The Asian Student Union (ASU) is a new club at Oakmont that focuses on Asian culture and bringing together Asian students. 

“I want to teach other people about the different cultures, geography, and problems in Asia, so that we can spread awareness,” junior and president of ASU, Angela Palapos said. “I want people to use their privilege and find out ways where they’re able to better their community.”

Students of all grade levels are welcomed and encouraged to join.  ASU strives to create a safe space for their members to grow together, all while learning more about their own as well as other people’s cultures. 

“We want to create a tight knit community with the students in our club,” Palapos said, “I want people to feel safe, because they can’t change what schools they are going to, but we can change the environment that they’re in.”

The Asian Student Union emphasizes giving back to their community as one of the core aspects of their club. Volunteering is important to Palapos to better improve the environment and to help out the less fortunate. 

“The kind of people I want to see at meetings are ones who are interested in service events, for sure,” Palapos said. “Service events are really, really important aspects of our club since we really want to use our privilege to give back to our community.” 

Despite being introduced just this year, the importance of ASU has already been felt in members who have joined the club. 

“I think the ASU is really important for Asians like me,” junior club member Francie Paguirigan said. “It’s really nice to have a place where I can meet other people I have something in common with where we can learn and grow together.”

ASU also greatly focuses on educating students about the different Asian cultures and people. Many Asian cultures are represented at Oakmont, and the Asian Student Union wants to give a platform to those cultures. 

“We want to challenge the stereotypes revolving around Asian people through education on the cultures,” Palapos said. “Everyone’s had at least one experience where they’ve been compared to one another, and we want to let people know they’re not alone in that. The Asian Student Union meets every Thursday at 3 PM. If you are an Oakmont student and would like to join the ASU, contact [email protected] or [email protected] for more information.