This week, Tulane’s Asian American Student Union hosted their annual CelebrAsian Week. The event is the organization’s biggest of the year and has garnered much support and involvement from across campus.

“The week really is an all out fun time and also a reflective time,” said AASU’s Vice President Lani Nguyen.

The week kicked off with an event at the LBC on Monday night, involving a “Mulan” screening, free food and craft booths.

The following night, AASU hosted a reflection workshop centered around Asian identity at the individual, interpersonal and institutional level. The workshop was intended to open up conversation for those who attended, allowing them to share ideas and experiences.

“There are a lot of topics concerning Asian or Asian Americans that are really difficult to talk about and usually not spoken of when you’re younger,” Nguyen said. “Being a college student, especially at Tulane where a lot of students are away from their families and away from their initial comfort zones, we want to be a space where people can feel comfortable.”

Wednesday, AASU hosted social media fitness entrepreneur Cassey Ho, who is the creator of Blogilates. Along with her fitness programs, she is a strong advocate for body positivity.

Finally, on Thursday night, Chinese-American journalist and activist for Asian American and LGBTQ rights Helen Zia gave a lecture titled, “Crossing Boundaries, Interconnectedness and Transformation: An Asian American Feminist’s Reflections on the Power of Unity in These Polarized Times.”

AASU puts on a number of other programs throughout the year in addition to CelebrAsian Week. The organization frequently hosts cooking demonstrations with chefs from local restaurants.

Additionally, they make trips to the Hong Kong Market in Gretna, the largest Asian supermarket in the greater New Orleans area. AASU also strives to hold reflection and identity workshops.

“I definitely want people to know that even if you don’t necessarily identify with the name Asian American, you are still welcome…,” Nguyen said. “I’ve seen and met so many cool people in the past 3 years that I’ve been here now through this organization and some of their backgrounds are completely different than mine.”

AASU strives to make a space for students to feel welcome on campus.

“[AASU] really feels like family,” said Nguyen.