Among the variety of new clubs at Northwood, the Asian American Cultural Club offers students an opportunity to learn about and celebrate Asian cultures.
Yar Zar Htun and Anirudh Ramesh worked together to found the club, with the common goal of allowing anyone the chance to explore Asian cuisine, traditions and lifestyles.
“Anyone can join! The club is welcome to everyone here at Northwood,” Htun said. “The majority of our club may be students of Asian descent, but AACC welcomes everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity.”
Senior Trevor Johnson joined the club to learn about different cultures.
“This club is probably one of the most important clubs in Northwood … people often don’t take the time to learn about different cultures and are ignorant of other people’s way of life which can lead to some bad things. This club works to fix that issue by teaching people about different cultures in Asia.”
Comparing cultures has led many students, such as senior Colton Hodgkin, to gain knowledge about the many unique cultures represented in Asia, but also find the similarities between them as well as typical “American” culture.
“This club is important because [the Asian community] is usually plagued with stereotypes and, even from groups that claim to be inclusive, can often be excluded,” Hodgkin said. “Coming together and recognizing that although our cultures are different (from a western/eastern standard and from the different Asian countries) they have a lot in common, and that is something we can cherish and bond over.”
Anirudh Ramesh shared that the club also strives to help represent students of Asian-American descent and give them a voice.
“I want members to have the ability to not be shy of who you are, and be proud that you’re from an Asian heritage,” Ramesh said.
Junior Nellielou Errett said that she joined the club for this very reason.
“I decided to join AACC because I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to learn more about my Asian peers, and connect with people who may have gone through similar experiences that I have. I wanted to make new friends who I could connect to on this level as well.”
The club has explored several Asian cultures so far through conversation, as well as culinary immersion.
“We sit in a circle and talk about our experiences with culture and being Asian in general,” Errett said. “The conversations have also branched out so everyone who is not Asian can participate in the conversation. At one meeting, we ate Indian food and learned a little about Indian culture. I enjoyed that interactive experience and the opportunity to appreciate the culture in a way we could in a classroom.”
The club meets three times a month, and has plans for a holiday celebration of Chinese culture.
