Q&A: Meet the students attending the Mid-Autumn Festival

The Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese student associations celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival in the Bauccio Commons Terrace Room on Oct. 2. 

The Beacon spoke with student attendees about keeping traditions of the celebration alive on The Bluff and the unity the festival forms between students from different backgrounds.

Alvin Ling is a member of the Chinese Student Association (CSA), Vietnamese Student Association (VSA), Japanese Student Association (JSA) and is looking forward to joining the Korean Student Association (KSA).

The Beacon:

“How is the festival a collaboration between the different cultural clubs?”

Alvin Ling:

“[The festival] unites all the clubs and has a lot more communication between the KSA, VSA, CSA, [JSA]. Just seeing all these cultures come together as a whole and interact is something that most students always like to see.”

Grace Xu is a member of CSA.

The Beacon:

“How did you celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival back home compared to on campus?” 

Grace Xu:

“Back home, we get together as a big family, cut mooncakes together and have a big dinner. I think [the festival] plays a big role in sharing my tradition [because] I'm celebrating something that I usually would back home, here [at UP]. I feel like it makes me feel a little bit at home, in a way.”

Jenny Pham is a member of VSA.

The Beacon:

“How does celebrating the festival on campus give you a sense of belonging?”

Jenny Pham:

“[VSA] gives me a sense of community where I know I can belong because, as a first-year student, I'm still trying to build my own little community of people here at UP that identify with my cultural background. It is really nice to come to these events because I get to meet new people and experience other cultures, as well.”

Mikayla Cho is a part of KSA.

The Beacon:

“How does [being a member of] your cultural club shape how you celebrate festivals on campus?” 

Mikayla Cho:

“I rarely celebrate my Korean culture back at home, so it's nice to actually be able to celebrate it [here at UP]. Because of my [mixed] background, I didn't really have any friends who were of my culture. [Now,] I’ve made a lot of friends. It's great. I'm feeling belonged.”

Ellie Cheng is co-president of JSA.

The Beacon:

“What role does this event play in preserving or sharing your cultural traditions?”

Ellie Cheng:

“The Moon Festival is very unique to Asian culture. You don't really see anything like it in American culture. [JSA] helps me keep these cultures and traditions that I have at home alive, while also being able to pass them on to other types of cultures and people, as well.”

Isabelle Takane is co-president of JSA.

The Beacon:

“How does this collaboration with other Asian student associations shape how you celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

Isabelle Takane:

“My mom's from Japan, so I grew up in a lot of Japanese culture. When I joined JSA last year, I didn't really know anyone that could speak Japanese [on campus]. Right now, there's only three of us, so I like being able to share [our culture] with [club] members. It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun to host events for people.”

Regina Castillo is a News Reporter at The Beacon. She can be reached at medinaca27@up.edu.