean community from different fields, different age groups, and different academic positions. We had ice-breaker activities, “couple dodge-ball” games, tug-of-war, fun quizzes, and relay races. We even had crafts and babysitting ready for families with young children. The event was part of a new initiative to be a more inclusive student association and successfully catered toward individual needs of Korean graduate students at the U of I. Our last main event of the year is “HOPE: A Guest Lecture with Um Hong-gil” held in Foellinger Auditorium. Um Hong-gil is the first South Korean climber to climb the 14 highest peaks in the Himalayas, and the first in the world to climb all the 16 highest points on Earth. It was a great privilege to listen to the star mountaineer’s words about challenging yourself, loving others and nature, and having hope. Through this event, we could reach out to not only our undergraduate and graduate student population but also members of the local Korean community, and even people from Chicago and Indiana.

If you would like to learn more about the Korean Student Association, you can find more information at illinoisksa.org or like us on Facebook at “Korean Student Association at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.” Our events in the spring include the annual KSA Talent Show and a collaboration with the AACC’s iCU dialogue series, along with a variety of sports games, career workshops, and guest lectures. Please stay tuned!

ALPHA KAPPA DELTA PHI

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lpha Kappa Delta Phi is an international Asian-interest sorority with 48 chapters located at numerous universities across the United States and in Canada. Thousands of undergraduate and alumnae sisters support the rapidly growing network of strong and successful women in the organization. We are a proud charter member of the National APIA Panhellenic Association, which it helped charter in 2006.

The National APIA Panhellenic Association is an association of collegiate fraternities and sororities with an interest in culture and serving the APIA community. While the national organization is a proud member of the National APIA Panhellenic Association, the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, Upsilon Chapter is a proud founding chapter of the United Greek Council at U of I. While alpha Kappa Delta Phi Sorority, Inc. fosters the making of successful leaders by assisting and challenging our members to reach their maximum potential, they also strive to maintain the highest levels of integrity and innovation in the promotion of sisterhood, philanthropy, scholastic excellence, and Asian Awareness in the community while creating lifelong relationships. alpha Kappa Delta Phi is a proud exclusive member of Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. Nationwide, the organization has raised over $250,000 throughout the years for breast cancer research. While here at the University of Illinois, the chapter has raised over $1,500 just last October. Their October breast cancer awareness month events ranged from selling t-shirts, baked goods, and food on the quad every day of the month to their annual, biggest event, a breast cancer date auction.

Though breast cancer is aKDPhi’s national philanthropy, the organization strives to participate in more community outreach and volunteering around different issues. In the last year, aKDPhi has conducted educational events at Stratton Elementary School, volunteered at the Champaign Public Library and our local philanthropy, Wesley Food Pantry, and supported National Violence Awareness Day in memory of a fallen sister, Valerie Zavala.

In the last year, alpha Kappa Delta Phi has also worked with centers from the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural relations as well as the University of Illinois Career Center and the McKinley Health Center to not only provide workshops and events for the sisters and students but to foster strong relationships with the community here at Illinois. Some cohosted events this year included: a free manicures at the Love Your Body Spa and Relaxation Fair and a Breast and Cervical Health workshop with the Women’s Resource Center, Chai Time and Food for Thought at the Asian American Cultural Center, Inclusive Illinois: #OneCampus event, participating in the Asian House of Pancakes, I Am Asian American Week, and more.

Though the year is coming to an end, aKDPhi is excited for the upcoming Spring 2015 and Fall 2015 for recruitment, which will be held throughout the first few weeks of each semester.

For more information of alpha Kappa Delta Phi International Sorority, Inc. please be sure to check us out at “UIUC aKDPhi” on Facebook, visit our website uiucakdphi.org, or email uiuc. kdphi.president@gmail.com

SIKH STUDENT ASSOCIATION

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he Sikh Student Association (SSA) serves to build solidarity amongst Sikhs on campus and spread awareness of Sikhism through volunteer and outreach work. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion which was founded in India’s northern state of Panjab during the 15th century. SSA was founded in 2001 in response to the sharp incline in hate crimes against Sikhs post World Trade Center attacks. Unfortunately, this emotional sentiment dwindled soon after and within the next few years SSA was almost a non-existent organization.

However, this all changed in 2013. Once again, the Sikh community was plagued by yet another vicious hate crime which took the lives of 6 individuals in the Wisconsin Sikh temple. SSA knew that they had to take action given the current events and rapidly growing Sikh student population.

It all started with the Langar on Campus. Langar, or free kitchen, is one of the fundamental aspects of Sikhism.

In any Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) people, regardless of different faiths, castes, races, and sexualities, come together and share a home cooked vegetarian meal as a sign of complete equality. The 2014, second annual SSA Langar had over 2,000 attendees, making it the largest university Langar in the entire Midwest. It also inspired a Langar on Capitol Hill this past summer where many key policy makers attended.

SSA also held a Lohri Celebration this past January in the ARC. Lohri is a northern Indian festival which commemorates the start of the harvest season. The night was filled with dancing, singing, and eating delicious Panjabi delicacies. SSA hosted and participated in many other events as well, like the Interfaith Conference, WRC’s Hot Topics Series, and documentary viewings. Last but certainly not least, this past April SSA’s Langar on Campus won the Outstanding Student Event Award at Asian American Leadership Awards! From what once used to be a non-existent organization, SSA has definitely made its mark on campus.

ALUMNI REFLECTIONS DEBJANI MUKHERJEE

BY: TRACY MAPAYE, HERMIA SOO INTERN

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hat made me most excited to interview Debjani Mukherjee was that I had been struggling as of late wondering why as a science major had I dedicated my time to being an intern at the AACC for two years besides my interest in my Asian American identity and Asian and Asian American history I understand that there are skills that I have learned from my internship that have made me a better leader, student, and individual that will aid me in being able to make sound decisions and complete tasks efficiently in the work force, but I was not sure how that would tie into the medical field, however, after interviewing Mukherjee I believe I found that answer.

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the interview I had with Dr. Debjani Mukherjee I learned many things regarding her involvement at the University when she attended this institution from 1994-2000. During her time here she was a graduate assistant for the Counseling Center, conducting Asian American outreach to the students on campus trying to reach out to undergraduate students in order to address mental health issues. Concurrently, she was talking to different student organizations on campus about trying to erect an Asian American Studies Department here on campus.

She realized that there were few resources at the university for Asian American students where they could find their own niche, a place where they could thrive and feel inspired, learn about the history or experiences of other Asian Americans, or a place where they could identify with other faculty and students about their own experiences. Later on, Mukherjee was invited to participate on the Asian American Studies Committee where they developed the AAS program here on campus. Mukherjee left her mark at the University of Illinois by being involved with a committed group of students in order to make transformative change here on the University of Illinois campus that is still apparent today. The AAS program and the AACC were initiatives that became reality through the determination of these students to advocate for more services for Asian American students. Currently, Mukherjee is leaving her mark in the medical field by being an Associate Professor at Northwestern University in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation/Medical Education Medical Humanities and Bioethics as well as being the current Director at the Donnelley Ethics Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

One of the most meaningful things I related to from this interview was Debjani’s encouragement to students before they graduate. She encourages students to seek the activities or communities that really help them thrive and feel as if many things are possible. Finding those spaces where they are inspired is critical because if one spends the time exploring the different facets of society, they will find where they really feel like they belong and are accepted. She also encourages students to go out of their comfort zone, and I believe that if one does this they will grow not only as a person but their horizons will expand as their wealth of knowledge becomes more enriched.

It allows for new experiences, appreciation, as well as opportunities for confidence building and knowledge of what really interests you. From this interview, I also realized that my interest in Asian and Asian American issues could help with my future career in the STEM field due to being able to be empathic, exhibit cultural sensitivity, and be understanding with different patients who have different viewpoints or different experiences on what they are going through.

This interview has inspired me in the direction that I want to go in with my future and career path. Health care, yes, requires interpersonal skills and customer service skills as well as the ability to make sound decisions during stressful situations and remaining calm. However, being a part of health care means to be able to cater and accommodate to all types of people who come from different cultural backgrounds. Having this understanding about a growing population in America allows me to provide cultural competent care to patients who may come into a free clinic or hospital seeking assistance. I know that with determination and passion, I too can enact the change I want to see as Debjani Mukherjee worked to help create community resources and help develop an Asian American Studies Department/Program here at the university; everyone can attain their goals for the future with hard work, patience, and perseverance.

KELLY TSAI BY: JULIANNE MICOLETA , COMMUNICATIONS/MARKETING INTERN

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s a person who has made her success using her passion for creativity and words to make a difference, I was extremely excited to interview Kelly Tsai. Ms. Tsai is a spoken word artist, writer, performer, filmmaker, and more who fights for cultural pride and survival through how she creates and how she lives. I am someone who has always been passionate about writing and I have always understood the difference that words can make in people’s lives and in the world. I was especially interested in interviewing Ms. Tsai because I wanted to learn more about how to make most of my time as an undergrad at this University and how to be successful in my post-grad career. I also wanted to learn how to bridge your passion and your skills to create a successful and fulfilling career. During our interview, she taught me all of this and more.

As an undergrad at Illinois, Ms. Tsai first came to college as a Political Science and English double major before ultimately switching to Urban Planning and Comparative Literature. Ms. Tsai said that when she came to campus as an Asian American student, she knew that it was a place where she could explore herself and her identity, but she also knew that it was also a place where she had to deal with stereotyping from professors and other students. However, what made the biggest difference in her college experience was finding her “people.” Ms. Tsai said that in a big campus like the U of I it was easy to find others who shared the same interests and passions as her. Ms. Tsai and her group of friends often rallied together to fight against injustices of people who were minorities on campus for things like the Chief Illiniwek movement. She ran her own poetry slam venue and co-founded Sirenz, which was an all-female spoken word group that wove together the experiences of Asian, Black, and Latina American diasporas across the Midwest in the wake of white-supremacy movements. She was also very involved with various volunteer efforts and giving back to community, which is still a priority for her today.

After graduation, her post-graduate career consisted of working at a non-profit organization before actively pursuing her spoken word career. She has bridged her majors in Urban Planning and Comparative Literature in her work as a community organizer, domestic violence counselor, oral historian, and youth worker. Also, as a multi-faceted artist, she has performed in more than 600 venues around the world in front of world leaders, celebrities, and more. She has won numerous awards and honors and was considered as one of the most “30 Most Influential Asian Americans Under 30.”

For someone who has accomplished so much since she has graduated, in what is considerably a short amount of time, there were many things that I learned from Ms. Tsai. The most important is that college truly is what you make of it. The beauty about the Illinois experience is that you can shape it to your interests and passions. For Ms. Tsai, she was able to get involved with things that were important to her as a student and as a person. As an Urban Planning major, she worked closely with the ChampaignUrbana community doing various volunteer efforts because being a community builder was something that was important to her. On the flip side, being involved with different performing and poetry groups also catered to her more creative interests and passions. She is a testament that college does not necessarily have to be consumed by the classroom experience. Getting involved with organizations or things that you are passionate about is equally as important. In terms of her post-graduate success, Ms. Tsai said people should make choices that are going to be consistent with what is right for them and their career and lives. For Ms. Tsai, she has been very lucky to be able to continue with her creative life.

Moving forward, after meeting with Ms. Tsai, the biggest takeaway I got is the importance of taking ownership of your college experience. Apply yourself to anything that you do both inside and outside of the classroom, because you never know whether or not that experience will be useful to you in the future. For Ms. Tsai, a lot of what she uses is her career now is largely what she has learned outside the classroom. It is important for students to know that they can get a lot of really valuable experience by supplementing their in-class work with involvement with organizations and events that are pertinent to them, which for Ms. Tsai is a large part of what helped her become so successful down the road.

JEFFREY SICHALEUNE BY: ZILIN ZHENG, INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION INTERN

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chose Mr. Jeffrey Sichaleune to interview because he is a librarian. This is the kind of job I have always thought about in my mind, but I am not brave enough to pursue. After talking to David, I learned that Jeffrey was actually the first assistant director of AACC, and he is currently working at California and owns a library collection himself.

All of these experiences interest me greatly.

Jeffrey grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. There were not many Asian American students surrounded him prior to college, which attributed to one of the reasons why he came to University of Illinois—to look for more Asian American students to socialize with. Besides getting access to and support from the Asian American community on campus through organizations, Jeffrey ultimately decided to join one of the largest student groups—Asian American Association. He was highly involved in the group and became an officer consequently.

The tasks Jeffrey worked on in during position varied greatly. He helped design AAA’s website. He coordinated important events ranging from AAA annual fashion show to MASSU conference involving approximately 700 attendants. He started to see the vision of Asian American students being treated as equally as other ethnic groups on campus. Therefore, Jeffrey decided to put his passion into raising awareness of and fighting for resources for Asian American students at the University, which led to his contribution to the creation of Asian American Cultural Center.

After his graduation in 2002, with David’s encouragement, Jeffrey continued to pursue his interest and education in library science while advising Asian American students on campus. In the meanwhile, the preparation for creating an Asian American Cultural Center carried on. In September 2002, the Chancellor finally approved the proposal. In 2005, Jeffrey gladly became the first assistant director of the AACC, and he was also in charge of the library collection of the center.

When looking back to his experience as an Asian American student of the University of Illinois, Jeffrey described it as a continuous struggle. However, he felt lucky that there were students who were willing to challenge the status quo, which motivated him to develop his identity and stay political active. As the former assistant director of AACC, he is happy to know that AACC is growing well, serving the Asian and Asian American students effectively, and providing the students a safer and friendlier campus environment. During the interview, when I mentioned “Food For Thought,” Jeffrey specifically wants to encourage current student interns and staff to continue to perfect the program. Although he realized that there could be audiences who, in fact, do not care about a particular topic when they walk in, AACC should still be thankful that these audience members come in and at least touch upon the topic. “The light bulb will light eventually,” Jeffrey said.

Our conversation then moved on to Jeffrey’s current work. After assisting AACC, he moved to California and became a librarian of Los Angles public library system. The library he is currently working at is West Hollywood Library, and he focuses on serving the LGBT community, mostly on collecting resources on single gay men. Some of the daily duties he has are supervising several librarians, reference desk answering people’s needs, managing the collection and making sure it is well rounded.

In conclusion, the conversation with Jeffrey really engaged me in thinking the role of student leaders and cultural centers on campus. I have to admit that I feel frustrated and tired of facilitating events once in a while as well. Some audiences’ indifference could really hurt my feelings. However, remaining optimistic and grateful for what the program can achieve is also important. One tiny achievement may lead to huge impact in the future. Therefore, I will continue my passion in building iCU, the first-ever program initiated, developed, advertised, facilitated by the international education interns of AACC. I should be faithful to the domestic students and international students who devoted their time and efforts in our program. Lastly, I learned a lot more about the work at library from Jeffrey. He even kindly offered to show me around the library if I visit Los Angles. It is not the time to say that I will definitely get into certain job field for life, so trying out new things will help broaden my horizons and assist me in making decisions. I should definitely keep my eyes open for opportunities and new areas.

A SPECIAL THANKS...

We would like to thank our donors for their generosity and support to the AACC. Whatever size or type of support you have given, you have helped make 2013 a success. With your donations you have:

Supported the continuation of our mission of helping students become leaders and professionals.

Created a better understanding and cultural experiences that prepare students to be citizens of an ever changing, global community.

Continued the legacy and of civic engagement with diverse communities.

Helped Asian & Asian American students maintain a strong presence on campus with a long history of student involvement.

We would also like to thank our volunteers for their generous gift of their time and skills. Without you, programs such as Lunar New Year, Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, and Service Days would not be possible.

If you would like to discuss the possibility of making a gift to the Asian American Cultural Center, please contact us at aacc@ illinois.edu. You can also make a gift online by visiting our website.

DONORS

Tiffany Chan Jake Chen Jennie Chen Michelle Chong Jonathan Chu Michael Chu & Stephanie Chu Vida Gosrisirikul & John Wu Sarah Hsu Harrison Hsueh Paula Kim & Wesley Chu Jeffery Lei Rebecca Li & Denis Lin George Lin & Patricia Chou Lin David Lum & Angela Lum Kimberly Mok Dennis Mondero & Melissa Daza Mondero Theresa Phan Ryan Shi Annie Sit & Shane Carlin Ronald Tam & Ghae Tam Sherry Tang Ho Chie Tsai

A SPECIAL THANKS...

We would also like to thank the following groups and individuals for their support and collaboration this past year.

CAMPUS UNITS Japanese Anime Club ADVISORY COMMITTEE

UI Alumni Association Japanese Intercultural Asian American Alumni Network Network Jain Students Association Asian American Studies Kazakh Student Association Asian Educational Media Kappa Phi Lambda Services Korean American Student Campus Recreation Association The Career Center Korean Student Association Center for East Asian and Lambda Phi Epsilon Pacific Studies Malaysian Student AFFILIATE ORGRANIZATIONS College of Business Association College of Education Mayanmar Student Asha for Education College of Liberal Arts and Asian American Student Housing Association Sciences Mithya Organization Counseling Center Muslim Student Association Asian American Association East Asian Languages and Oversea China Education Asian Pacific American Coalition Cultures Foundation Alpha Kappa Delta Phi Disability Resources and Pakastani Student Arab American Association for Educational Services Association Engineers and Architectures Global Studies Philippine Student Asian Pacific American Graduate History Association Students Organization Illinois Leadership Center Bangladeshi Students Association Sigma Beta Rho Illinois Public Media Sigma Psi Zeta Beta Chi Theta Illini Union Champaign Urbana Chinese Folk Singaporean Students International Programs and Association Dance Club Studies Chinese American Association of Sikh Student Association International Students and Society of Asian Scientists Central Illinois Scholar Services and Engineers Association Japan House Taiwanese American Chi Sigma Tau Fraternity Krannert Art Museum Students Club Delta Kappa Delta Krannert Center for Performing Tzy Chi Collegiate Deeper Roots in Christ Arts Dharma Hindu Student OFFICE OF INCLUSION AND McKinley Health Center Organization INTERCULTURAL REL ATIONS Office of Admissions East Central Illinois Bengali Bruce D. Nesbitt African VOLUNTEERS Association American Cultural Center Gah Rahk Mah Dahng Korean A huge thank you to Diversity & Social Justice Drum Team all those have that Education Illinois Bridge to China volunteered their time La Casa Cultural Latina Indian Christian Fellowship and efforts to helping Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Infusions make the AACC programs Transgender Resource Indian Graduate Student and events a success.

Center Association Native American House Indian Student Association Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Friendship Intercultural Relations Foundation Bernadette So Sean Cheng David Zhao Cleda Wang Pallassana Balgopal Aujean Lee Jenny Mendez Anna Ma Saean Kim