APIDA groups hope to continue engaging after Lunar New Year, APIDA Heritage Month

Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month, a month-long celebration centered on the cultures, histories, and experiences of Asian and Indian communities, runs from Jan. 14 to Feb. 12. Credit: Jessica Langer | Campus LTV Producer

After two weeks of programming for the Lunar New Year, Asian, Pacific Islander and Desi American student groups at Ohio State are building on the momentum with continued engagement throughout the year.

Maria Le, a fourth-year in human resources and president of the Vietnamese Student Association, said APIDA Heritage Month — which began Jan. 14 and ends Saturday — helps bring awareness and a voice to the demographic.  

“APIDA Heritage Month is something I hope OSU continues to do and make it even more well known to other non-identifying APIDA individuals,” Le said.

Yuhi Hakozaki, a third-year in biochemistry and computer and information science and vice president of the Japanese Student Organization, said club leaders wanted to create a space that Japanese students can call their own.

“Japanese is a smaller culture group within the U.S. and it can be hard to find a community that welcomes that,” Hakozaki said. “They’re obviously bigger in areas like California or New York, but we wanted to provide a place for that in this Ohio State community.”

Hakozaki said the Japanese Student Organization has programs for international students, including tours around Columbus or social events.

International Friendships, Inc., a national outreach organization for international students, partners with various groups at Ohio State to provide accommodations for international students. For example, the organization partners with the Indian Students Association to provide an airport pickup program as students arrive in the U.S., also arranging temporary housing.

The outreach organization also offers conversation programs — which pair native English speakers with non-native English-speaking international students — plus scholarships and holiday celebrations.

Clara Kim, a graduate student in educational studies and president of International Friendships, Inc. at Ohio State, said the organization tries to pair students in the conversation programs with others in the same fields of study and with similar interests.

“I think creating such a social space and cultural move to acknowledge, recognize and pause to celebrate everyone’s existence as part of diversity in this community makes this institution/community more beautiful and valuable,” Kim said. 

Ananya Potlapalli, a third-year in business administration and president of the Indian Students Association, said she is glad APIDA organizations can collaborate to create the best service for students, especially those who are just entering the country.

“We were able to partner with another organization who had a much older audience and could pull from a lot of other resources,” Potlapalli said. “We try our best, even if we can’t offer the connections ourselves, to find other people in the community who can.”

APIDA Heritage Month events will continue beyond Saturday, with the Vietnamese Student Association hosting a culture show Feb. 19.