On April 9, hula dancers took to the stage in the residence halls to celebrate the beginning of Asian Pacific Islander South Asian American Heritage Month with a cross-campus collaborative event, “Storytelling from the Deep Blue.” .
Housing and Housing, the Asian Pacific American Resource Center, Associated Students, and the Alumni Association collaborated to host a celebratory event for students. At California State University, Fullerton, the campus celebrates his APISAA Heritage each April for the purpose of community inclusivity and engagement, according to California State University, Fullerton.
To celebrate the Pacific Islander student community and culture, the event included live hula music, lei making, campus resources, and catered food from the Pacific Islands. Matiki Island BBQ and Soheata in Fullerton.
This cultural celebration event was themed around the culture of the Pacific Islands of Oceania and the rich history that makes up the diverse student community on campus. A hula performance by the Diamond Bahula Company, Kapili Waio Keao, was used to tell its history through dance, with hula teachers Kalani and Viloria telling their stories out loud.
This event was made possible by Housing Community Coordinator Ashley Ongariban. She came up with the idea during her undergraduate years in 2017 after seeing a lack of programs on campus for Pacific Islander students.
“I remember being an undergraduate and not having a lot of space for myself,” Ongariban said. “I met a lot of Pacific Islander students living in housing, so I decided to create the space I wanted.”
Ongariban said the purpose of the event was to give these communities a space to feel seen on campus.
To host the celebratory event for students, Ongariban partnered with Hatiya Chia, coordinator of the Asian Pacific American Resource Center. With the help of ASI, the two coordinated a hula performance and catered Hawaiian food, cultural resources, and lei making for students.
Chia said she hoped students who attended the event would learn more about APISAA Heritage Month and the history behind each population that celebrates it.
“Hopefully, they will understand more about our rich history and heritage and truly support and be allies to Pacific Islander students on campus,” Chia said.
The event featured cultural resources for student identification, such as United American Indian Involvement Inc.; The Los Angeles-based organization provides support services to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians living in Orange County and Los Angeles.
Valentin Contreras, the organization's workforce development specialist, said UAII is a place where American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians receive the customized support they need during school trips.
“If there's counseling services, behavioral mental health services, any kind of help that they need, they have a place with us where they can get those services,” Contreras said.
Alexandra Gates, a fourth-year political science and Asian American studies double major, and others were also in attendance to celebrate her heritage. Ms. Gates is the president of her CSUF Filipino student community-based collective. Bayanihan Collective said events like this one help her feel most connected to the entire CSUF community.
“During our events, I feel most connected to the Filipino community and the greater CSUF community as a whole,” Gates said.
ASI and the Alumni Association also helped sponsor events to celebrate the student community during Heritage Month this year.
“We want to ensure that Pacific Island students are uplifted and that they feel seen, recognized and represented on campus,” Chia said.
