APASA Spotlight: Bethany Lum

Why did you apply to APASA?

I heard about APASA at the APASS Welcome Back Barbecue, and I was determined to figure out the difference between the two. The person I asked about it happened to be the Assistant Director, and he introduced the intern program to me. The event planning aspect of being an intern seemed like a great way to get involved and I was eager to get to know the APA community, so I applied! (Fun fact: that Assistant Director ended up being one of my APASA bigs!)

Favorite APASA memory so far:

Random e-board cooking projects have been one of my favorite parts of APASA. So far this year, we have used our combined culinary prowesses to make butter chicken, seaweed soup, tonkatsu, and Japanese curry. Our programming director, Patrick, even hosted a ramen cookoff! It's a fun, relaxing way to get to know the other members of the e-board and eat yummy food afterwards :)

A significant cultural milestone for you:

Awkwafina winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress her performance in The Farewell because it was awesome to see her get the recognition that she deserves. The film featured an APA family and the characters mostly spoke Mandarin, which made the accomplishment even more significant as a huge leap for Asians in entertainment.

What does being APA mean to you?

Chinese American values have been so ingrained in my personality and everyday life, and I feel like this is something that I hope to pass onto future generations. Passing on Chinese traditions and teaching other people about these customs is something that is really important to me.

If you could plan any event at USC, what would it be?

I would feature foods from every ethnic Asian cuisine available in Los Angeles. So many smaller, non-East Asian countries are underrepresented and it would be cool to share that cultural aspect with everyone. And what better way to share culture than through food?

What is your long-term goal for APASA? 

I want APASA to be a place where APA students can get more in touch with their cultural roots. College is such an important time for self-discovery, and I believe that it is essential to preserve our heritage by learning more about it. APASA will be a longtime advocate for the APA voice on campus and as always, provide awesome events + free food to the USC community.

Thank you Bethany!