In December 2022, second-year Oxbridge molecular biology major Jacqueline Quach helped start the Asian American Association (AAA) at William Jewell College. As of March 2023, the AAA became an official organization.
“We started this club because we felt an absence of AAPI [Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander] representation on campus,” Quach said. “Although we are a small community on campus, we deserve to be recognized and to have a space where we can share our culture, history, celebrations and talk about – and bring awareness to – the issues the community is facing as a whole. This is our mission.”
The AAA is comprised of five presidential chairs: President of Recruitment Quach; President of Curriculum Nirbhay Vohra, a [year] [major]; President of Finance Rose Le, a [year] [major]; President of Communications Kamerin Hull a [year] [major]; and President of Human Resources Scotty Jolly, a [year] [major]. Moving forward each year, members of the AAA will vote in an election for the upcoming cabinet.
“This is our club’s first full semester, [and] because of this, our goal is to get as many people involved as possible,” Quach said. “We will have many fun events that aim to educate the Jewell community on the vast and rich AAPI cultures. In addition to this, we will have events around very serious problems facing the AAPI community to raise awareness and promote media literacy.”
Their first event is set for Sept. 29 at 7pm on the 3rd floor of the PLC for the mid-autumn moon festival. Students who attend can enjoy mooncakes, tea and stickers while observing the supermoon that night.
The AAA is also planning for informative discussions and collaborations with other diversity organizations. Quach encourages all students to join AAA in celebrating the AAPI community regardless of race, ethnicity or culture.
“We want to make this abundantly clear to the Jewell community that you do not have to be AAPI to be a member of the club and to join us for any events,” Quach said. “This club is a place for the community to step out of their comfort zone and experience new foods, cultures, traditions, learn about those cultures and traditions and to participate in productive conversations.”
For more information on events and plans, follow @aaaatjewell on Instagram – with four a’s – or email any of the Cabinet members.