The Asian Pacific American Club (APAC) worked to bridge the gap between freshmen and upperclassmen by hosting a mixer in 22 Tappan on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The event included a spirited round of mahjong and homemade dalgona, a Korean candy.
The purpose of the event was to build a welcoming community for freshmen hoping to join the club and to create a lasting sense of belonging, according to APAC co-president and senior Melanie Ho.
“I think it’s important to bring freshmen to the club for longevity of the club but also for establishing a community within the high school. It’s really important, especially when you’re establishing yourself in a new school, and [the high school is] really scary, really big,” Ho said. “I feel like creating these spaces helps bring newer students into a place where they can establish themselves or know that we are there for them.”
APAC steering committee member and senior Bella Wang said the event will also encourage underclassmen to seek out leadership positions within the club.
“Eventually the freshmen will be the ones to lead the club by the time the seniors graduate in June. Having them be able to get a sense of what the club is like and what sort of the activities we do allows them to consider if they want to be a part of the board for this club,” Wang said.
APAC has allowed freshman Chen Zhong to spend time with others from a similar background. Zhong said that he would encourage other freshmen to join the club.
“I can meet a lot of people from the same country or the same place as me or even the same hometown and have so many topics in common with them,” Zhong said. “I recommend that a lot of Asian kids try to jump in and join the club, just to make bonds with other kids with similar cultures.”
Ho taught several club members how to play mahjong and said she chose the activity because it has always helped conjure a sense of community for her.
“When my cousins came over from Texas, I played a lot of mahjong with them, and it really brought us together. I wanted to help emulate that, not with just my cousins, but with the whole community,” Ho said. “I’m really trying to build more community over the course of this year.”
