CU Personality: Asian Student Association

Currently, 43 percent of CU Denver undergraduates and 57 percent of the incoming class are students of color, making CU Denver one of the only premiere universities boasting such a high level of diversity in Colorado.

A hub for student culture, diversity, and inclusion, the Asian Student Association aims to bring students together and show them what it means to create a strong and meaningful community.

The main driving points for ASA, as briefed on their OrgSync page, is to strive to “support, educate, strengthen, build, lead, advocate, and provide for the Asian American community,” a vision they’ve been working on for several years.

Kathleen Nguyen, President of the Asian Student Association for two semesters now, seeks to foster awareness for the Asian community. One of her long-term plans is to incorporate the ‘Asian’ back into Asian Student Association.

“I’ve been really trying to promote cultural awareness throughout our major events,” Nguyen said. “Our goal as a club is to celebrate the cultural diversity of CU Denver,” Nguyen said.

With events like Root Beer Float sales and their highly anticipated “Asian Culture Night” happening on Dec. 2, the ASA has succeeded at the being the face of the Asian community at CU Denver. ASA administration has worked tireless hours to create an organization they have always wanted to participate in and have opened their arms to anyone wanting to join. Their commitment to the institution has allowed them to become one of the largest, most influential clubs on campus out of the 100-plus active clubs and organizations on campus.

Tammy Nguyen, ASA secretary and CU Denver student, jumped aboard the ASA team with a sense of encouragement and motivation.

“I first heard about Asian Student Association through some upper classmates during the first week of my freshman year,” she said.

After seeing this opportunity to showcase the Asian community to the rest of campus, Tammy Nguyen saw the ASA define what it means to be diverse.

“I found myself drawn to ASA because the organization strives to support and educate the Asian American community,” Nguyen said.

Including people of all backgrounds has become the ASA’s mantra and philosophy while developing the organization. They’ve created a safe space where people can come together to share struggles, achievements, and hurdles they’ve overcome.

“Our organization celebrates all cultures surrounding and including Asian cultures. We stay true in embracing all cultures no matter an individual’s ethnicity,” Nguyen said.

Becoming such a large campus organization has helped the Asian Student Association welcome new and old CU Denver students into a community that openly accepts them. “We are so blessed to be a part of the open-minded and diverse Auraria community,” Kathleen Nguyen said. “I am thankful that our club is so widely accepted by ethnicities even beyond the Asian student body.”