The Spire

Kate Santini ‘27

News Editor

The student-run organization, Advocating for Student Interest in Asia, otherwise known as ASIA, hosted a night of dinner, activities, and performances on Saturday, April 25. With a wide array of students and family members in attendance, the ASIA executive board brought traditions from across the Asian continent to the Hogan Ballroom. 

The first part of the night consisted of casting raffle tickets for Asia-themed prizes including a matcha kit, Pokemon cards, and a BTS vinyl, and engaging with interactive booths including a tea-making stand, a chopsticks race, and a bookmark-decorating pop-up. Following a half an hour period where attendees could travel from booth to booth, dinner was served. The wide array of Asian dishes including scallion pancakes, vegetable dumplings, pad thai, mango sticky rice, and more, came from a local Thai restaurant, Basil n’ Spice, located on 299 Southbridge street. A series of performances followed the dinner including Balinese puppet dancing from Professor I Nyoman Carta, a lion dance from a local group called “Imperial Lion Dance,” along with singing and other musical performances from ASIA members.

ASIA’s outreach coordinator, Darshan Annavy, shared that his favorite part of the night was a heartfelt speech from fellow e-board member, Viola Kim ‘26, about her experience as a first-generation Korean immigrant in the United States. Annavy felt that the speech embodied the organization’s core purpose to advocate for Asian-American students and speak on behalf of social justice during a time of national unease. Each e-board member received a profile spotlight in the event program. While they each come from different backgrounds, they all expressed that ASIA has helped them feel more at home and connected to their heritage at Holy Cross.

According to Annavy, preparation for the sold-out event began at about ten in the morning on Saturday, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. To prepare for the event, the e-board was separated into “committees,” each given a different task such as prepping the food, setting up the stage, and organizing the activities. While Annavy admitted that the day-of preparations felt “hectic,” he was highly satisfied with the event’s turnout and felt that the team’s hard work had paid off.

ASIA’s co-publicist, Viola Kim ‘26, surmised that, “ExplorASIAn is more than just a showcase. It’s a space where we can share our stories, celebrate our identities, and build community through culture, performance, and food. Seeing everyone come together to support that is always the most meaningful part.” Fellow e-board member, Laura Yatsuhashi ‘27, echoed this sentiment, sharing that, “seeing how seamlessly [all of our work] came together made me so proud of the e-board and the hard work we put in. We had a vision for the mood of the event, and it translated so well, not just in the decorations and activities, but hopefully in the experiences of our guests as well.”

Co-chair, Ella Woei ‘26, reflected on her four years in ASIA, stating that the club “has been a big part of my life since I was an intern during my freshman year. I loved getting to be involved in a community I care deeply about, and make an impact on campus.” She added that, “this year, our theme ‘Stories from Home’ was a way to share our e-board and community’s stories, which I think is always really important, but is especially [so] right now.” Woei felt that this particular event embodied this message by “creat[ing] a space where people could celebrate their stories and learn more about each other.”

As an active on-campus organization, ASIA hosts general member meetings periodically throughout the academic year. Each semester, the club hosts a culminating event: “Under the Lantern” in the Fall and “ExplorASIAn” in the Spring. If you are interested in becoming part of ASIA in the upcoming academic year, reach out to ASIA@g.holycross.edu or @hc-asia on Instagram. Along with other cultural organizations on campus, ASIA aims to foster student engagement with their identity and fulfill the College’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.