Tina He / Sun Staff Photographer

Over 1,200 Cornellians attended the 11th annual Asia Night, which featured over 20 performances and 50 booths, at Duffield Hall Saturday evening.

March 7, 2016

Over 1,200 Cornellians Enjoy Food, Performances at Annual Asia Night

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Students from over 50 organizations shared traditional food, performed musical and dance routines and showcased Asian culture at the 11th annual Asia Night in Duffield Saturday evening.

The event, organized by the Cornell Asian Pacific Islander Student Union, consisted of numerous booths lined up and down the hall that allowed the over 1,200 attendees to learn about campus clubs and participate in a wide array of activities.

Linda He ’16, facilitator of CAPSU, said the goal of the annual event is to enable different student organizations to share a part of their mission, whether it be cultural, social or advocacy-related, with fellow Cornellians.

“This is our chance as part of the Cornell Asian Pacific Islander Student Union to showcase everything our community has to offer and to showcase how big and vibrant our community is,” she said.

Emily Chei ’19, a member of Cornell Bhangra, said that she appreciated the opportunity to learn more about Cornell organizations on campus.

“A big draw for a lot of people is, ‘Oh, there’s free food,’ but honestly a lot of it is trying to see all the different groups on campus that were Asia-affiliated that you didn’t really know existed,” she said.

The BreakFree hip hop dance group was one of over 20 organizations that performed at Saturday's Asia Night in Duffield Hall.

Tina He / Sun Staff Photographer

The BreakFree hip hop dance group was one of over 20 organizations that performed at Saturday’s Asia Night in Duffield Hall.

Many students attended the event to learn more about different Asian cultures or to share their own heritage with others.

Megumi Bower ’18, who’s mother is from Okinawa in Japan, said she started the Okinawa Club to embrace her family’s history and to teach others about Okinawan culture and history.

“It’s my heritage,” she said. “It’s very close to me.”

Naomi Tashiro ’17 said that she enjoyed attending Asia Night because she appreciated having the opportunity to be exposed to various ways of life.

“It’s cool to see different parts of Asian culture that I’ve never experienced,” she said. “It’s cool to see other people of different backgrounds and learn more.”

Andrew Tseng ’16, who has attended for the past two years, said that he has always found the people and the booths at Asia Night to be “very captivating [and] exciting.”

While Tseng said he has come to expect the diversity and rich culture represented at the event every year, Bower said she is still amazed by it every Asia Night.

“It’s at the same time overwhelming and exciting to have so many cultures in one place at one time,” Bower said.

According to He, the event was a success, drawing over 1,200 attendees, helping Asia Night retain the title of largest multicultural event on campus, and successfully representing and celebrating some of the many communities and identities present at Cornell.

“No matter what, I leave the night feeling like this is a testament to how diverse and vibrant our community is,” she said.