Statler Auditorium was filled with energy for the highly anticipated 2025 Mr. Asia Pageant Saturday night, drawing approximately 400 spectators. Co-hosted by the Chinese Students Association and the Korean American Students Association, the annual event crowned the ultimate “Mr. Asia,” challenging seven contestants in wit, strength and charisma to determine the winner.
CSA vice president and one of the night’s emcees Leo Chen ’26 said, “Mr. Asia provides a platform for individuals of the AAPI community at Cornell to showcase their unique talents, cultural pride and charisma.”
Luke Chang ’27 who represented KASA, took home the coveted first-place crown. Contestant Ben Chen ’27 of the Taiwanese American Students Association secured second place, while contestant Oscar Lam ’26 of the Cornell Undergraduate Asia Business Society came in third.
The pageant included four competitive rounds to crown the champion: interview, spelling bee, physical and talent.
At the beginning of the pageant, contestants made their grand entrances, each escorted by a date and accompanied by a song of their choice.
The interview round tested contestants' ability to think on their feet with a cultural and mystery question. The cultural question asked: “In what ways do you promote cultural diversity and understanding?”
In response, Chang said, “Within myself I represent diversity; I’m half Korean and also half Taiwanese … Coming here to Cornell I’ve been able to be really active in both [KASA] and [TASA], and also being able to learn more about my own heritage and share that joy with other people.”
For the spelling bee round, Chang won by correctly spelling “onomatopoeia.”
During the intermission between rounds, Loko, a K-Hip Hop and K-Pop dance group, took the stage with a high-energy performance that captivated the audience.
The following round, the physical round, featured a tug-of-war tournament. Dominic Nguyen ’27, representing Pi Delta Psi, an Asian-interest fraternity, whose victory was no surprise given his experience as a powerlifter, secured first place.
The final round, a showcase of the contestants’ individual talents, highlighted acts ranging from singing to physical challenges. Chang serenaded the audience with a rendition of “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Disney’s 1998 film “Mulan,” showcasing his vocal prowess. Ben Chen delivered a performance of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” concluding dramatically on his knees.
“Luke [Chang] was really good, but Ben [Chen] really got me; when he knelt down and he was singing with his heart, I was convinced,” said Sara Lok ’25, last year’s CSA President.
Other talents included a deejay set featuring popular K-Pop tracks and a push-up challenge, which invited audience members to compete on stage.
The pageant drew praise from attendees, who commended the contestants' charisma and performances. Emily Chen ’25 who also attended last year’s pageant said she “really enjoyed the talents. It was interesting to see them outside of the questions to see more of their personality.”
Chang’s authenticity and charm resonated with the audience throughout the night, many attendees praising his sincerity.
“I voted for him. He is really earnest, and I think that you can really see how genuine he is just in the way he speaks and how he articulates himself,” Emily Chen said.
The event also sparked conversations about representation within Cornell’s Asian cultural organizations.
“I’ll be honest, I’m part of the Central Asian community; I’m from Uzbekistan. Central Asia wasn’t seriously represented here,” said Firdavs Yubokov ’27 when asked if he felt a sense of unity from the event. “It would be pretty cool if a lot of the other Asian countries … were included, however, there is no Uzbekistan association, so [the lack of representation] totally makes sense.”
Organizers reflected on the challenges of recruitment and participation.
“We got in contact with any Asian cultural clubs … and tried to reach out to all of them,” said Brianna Yau ’26, CSA Vice President. “The most difficult part of the event was just getting people committed and to actually show up, [and] go to the meetings to prepare prior to the event.”
KASA president Josh Lim ’26 said, “Whoever was interested we welcomed to participate. We wanted to expand the event and represent the Asian community in full, but because the event is a big time-commitment, people are busy.”
CSA President Xavier Diaz-Sun ’26 mentioned that Cornell Bhangra, an Indian dance troupe, had initially planned to participate but withdrew due to a competition conflict.
Despite these hurdles, Lok thought the event was a success.
“The turnout for this event was a lot bigger than last year’s, and I think the candidates really brought it this year as well,” Lok said.
