Lu -’au Online

By Jordyn Sanico ’22, President, Pacific Islander Club 2020-2021

As we planned our annual lu -’au this year, the executive board of the Pacific Islander Club (PIC) quickly realized that the virtual platform required during the Covid-19 pandemic was too unwieldy for dance practices, much less for the live performances of previous years. Our members, scattered across the country and already stressed by online classes, would not be able to spend many months learning and practicing dances while united only by an internet connection. So instead of contemporary performances, we created a video celebration aimed to acknowledge what the PIC has accomplished in past years, to reminisce upon some of our best memories, and to honor our seniors. For me, this project was extremely rewarding. I’ve only had the pleasure of participating in one lu -’au; however, putting together the content for this live stream gave me many special moments. I had the opportunity to talk to some of PIC’s past presidents and hear about the ways the club has made an impact on their lives. Tarryn Orial ’19 noted that PIC has been one of the oldest active clubs at Menlo for over thirty years, saying, “It has been a home away from home for many.” Ka’ilihiwa Ka -ne ’20 described the lu -’au preparations: “That time of year was a lot of work, but it was so worth it to create an event that brought the community together and gave our club a sense of pride in being able to put on the largest student-led event on campus.” This year’s event was to preserve the authenticity of our lu -’au, while still carrying out PICs mission to share Pacific Islander culture. Please see our YouTube video, “2021 Menlo College Lu -’au” for an uplifting experience. Consider it an invitation to the day when we will have an in-person lu -’au again!