Juniors Noah Kim and Maddie Vinh and sophomore Josh Kim came together to form the Asian Student Union, which aims to inform students about Asian culture while providing a space where Asian students can get together.
Vinh wanted to form the club to heighten the diversity in the school.
“There aren’t a lot of Asians at Mill Valley, and I wanted to represent them,” Vinh said.
Noah formed the club and became president to form a space for Asians and other people to get together.
“I thought it would be a good way to make connections,” Noah said. “I know that Mill Valley is predominantly white, so I just thought it’d be a good way to find people who may have similar backgrounds or the same experiences. It’s [also] a good opportunity to get to know other people across different grade levels.”
ASU meets every other Thursday at 7:20 in english teacher Kristen Huang’s room. For each meeting, President Noah Kim and Josh Kim work together to make a presentation on a topic that they present during the meeting. After the presentation, the group discusses it and eats snacks while they talk.
The presentations are usually on how to spread Asian culture, like study abroad opportunities or information about an Asian country.
Noah’s favorite part about the club is the knowledge he teaches others.
“Personally, I would say I know a lot about South Korean culture because both of my parents were born there. But besides that, I wouldn’t know much about any other Asian country,” Noah said. “On my own time, when I make the presentations, I get to learn a lot of things, like different cultures and traditions. I get to share it with other people, and they’re interested enough to listen.”
Vinh’s favorite part of the ASU is the diversity.
“I like that there are not just Asians there,” Vinh said. “Everyone’s there, and we all get to enjoy Asian culture.”
Because ASU is so new, Noah hopes that it will become more popular and that it will continue after he graduates.
“I don’t want it to be a one-year thing, or just while I’m in high school. It’s hard, but I want underclassmen to get involved in it,” Noah said. “It may be a little easier because my brother is a sophomore, so when I graduate, at least he’s gonna be there. Hopefully, he can spread the word, and maybe it keeps on so it’s not a temporary thing.”
