There have been several new clubs started this school year. In February, three individuals came together to form a club that they have been contemplating for some time: Asian Culture Club. The club’s goal is to educate others on Asian culture through activities such as sharing common Asian delicacies and learning more about Asian traditions. The founders of the club include Tommy Ament, Kyle Kim, and Yen Truong. Tommy was interviewed about the club and how it came to be.
The founders of the club had the initial intention to share their own culture with the rest of the school community. They began thinking about starting a new club at the end of the fall sports season, and according to Tommy, it took them about “one month from start to finish to create it”. Tommy shared more about the process of creating a club: brainstorming on what the club would be about, talking with Mr. Knotek through a scheduled meeting, discussing future plans for the club, finding a moderator, and contacting Dr. Smith to schedule a meeting. Dr. Mambo was more than pleased to fill the position as moderator.
Tommy discussed the future plans for the club and what the members should expect in the future in upcoming meetings. Tommy, Kyle, and Yen wanted an avenue to educate people on Asian culture and its many customs. The club plans to host numerous interesting activities such as interviewing and hearing testimonies from local Asian leaders and trips to local Asian Culture Museums.
In one of their recent club meetings, on March 11th, the members met and held a “cultural sharing food event”. The club leaders brought egg rolls and popular Korean snacks like Pocky, Choco Pie, and chocolate churro chips. The meeting had over 30 people in attendance and Tommy described it as “a fun time because many people got to know more about the food while also enjoying it”. It gained the interest of many more people compared to the interest meeting because the idea of food drew them in. The room was packed with so many hungry students that Dr. Mambo suggested they move to a bigger room.
Another meeting had a similar style, where the club leaders brought food for the members to enjoy and learn about. The food presented consisted of sticky rice, vegetable wontons, and kimchi dumplings. Not only did they learn about the cuisine, but how to use chopsticks. Kyle, Tommy, and Yen found it astounding how many students didn’t know how to use chopsticks and saw a great opportunity to dedicate a club meeting to learning this skill.
The Asian Culture Club is inclusive of everyone and should not be seen as something only for people of Asian descent. The club meeting dates vary and there is no set schedule, however, by joining the club on Google Classroom, you can be updated on the next club meeting (zus37ov). Show up to have a good time as everyone will welcome you!
The Viking Journal 