Creating a Community

Students Organize Asian Pacific American Initiative at Armstrong Campus

As a student on the pre-nursing track, Maria Hagy has found the Armstrong Campus to be an ideal fit. It’s near downtown, and close to her family and Hunter Army Airfield, the location of her Air National Guard unit.

“I love that it’s a small campus where everyone knows everyone,” Hagy said. “I love the sense of community, especially with the Office of Multicultural Affairs family.”

Hagy grew up in U.S. military communities and graduated from high school in the Savannah area. She enrolled at Georgia Southern in fall 2019, then took a year off for military training. The undergraduate returned to campus last summer. In her first year of college, she focused on academics and made the dean’s list. But she struggled to find her place on campus.

“I noticed there wasn’t an Asian-oriented organization for students,” Hagy said. “And I really felt that lack of representation. I realized how important it is for me and the Asian community to feel a sense of community with each other.”

Students sought advice from the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA). Laurely Caycho, assistant director in the OMA, introduced them to the Asian Pacific American Initiative (APA).

”I was excited when a group of students attended one of the welcome events and expressed the need to start a support initiative for Asian students,” Caycho said. “We have worked really hard for this vision to come true and now the APA initiative is a reality. Seeing new student leaders come into their own, thrive in leadership and knowing that more students feel represented on our campus accomplishes partial goals and visions of the Office of Multicultural Affairs.”

To get the initiative off the ground, members volunteered for positions on the executive board and created the motto: “Community, Culture, Caliber.”

“APA strives to educate students and staff on not only Eastern Asian cultures but also on Asian cultures that are overshadowed and underrepresented,” explained Hagy, president of the year-old initiative. It has grown to more than 50 established members representing various ethnic backgrounds, including Filipinos, Vietnamese, Koreans and Pacific Islanders. While membership is representative of Asian ethnicities, the group is inclusive. It is open to anyone, and everyone interested in experiencing Asian cultures.

“My favorite thing about APA is the people,” said Trinh Truong, a Savannah resident who recently completed her freshman year. “I joined APA to connect with people that I could relate to. APA is easygoing and filled with warm people.”

Felicity Gheen Ortiz is a psychology major from Savannah. The upcoming sophomore noted, “Asia is a vast continent with many countries and many different cultures. I hope while being part of APA, I can help to spread awareness of those cultures as well as my own. I hope we provide a safe place of diversity and inclusion for everyone, and not just Asian individuals.”

Like other college students, APA executive board members faced challenges. They had to balance classwork with their board responsibilities. Despite that, the group planned several campus events including activities for APA Week. The events allowed members to support each other and share their food and cultures with the Armstrong Campus community. Hagy acknowledged being in the military prepared her for leadership, but APA pushed her to step up to the plate.

“I felt like it was the perfect opportunity to see what I could do,” she said. “A goal I have had these past couple of years is to push myself, and to own up to my strength and not be afraid to show it.”

The APA president said it has been gratifying to see APA come to life although a lot of work remains. Ultimately, they want the initiative established on the other Georgia Southern campuses.

“There are many stereotypes and microaggressions directed against the Asian community that need to be addressed,” she said. “Under the Office of Multicultural Affairs, APA aims to encourage and remind APA students that we have a voice too and we matter.” 

— Sandra Bennett