EDITORIAL

Through a virtual assembly showcase during Mawrtian Meeting on January 27th and the return of the annual Bubble Tea Sale on February 1st, the Asian Student Union (ASU) at Bryn Mawr celebrated Lunar New Year and Asian culture while also highlighting the issues, stereotypes, and misconceptions of the Asian American community. Both events required extensive planning, preparation, time, and dedication from the club members who volunteered to participate in the assembly, the student leaders, Jingjing Xu, Hannah Shen, Katie Zhu, and the faculty leaders of the club, Ms. Park and Ms. Miyamoto. Along with the success of the virtual assembly video edited by juniors Carolyn Su, Caroline Wu, Hallie Triplett, and senior leader Katie Zhu, the Bubble Tea Sale also sold out within five minutes of opening, leaving the folding tables in front of Howell wiped clean and devoid of any signs of ChaTime boba within 10 minutes.

The return to both virtual convocation and Mawrtian Meeting in advisory locations after Winter Break allowed the Asian Student Union to compile a student-created video to share with the community through Zoom for the second annual Asian Student Union Convocation. The showcase consisted of media ranging from videos, slides, graphics, infographics, and interviews from those within the Asian American community at Bryn Mawr. Instead of projecting slides in Centennial Hall to supplement information members would have shared using microphones, the Asian Student Union leaders shared slides with previously recorded voice overs through Zoom. The 40 minute assembly focused on the theme of breaking down the stereotypes that Asian Americans face., In particular, the presentation combatted the misperception that Asian women are quiet by showcasing the Asian voices and talents within the Upper School. Issues addressed during the informative part of the presentation included the Docility Myth, in which Asian women are stereotyped as quiet and submissive, the Model Minority Myth, which “characterizes Asian Americans as a polite, law-abiding group” that is also “seen as role models for immigrants on how to achieve the American Dream,” perceptions and portrayals of Asian women in the media, and the recent Students for Fair Admissions versus President and Fellows of Harvard College. ASU also presented proactive measures students and teachers can take to combat these stereotypes. During the showcase portion, students shared videos ranging from original poems, poem readings, covers of songs, taekwondo, a dumpling tutorial, dance performance, visual art, and student activist speech. Sophomore Nandini Negi who co-wrote and filmed an original poem with fellow sophomore Cara Chow titled “Dumpling + Samosa = Sampling (of two unique, diverse cultures),” stated that “the convocation was a great opportunity for me to share certain aspects of my Indian American identity and experiences creatively while also learning about other Asian cultures unique from my own.” She also adds that at first, she was slightly hesitant to participate in the assembly “as someone who had never written a poem” but “is grateful for the opportunity because it offered me a creative outlet to self reflect upon my past, both the negative and positive experiences relating to my identity.”

After a year’s hiatus, the Upper School community enthusiastically and eagerly welcomed back the annual Lunar New Year Boba Sale on a brisk February afternoon by forming a line extending well beyond the portico of the Howell Building several minutes before the slated opening at 2:50. Boba flavor choices ranged from Pearl Milk Tea, Chatime Milk Tea with no toppings, Peach Black Milk Tea, and Taiwan Mango QQ, with the most popular flavors including Pearl Milk tea and Taiwan Mango QQ. By 2:55, no boba remained on the white folding tables, an obvious display of the community’s dedication and steadfastness to the phrases “first come first serve” and “limited quantity” stated in the invitation email. Asian Student Union members who participated in the virtual assembly were also surprised with free boba courtesy of Ms. Park and Ms. Miyamoto, the ultimate reward and treat for members who dedicated so much time and effort to present yet another informative, successful, and creative assembly. As stated in the Boba Sale invitation email to the Upper School, Lunar New Year “is a time of tradition, family, prosperity, and most importantly, celebration,” and the Lunar New Year Boba Sale Celebration truly embodied all of those values through the continuation of the Boba Sale tradition, the sisterhood of Asian Student Union, and the close bonds those within the club share.