From attending the East Coast Asian American Students Union Conference in Washington D.C., I was able to gain perspective not only regarding the issues pertained to the Asian American community, but also here, in the Richmond community. I attended a workshop called “We vs. Them: The Impact of Asian American Greeks on Campus,” where both students in Greek organizations and those who are not explored and discussed the underlying issues prevalent in the tension on campus. Although University of Richmond does not have Asian American sororities or fraternities, through this workshop, I gained a better understanding of the circumstances and context surrounding the issue and also learned of new opportunities to encourage more collaboration on campus to approach issues relevant to the broader Asian American community.
I also attended Hepatitis B and Public Health Outreach for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders workshop, and I learned that contrary to the model minority myth, Asian American communities still face numerous public health and healthcare access challenges in the United States, of which include disproportionately high rates of preventable hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and liver cancer. This workshop furthered my knowledge regarding strategies for public health engagement to participate in current public health outreach campaigns and I hope to plan and participate in these campaigns on our campus as well.
Vivian Lee
