Asian Outlook | Year in Review 2017

Asian Outlook

Vol. XXXII Issue 3 Year In Review

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Asian Outlook

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year in review 4 | Asian Student Union | Justina Liaw 6 | Binghamton University Japanese Association | Tram Duong 8 | Chinese American Student Union | Tiffany Tung 10 | Korean American Student Association | Benny Louie 12 | Philippine-American League | Angeles Yeung 14 | Taiwanese American Student Coalition | Ava Hunt 16 | Vietnamese Student Association | Airi Kojima

ASIAN OUTLOOK EXECUTIVE BOARD SPRING 2017 editors-in-chief conscience editor copy editors

layout editors

business manager publicity manager

Alex Ching Airi Kojima Angeles Yeung Brian Kang Nina Ocampo Amy Zhang Alyssa Boyle Benny Louie Alicia Kam Tram Duong Justina Liaw Kana Prasertchoang Tiffany Tung Ava Hunt

EDITORIAL POLICY

CONTACT POLICY

Asian Outlook is the art, literary and news magazine of the Asian Student Union of SUNY’s Binghamton University. Originally conceived and created to challenge, redefine, re-imagine and revolutionize images and perceptions associated with Asians and Asian Americans, Asian Outlook also serves to protect the voice of those in the minority, whether by ethnicity, gender, and/or political orientation. All matter contained within these beautiful pages do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board.

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Prospective contributors are encouraged to discuss their work with the editors prior to submissions.

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ASU

AMANDA HUANG Transcribed By Justina Liaw

What was the most memorable event for ASU? My favorite event this year that ASU did was our collaboration with CASU where we commemorated Private Danny Chen. For me it was really special. It hit really close to home because Private Danny Chen was a Chinese American, and he was the only child, which made his death all the more sad. It made me think about my parents and how they would react if something like that happened [to me].

You’ve been on e-board for 2 years.

How has ASU changed, and what are the different dynamics from last year to this year?

ASU in previous years was never really popular - we never really had our own events, and we never really had our own general body members. This year we really focused on that. My goal as president this year was really to create events for ourselves, instead of focusing on subgroups events. I really liked that, especially considering what my event coordinators did. They really tried hard this year. I know at the very least that with Sam (one of our event coordinators), her vision for ASU was something bigger, and I really wanted to help cultivate that.

Dynamics-wise, I think this year we are a lot closer - not saying the [e-board] last year was not close, but I do really enjoy how everyone contributes. This year everyone 4

was willing to go to all the subgroups’ events with me. I know last year that was a problem.

We just joke around a lot during meetings.

Meetings typically had to be kept short because of conflict of schedules. Everyone had something to do, so we always had to keep it within an hour, but I honestly always enjoyed that hour no matter how long or short it would seem that day.

As president, how have you seen yourself grow?

Coming into this role, my biggest insecurity was the fact that I had only 1 year [experience] on e-board, and I felt like everyone else in the subgroups had more. So therefore, they would have good leadership skills to contribute to take charge of their e-board. I felt like I was really scared that I wouldn’t be able to take hold of my eboard, to be able to connect with my e-board members. But they made it really easy; they were always willing to suggest things, and they were always willing to contribute. This position has made me more comfortable with being a leader in general because that was something I never really thought of being, something I never really focused on in my academic career because my future career goals don’t really need something like that. It has really made me open up more as a person.

What was the main vision for all of ASU’s events, and what is your vision

for ASU in the future?

I think for ASU, my main vision was to educate the general public. I know all our subgroups do a lot of cultural events, and I really appreciate all of them, but I wanted to help bring light to the Asian American issues side, just like how AO does it. I feel like [it was to] not necessarily take a more political stance but to let people know. There was a lot of stuff even I did not know coming into this year that Sam had to educate me on, like voter registration. I really appreciate her planning skills and ideas for events. As for my vision for ASU, I just hope to see it grow, maybe not necessarily have a more concrete general body or anything, but I hope that with each progressing year, everyone cares a little more, and everyone does a little more for the organization. That way, we will have a better relationship with the subgroups, with the other student organizations, and maybe have an even bigger presence on campus.

Hopefully we can also influence freshman [in the same way] I was influenced in the later half of my school years.

What would you say was ASU’s most successful event?

I would say our forum with the Black Student Union was our most successful event, granted we didn’t get to spearhead that event. We didn’t get to contribute as much as I would’ve liked ASU to. There were a lot of issues with planning the event, so

in the end, even though we were considered to have collaborated, we kind of sat to the back of it - which was fine with me because their activities got people talking and got me thinking. I feel like if that event was able to affect even one person, I think that’s what makes it a successful event.

What’s something you would’ve done differently this year?

Something I personally lacked in was bonding with the Board of Directors more, as well as collaborating with our subgroups more. Even though we collaborated with a lot of outside student organizations, I feel like the subgroups got to collaborate amongst themselves, and so they didn’t really get to know my e-board as well as I know my e-board. I would’ve wanted them to know how amazing my e-board is.

What were some challenges you faced as president of ASU, taking care of so many subgroups?

The biggest challenge is trying to find the right space to accommodate others but also taking a firm stand for what you want to do. I always want to give the subgroups whatever they want, but at the same time, it is not feasible because there are seven of them, and they don’t consider each other’s needs and how that affects the whole in terms of money and events. It is hard always thinking, How do we not clash with one subgroup over the other? How do we not show favoritism, or something like that? which is why I try to get my e-board to go to as many of their events as possible. I try to sprinkle my e-board members evenly.

Do you have any shoutouts? Last thoughts?

I cannot pinpoint anyone person because everyone on my eboard is amazing at what they do. My ECs have to deal with a lot in terms of Asian Night, but they handled it very well, even for events other than Asian night. My publicity chairs have to deal with everyone asking for fliers for an event. My FVP has to deal with the subgroup chat with the treasurers, which I know is a very big job. My secretary has to be my calendar, and I get jumble-minded a lot, so I keep texting her, but she always manages to be on top of it. I really appreciate her for that. Even

my interns planned their own event, and they literally did it without the help of the executive board members. The interns this year were so self-sufficient, had everything done on time and did an amazing job promoting the event. So I am really happy with that.

What do you want people to think of when they hear ‘ASU’?

I want people to think of ASU as a family or a group that is super inviting. For me, ASU is like a second family to me, and I hope that it can be like that to others too.

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BUJA

ERINA HAYASHI Transcribed by Tram Duong

How did your journey with BUJA begin?

When I transferred to SOM as a junior, I was shocked to find out everyone had their resume done while I had no idea how to start one. Everyone was telling me I have to get involved in extracurricular[s] other than studying, so I went to almost 20 GIMs, and one of them was BUJA’s. At the time, they had an open position for a Japanese language coordinator, and I used to teach casual Japanese, so that would be the perfect job for me. So that was my start with BUJA. How has BUJA changed since you joined?

BUJA definitely changed a lot because, I guess, I changed a lot. BUJA got more involved with other ASU subgroups.

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Personally, I feel all the ASU Board of Director members were very close, so they all tried to set up collaboration events or events with other subgroups to perform at their big show. For example, we asked PAL’s president, Claudine, and ASU’s VP, Sophie, to come sing for our BUJA Night.

It’s not because they held a president or vice president position but because they’re my friends, so I really wanted them to be a part of BUJA’s performances.

BUJA’s activities this year geared more toward culture. Our goal this year was to call out, Hey, Japan is not only about subculture; it’s not only about animation; it’s not only about comics or mangas. There are many more traditions often overlooked by foreigners and great food.

Specifically, this was our first year coordinating Omatsuri, a typical Japanese tradition, similar to the United States’ Halloween, that is a friendly invitation to the deceased or spirits to come back to visit us. I was surprised nobody knows about Omatsuri.

What was something you learned about being president while on the job?

Personally, I learned this the hard way. I think time management is actually really, really hard. Before I became president, I wasn’t very active and never attended any of the other banquets. All I cared about during junior year was looking for a job or

internship and getting good grades, and I didn’t do beyond what my BUJA position required at the time. After I became the president, I realized how important connections are, how great all the other groups inside and outside ASU are, and all the amazing things they have achieved.

For example, I never knew Chinascope and BUJA had a very close connection before becoming president. Chinascope’s VP and I are actually like best friends.

Is there a specific memorable experience or story that you would like to talk about?

Japan Night was a great memory for me. This was our first year inviting a local restaurant, Kampai, to come table for our event. Due to the snow storm, we couldn’t get what we planned for the event’s menu, and our local restaurant partner quickly complied with our changes, delivered on time and stayed for the whole event to watch our show. I really appreciate what they’ve done for us and the connection that we have.

Our great connection with Kampai started from setting up Omatsuri. Since this is our first year coordinating Omatsuri, we worked hard on advertising by putting up posters in local restaurants. When we came to Kampai, they welcomed us and told us to bring bigger posters, so they can put it up in a better place.

Kampai even offered to help with anything we needed and to provide food if we have a

collab. That’s how we started our great local partnership with Kampai.

Also, each of our e-board members was very involved in Japan Night and worked so hard for two months each Saturday from 11am-4pm in the ASU room. It’s a crazy amount of work to have the whole room decorated for the event, but we did it! So I was very happy about it.

Another memorable experience was our e-board dinner at Kampai. We had a lot of fun there.

Oh, also, for our Omatsuri festival last semester, I dragged almost everyone in the room to dance with us, and it seemed like everyone had so much fun.

What would you improve or do differently if you have a chance to be BUJA’s president again?

Personally, I would have better time management to make sure nothing has to be rushed. Also, I would do a better job at balancing academics and BUJA activities because sometimes I rushed so much that I couldn’t concentrate on my academics.

It’s not that bad, but I think I could’ve done better.

What advice or message would you give to the next president and e-board?

Definitely, and again, time management; be wise about it.

Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to other organizations. This year I found out all the other ASU subgroups are willing to help one another, and outside groups are all welcoming [and willing] to make connections with us.

What are your current hobbies, and what are some hobbies that you’d like to pick up?

My hobby is going to the gym, running, and, surprisingly, cooking. Also, singing and dancing.

I want to pick up scuba. I took a scuba class and went to a tropical island with five of my friends, but I couldn’t leave them at the beach to go get a certificate for myself. So definitely this summer, I will get certified, so I can go scuba diving.

What are your plans after graduation?

I will go back to my home countries, Japan

and China, because I’m half-Japanese and half-Chinese, to see my families. I hope I can travel to the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia for the next three months before coming back to the US in August to work.

Thank you for sharing your experiences and many of your insights from your time with BUJA!

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CASU

ADRIAN CHANG Transcribed by Tiffany Tung

What advice would you give to CASU’s next president?

I would say CASU and any club leadership position is more about communicating with the members and then trying to get everybody to work together within the e-board. It’s more about the e-board than running the club itself.

Like making events and things like that is a little less significant than trying to get +15 people to work together cohesively.

How would you describe yourself as president?

I think I’m a pretty hands-off president. I like to give instructions, delegate and make sure everyone is doing their jobs, but for the most part, I’ll let everybody do what they want

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to do for the club.

How do you think your e-board would describe you?

I know that my e-board thinks that I’m secretly a very soft person inside even though I have a tough image on the outside. So I know that they know that I care about them more than I try to show. But that’s ok cuz i want them to know that so I think they see me as a caring but tough love president and that’s the kind of image I wanted to give anyway.

How does CASU appeal to incoming freshmen?

Honestly CASU’s culture is not very independent. The thing about CASU is that it’s a good place to showcase other groups and introduce people to the potential of the other networks in Binghamton. I think CASU itself and the general population is composed of mainly Greeks, and then you have the fill-ins from the other ASU organizations. There’s not really one general CASU population, so to appeal CASU to freshmen — I think CASU is a really great place to start, to get to know other people and other segments of the Asian community, and then decide where you really want to invest all your time.

What has been the most rewarding thing about being CASU’s president?

I think it’s working with the e-board. You build better bonds with these people. They look up to you, and you look up to them. Then you try to do your best for them. More than anything — like I said, CASU’s general population is

so spread out that the people you really get to know and grow with is the e-board. I’m glad that I became president, just so I could interact with these people that way.

If you could only eat one dish from your subgroup’s culture for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Rest of my life? Probably wonton soup. I feel with wonton soup, you get the wontons, but you also have a broth like a chicken soup or something, the best of both worlds.

If CASU were a reality show, which e-board member would most likely stab you in the back?

Stab me in the back? Oh wow. Shit. You have to give me a little bit of time. I have to go down a list and think about them all. Definitely not my vice president, yo; she wouldn’t do that to me. My event coordinators? I feel like my E.C.s would stab me in the back. Do I have to give you an explanation why?

Tiffany: Sure, go for it.

I don’t know, yo. They’re power-hungry, those E.C.s. They’re always looking for ways to — I can’t really give a straight answer, but I feel like it would be them out of the e-board. But they would never stab me in the back!

Tiffany: You never know when there’s mad money involved.

Exactly, exactly.

How has CASU changed from when you first joined to now?

I think in terms of the general population, it hasn’t changed much. But in terms of the

e-boards, when I first joined CASU, I became an intern, and I know that was the first year they tried to do a fully non-Greek e-board for the purpose of trying to create a non-Greek CASU. But then it completely went back to the old way.

I think CASU is just such a nice and comfortable home for all the Greeks, not that it’s the best thing, but it’s just how it is. And if we were to change that, it would take far too long, years, for us to change the way things are and possibly create a non-Greek culture. So basically it went from non-Greek back to Greek.

Which e-board member do you think is most likely to become famous?

Probably James. He’s an intern, and he’s also my bro. He’s a very charismatic guy, and I think if he were to ever become famous, it’s just because he’s a very easy guy to talk to. He’ll probably network in the future.

What do you want to do with your e-board, before you all get separated?

I don’t want to get separated. Ideally we all stay friends and everything even when people graduate. But before we go, I’d like to go on one more trip. Anything that works for everybody.

When you work with a big group, you always got money [issues], like some people can’t afford it, some people can. [There’s also] distance and things like that. I would do something like an outing where we stay there for a night or two.

I took CASU to the Poconos for winter break.

That was really fun, so something like that maybe.

What was the toughest thing you and your e-board went through together?

I mean we have had obstacles and stuff, but we never stopped and thought, that was pretty tough. I think Lunar Banquet was a tough time for us because the show didn’t go as planned, but we took it as it came, and we worked on the show as the mistakes showed or as we needed to react to it. That might have been our most troublesome period, but I wouldn’t say the hardest. We just take the job as it comes.

Personally, what was your favorite event?

Ahhh, I don’t remember. There has been so many events. I remember the events, but I don’t remember anything that stands out. They all blended together in my head. They were always making some sort of food. I can’t say China Night because it didn’t happen yet [this year].

I would probably say China Night though.

Honestly, our Moon Cake Festival event . . .

I think that was fun because everybody just came back to school. It was last semester. It’s one of our more interesting events because people don’t really get to eat the mooncakes [often], and everything went smoothly. We had a presentation.

Describe each of you e-board members with one word.

Oh, I gotta go down a list. We have 16 people.

I would say my VP is very diligent. My E.C.s: Andy is ambitious, Carina energetic. They’re both ambitious though. The cultural [chairs], Jenny is very calm; Jason is very committed. My social chairs: Jesse, a bum. Insang, interesting.

Steven, we call him a clown. Renee is reliable.

My interns: Andrew is very charismatic; James is also charismatic, but you can say funny for him. Alex, mysterious; and Michelle is hardworking. Helen, my secretary, is very mean.

Angela is organized.

What is the stupidest thing you and your e-board have done together?

We went tubing while we were at the Poconos for like $1, and it was too cold for that shit. We were not equipped for tubing. We went there for a vacation and then went tubing without gloves or jeans on. We were soaking wet, but we still went anyway because we didn’t want to sit in the cabin all day. Yeah, that was pretty stupid.

Now with that memory fresh in your mind, what do you want to say to your e-board?

Don’t go tubing? I guess that was a bad memory to use for the follow-up question.

Yeah I meant “stupid” as in funniest.

Ok, maybe I can change that up. That’s probably the stupidest thing I can think of. I would say plan ahead?

“Fun stupid?”

That was pretty “fun stupid” because … That Poconos trip, we didn’t really do anything. One day I just hit them up, and we just planned a trip. Nobody wants to sit at home for winter break, and we were like, yeah sure. Within one day, we booked the place, and then we just went there completely unprepared. I had them do some preparations, like I paired them up with people and had them set up meals just for a specific day. So like, if Jason and somebody else had breakfast, they had to wake up early to make breakfast for everyone and clean up.

It was pretty stupid. It was useless, like, why are they doing this?! In hindsight, it was fun stupid. We weren’t prepared. It was an impulse decision to go there, but I think it’s these types of experiences that make us closer. You know, struggling to make food and things like that.

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KASA DERRICK JEN

Transcribed by Benny Louie

How did you first hear about KASA, and what made you decide to join its e-board?

I guess I first heard about it from my friends.

I heard about its first GIM and decided to go, and I met a good amount of the current e-board members at the time. They were all really welcoming and friendly. So I guess they reached out to me and hit me up to chill, go out. And I just really liked the vibes the org at the time had, so I went out to their events, and I got closer to them. Yeah, it just really felt like a family to me, which is something I really admire about the club because I went out to other events at different subgroups, and I didn’t get the same vibes. So, that’s what

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vdistinguished it from the other clubs within ASU. The way I decided to join e-board, I actually decided to join on a whim. I decided the day of, 30 minutes, 10 minutes before the actual letters of intent were due. I was like, Should I join? F**k it why not? So I applied, gave my speech and got the position.

So you applied for the president position?

Publicity. I started off as publicity. I think I did a good job. And then, here we are. I went from Publicity to VP to President.

What are some of your responsibilities as President of KASA? Wow, that’s a tough one. Well obviously on paper, Presidents deal with external relations, right? But then I feel like it’s so much more than just that. I feel like, as president you should set the example for the rest of your e-board and everyone else because all eyes are on you. You can’t be lazy. You have to set the example, so people know the precedent that follows you. So I always try my best to show that I’m doing the best I possibly could, so people could see that, and hopefully, it would inspire them to work hard as well. You can’t be respected if you don’t do anything, if you’re not a role model that people follow. It’s tough.

I actually juggled two President positions.

What else are you President of?

I’m the President of Asian Greek Council (AGC) as well. It’s like the umbrella group for [Greek life]. I would say KASA was more difficult. It was tough. I hope people would

think I did a good job, but it’s not up for me to decide.

How did you balance KASA, schoolwork, and your AGC responsibilities?

I think it all comes down to time management. That’s something you learn early in college. I made the mistakes early on.

I’m glad I did that. I learned from my mistakes.

I learned how to better manage my time. I have to not waste time doing nothing. I try to finish everything first before I relax. After I make sure I get my sh*t done, I will do whatever extracurricular [activities] that I choose to do. I set my schedule on time. I think the key of juggling anything is time management, knowing what to do, your responsibilities, how important they are compared to everything else. Obviously school is first, and then I would focus on KASA, AGC, everything else.

What do you enjoy the most being on KASA e-board?

The people, for sure. That’s like my team right there. Without them, I’d be nothing. I think that I have a good team of people around me that I surrounded myself with. I think we all had a good time, every meeting. We laughed at jokes and . . . Well of course, we had to get business done first. There were great vibes, and my e-board - they’re all such great people.

If there’s one thing I would like to take away from this, that would be the defining thing that I appreciate most about KASA. So what are some challenges that you faced as president?

I guess setting the bar. I wanted to leave my organization better than how I found it, than when I took over. I knew that would be a challenge because Jess did a great job last year, and I thought it would be difficult to try and top that. So that was a goal that I set for myself at the very beginning of my presidency. It was tough, planning things like K-night. It was no easy task. Watching it become what it became is definitely a crazy reward. It was extremely stressful. It was a big challenge, but I wanted to accomplish it.

Is there anything you’d like to change about KASA? I feel like a lot of people are intimidated, not just by my own organization but by other organizations within ASU because there’s been more Greek life influence within all of the subgroups. I don’t know if that’s a contributing factor, but I’ve noticed that every org used to be a lot bigger. There were just so many more people. The numbers have been slowly and slowly declining.

How did you try and go about changing that?

I think reaching out more is the only thing we can do. It could just be a lower participation rate or just a lower percentage of Asian Americans in general on campus. I just had my e-board reach out to people more, go out of their comfort zones and talk to people.

That’s just baby steps towards an eventual hopeful solution. That’s something I could try to set in motion, but it’s not something that’ll be solved right away. Hopefully in the future we can attract more people and make people feel less intimidated.

What event did you enjoy the most, and do you have any ideas to improve it?

It’d be KB and K-Night. Those are our biggest events. It’s the most stressful, but the most rewarding. The amount of time and effort it takes to plan such events was just crazy. Is there a way to improve it? I’m sure there is, but I really can’t say what. I think it was as good as it could’ve been. It exceeded my expectations.

I’m the type to plan for the worst and hope for the best. When it came down to it, everybody did their part and pulled their own weight. It was a lot more than I expected. Everything went perfectly. I didn’t notice any f*ckups in the actual show itself, so on that end I can’t

really think of a way it can be improved right now. I was very happy with how things turned out. Hopefully in the future they can find ways to improve it, and when I come back I can be like, “Wow! That’s amazing!”

Do you plan to continue being president next year?

Hell, no. Hell, no. My time is done, man.

Three years? I think that’s enough. Obviously I’ll always be there for whoever needs help. I’ll alway be there to give my best input and help them out, but it’s time for someone else to take over the reins. I’ve done my part. I did it to the best of my abilities, so it’s up to the future now to set the bar even higher.

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PAL

CLAUDINE BISCOCHO Transcribed By Angeles Yeung

What was the moment that made you know that PAL was family away from home?

I went to a GIM my fall semester freshman year, and I met my PAL mom there. All the PAL parents were networking. They were trying to find kids to claim as their own.

And my PAL mom just happened to be … I looked at her like we were the same person.

She was also a nursing major. She also loved to sing. She was really into performing and everything. That meant a lot to me, knowing that somebody was reaching out to get to know me and welcome me. So then we started going out to PAL family events together. I tried being active in PAL. I wasn’t

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very [active]. I had difficulty finding the courage. I was nervous about being accepted.

I was afraid that I wasn’t going to make any friends. When I started pushing myself to actually go to these things, I realized that I was wrong. I realized that nobody was out to treat me like I wasn’t accepted. It was actually the total opposite. [I was] kind of taking the chance and being like, Alright, let me just go to this event. Let me see how it goes. And then realizing that I loved it — I loved being around the people that were in PAL and the sense of community, friendship and welcomeness that they offered — that’s when I realized I wanted to be a bigger part of making someone else feel just as welcomed as I felt when I started out.

What is one thing you wish PAL will keep doing in the future?

Well aside from Barrio, because Lord knows that I will never let Barrio die, I have two favorite events in each of the semesters that are not banquets or Barrio. In the fall semester, my favorite event is PAL S’mores; in the spring, my favorite event is PAL Picnic because those are two of the biggest community events. They’re very welcoming, and they make people feel like a family.

They’re bigger events where people get to do things together. I think that’s one of the most important things about PAL, making sure everyone feels welcome and everybody can participate in the events. Since those two kind of elicit the sense of community, those

two are my favorites. I would love, love for those to continue, forever.

What is your favorite memory with your e-board?

There are so many of them. For my e-board this year, I think my favorite memory with them was … Huh, I have so many. It can be hard for me to choose. The only reason why I find it hard is because they are more than just an e-board to me. They’re like my best friends. Something that I love about being so close with them is that I know some people who are part of clubs elsewhere on campus, and they kind of view their e-boards as a bunch of people that have jobs for one organization. The reason why I can’t think of something right now is pretty much because every memory with them is my favorite. I look at them like my best friends. I live with a lot of my e-board members. I spend nearly every single day with them. And it’s hard to say this is my favorite, or this is not my favorite just because there are so many memories that I share with them that I would say, all of them.

How has PAL changed you as a person?

When I first started in college, I was that really timid girl that sat in the back of the room and didn’t really talk to anyone. I had a lot of friends in high school that came to Binghamton, but I was the only one out of all my friends that decided to go into nursing. So I didn’t really have many people to take classes with. When I joined PAL because my cousin told me, “You should really look into joining,”

it taught me — PAL has changed me in that it taught me not to be afraid to be outgoing, and it taught me to stop sitting in the back of the room. I hated public speaking. I hated meeting new people. I cried, begging my parents to come with me to my orientation because I didn’t want to be by myself. It’s given me a lot of confidence. That’s something that I’ve lacked for pretty much my entire life. I try to smile, and I try to be a positive type of energy for people, but at the same time, people don’t really know that about me, that I wasn’t very confident in myself. PAL allowed me to learn how to become a very good public speaker.

It taught me how to introduce myself to new people and encourage them to join PAL. Recruiting is a lot harder than it may seem.

Just because people come to an event, you’re like, “Oh hey, you should come to more.” It’s so scary knowing that they could say no to you; they won’t be interested. I think that PAL has changed me in a billion ways, but I think the biggest change that I’m definitely going to keep with myself for the rest of my life is making me more confident.

When did you start singing and playing the guitar?

Ooh, I like this question because not many people know when I started. When I was 3 years old, my mom — because in Filipino culture, karaoke is a big thing at family parties — and my mom had me sing a song she had started singing on the karaoke machine, and she made me finish it. I was just humming along because I knew the song; my mom sang it all the time. Then, afterwards, I had received so many words of compliments and “Oh my God, you need to pursue this.” So I started singing lessons when I was about 4 years old. I stopped when I was 15 because singing lessons are expensive. I started taking piano lesson when I was about 6, right around the time my hands were big enough to play on the piano. Because I learned how to play the piano, I was like, Oh, I want to explore more instruments to play, so I taught myself how to play the guitar when I was 12. I found it kind of easier for me because I could read music because I could play the piano. I taught myself when I was in 7th grade, when I was still in middle school. It was because I wanted to be Taylor Swift.

What do you do to relax?

I cry. Just kidding. Sometimes I cry. It depends on what kind of relaxing I need to do. If it’s like school stress, sometimes I’ll cry.

A big thing that I do is I like to watch Netflix, like just lay in bed — I allot time sometimes to watch Netflix . . . not have anyone bother me. I’ll turn my phone off, so I know I won’t be interrupted, or I’ll call my mom. My mom is one of my favorite people to talk to when I need to calm down.

What is a fun fact people don’t know about you?

I’m bad at these. Let’s see. I know how to solve a Rubik’s Cube. I don’t know if that’s a fun fact, but it’s a fact.

What is a big goal of yours right now?

What is a short-term goal?

My short-term goal is to find out a really good study method for my boards exam, for the NCLEX, because I’m not a very good testtaker. I would like to establish something that I know will help me, so that I know that I’ll be successful on my exam because I don’t want to take it more than once. I think longterm, a big goal of mine — well, I’m starting my job here in August. I’m working at one of the hospitals here — and a big goal of mine is to eventually get back to the city. I want to be an oncology nurse, so I really want to work at Memorial Sloan Kettering in Manhattan. I guess we’ll see where the wind takes me.

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TASC JANNY XU

Transcribed By Ava Hunt

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Janny. I’m the current president of TASC, and I’m from Brooklyn.

I’m an Economics major, and I’m graduating this semester.

Why did you initially join TASC? To be honest, I wasn’t planning to join any clubs my freshman year. During UFest, my roommate and I stayed inside our dorm until the last hour or half hour. When we went out, most of the clubs already left their tables. At TASC, this one guy, Linus, was still tabling. I thought maybe I should just join to see what’s out there. He reached out to me and my roommate. So I went over, and he asked if we would want to sign up for

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Taiwanese American Student Coalition. I do like Taiwanese culture; I listen to Taiwanese music, and I watched Taiwanese dramas at the time. So I thought, Why not? And I joined. I went to their GIM and their event, and the people there were super friendly, so I kind of stuck with them. And the rest is history.

What did you like most about TASC events this year?

Our e-board is very dedicated. They put in a lot of effort to make our events successful and fun for the members. That’s one of the things I really like about TASC. Even during stressful times, we are all able to make it less stressful by joking around, being chill, and having fun during deco meetings, planning processes and whatnot. My goal was to have everyone have fun and not think of TASC as a chore or work but more of a place for them to have fun. I think we really accomplished that this year.

What do you think makes the e-board so special?

Our e-board is very diverse, and the people are all genuinely friendly. We all really like each other, and everyone is very kind to each other. We all get along so well, which I think is a very important element for a successful and well-rounded club.

You said you like to watch and listen to a lot of Taiwanese drama and music, so what is your favorite part of Taiwanese culture?

Although it’s a given, the food is very, very important. If you’ve ever been to Taiwan, you can never go hungry because food is available 24 hours. There are tons of night markets all across Taiwan. Other than food, I would definitely say the music. I really like listening to Taiwanese music, maybe because the artists I listen to are Taiwanese.

I went to visit a TASC alumni two years ago, and she brought me to one of the more popular places, called “Shilin.” I went to that night market two times, and I still was not able to finish exploring around that night market – it’s really that big. The food is very, very cheap there. There are so many games and food, and an underground too; it was pretty amazing. Most importantly, the people in Taiwan are very friendly. I was lost at one point, and I just asked someone around. Everyone is willing to help you.

How would you say you’ve changed as a person through TASC? I’m a very group-oriented person, so I like working in groups. One of the reasons why is because when you work with groups, you not only learn about other people, but you also learn about yourself. People told me that I am very easy to approach, which I didn’t know about myself, but now I know.

I am a lot more organized than I used to be because I have to be, especially when leading a group of more than 15 members. I am not afraid to speak up. I used to be more shy than I am now, but now I don’t care if people

judge me. You do you.

Throughout this time what has been your best memory?

When we went to Cornell for the mixer, it was a lot of fun. We stayed over at Cornell TASC members’ places. I was able to explore a little bit around Ithaca. It’s such a pretty and beautiful place. But other than Cornell, night market planning. A day or two before night market, it’s very stressful, but I think it’s like a preparation for the storm; and after the storm, it’s rainbows and sunshine.

It’s just a very rewarding experience. Every night market was a lot of fun.

Now that you are graduating, what do you hope for the future of TASC? It’s safe to say that TASC is known to be a very friendly and non-exclusive group, and I hope that the e-board still maintains that aspect of TASC. A lot of people come to TASC because we are very open and don’t really exclude anyone. Also the quality of the events – every event that is put out should have a lot of effort and time behind it because it shows what TASC ecompasses. Of course, I will come back and visit!

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VSA LILLY DO

Transcribed By Airi Kojima

Which event was the most memorable?

The most memorable event and also my favorite was Miss Asia. It was my favorite since it was the biggest event that was held this past academic year, so seeing all the hard work being put into it and then having a really successful outcome was really relieving and rewarding. We changed it a lot from last year, concerning seating arrangements to make it feel more like a fashion or runway show, getting catering from V-nam Cafe in the city, and having a record amount of attendees from visiting schools’ VSAs. How did you learn about VSA and what made you want to be a part of this group?

I learned about VSA through my older sister, who was president of Rutgers VSA. When I came to Binghamton, people from the e-board were friendly enough to reach out to me about coming out to events and also encouraging me to join e-board. As a clueless freshman, it felt really nice to have guidance from upperclassmen! Eventually, I wanted to join, so I could learn more about Vietnamese culture (I came from a predominantly Caucasian town) and meet new people.

Through the experience that you had as being president, do you think you changed as a person? If so, in what way did you change?

Being president definitely changed me. It taught me how to step out of my comfort zone, how to take initiative, how 16

to lead a team, and how to connect to my Vietnamese roots that I never really embraced growing up. It was a tough experience, but I’m glad I went through it.

How would you sell your subgroup to an unknowing freshman?

To an unknowing freshman, I’d tell them to not be afraid of introducing themselves and getting their name out there. VSA is a place whose goal will always be about growth, which is something essential to a positive college experience, whether it’s about making more friends, taking more leadership roles, or just having new experiences.

What made you want to become president?

My care and dedication in seeing the process of VSA on the rise made me want to become president. Binghamton VSA is part of the Northeast region, which was newly established this past summer, so I wanted to be as active as possible to have other schools and regions notice us.

At what moment did you feel that being president was worth it?

The moment I felt like it was worth it was when VSA had their first lock-in ever, and it was fun and heart-warming to see everyone become such a close group of friends, practically a family, after starting off the year as strangers.

Do you have any advice for the next president?

My advice for next year’s president is: Remember to breathe sometimes. With being president, it’s a lot of pressure and responsibilities to take on, and sometimes people forget to just stop for a minute and relax. If you put your best effort into whatever needed to be done and carried your e-board, then that was all that was needed.

Do you have any songs/playlist that helped you through the year?

Stay by Zedd is a favorite song because it was the last song played during a conference afterparty.

What was something you didn’t know about being president that you learned on the job?

Time management was something I learned how to do while being president.

Between school, a job, applying for internships, and somewhat trying to go to the gym regularly, it was pretty hard to not just drop everything and take a nap.

If each president in BOD were to be an animal what would they be?

Amanda would be a gazelle or deer (she comes off as graceful as one). Angeles and Alex would be a panda and a gopher (don’t they kinda look like one? No offense intended!). Erina would be a bunny (selfexplanatory). Adrian would be a polar bear (super soft but lowkey vicious if he needs to be). Derrick would be a sloth (super friendly and harmless). Claudine would be a lion (fierce af and protects her cubs, a.k.a. her e-board). Janny would be a golden retriever (she has the personality of one who’s dedicated and loyal to her e-board and really friendly. Thanks for helping me during Tet!).

I guess I would be a cat since they sleep 16 hours a day and are needy for attention.

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