APASA Spotlight: Richelle Caday

Why did you apply to APASA?

I was looking for a community when I first started out at USC, and I will forever be grateful for Michelle Su (APASA's Executive Director at the time -- who later became my APASA "big" --during my freshman year) for being my very first introduction to the APASA community. I lived on the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) floor during my freshman year, and Michelle came to our floor retreat at the beginning of the year to talk about APASA's internship program. As she started talking about what APASA does, the different API member orgs they work with, the cool events they put on, and her own experiences in the organization, I was immediately hooked and eagerly applied that same night. I’ve always been really passionate about my Filipino/API heritage and was super involved in student government in high school, and APASA seemed like it would be the perfect fit for me. Joining APASA has undoubtedly been one the best decisions I've ever made as I've continued to fall more and more in love with this organization and its people. APASA ended up being a perfect fit where I've been able to do what I love most while finding a strong community with some of the most amazing people who I love most.

Favorite APASA memory so far:

Having to pick a favorite APASA memory is like having to pick a favorite child -- I've loved all the memories I've made in APASA! My top 5 favorite memories (in no particular order) definitely include my first APASA Night Market during my freshman year, the ice/snowball fight my intern class had after Cultural Art Expo, the 2019 Eboard/Intern Disneyland trip, and being directors with Michelle and Stacy ❤️

A significant cultural milestone for you:

H.E.R. winning TWO awards (Best R&B Album & Best R&B Performance) during the 2019 Grammys was a recent cultural milestone that was very important to me, especially as H.E.R. is half Filipino and was able to bring Filipino American representation into the Grammys and music industry!! Not many people know that she's Asian American, though she's half-Filipino and half-Black and has stated that she identifies strongly with both sides. As Asians aren't typically understood as being associated with the American R&B industry, it meant a lot having H.E.R break down those barriers and represent the Filipino/APA community through her wins.

What does being APA mean to you?

To me, being Asian Pacific American means being the bridge between my Asian/Pilipino and American cultures. It means celebrating and honoring my Asian/Pilipino roots and planting them into American soil. It means being proud of where I come from and sharing my culture through food, dance, song, history, stories, and more with other people who know very little to nothing about it. It It means advocating for more accurate, diverse, and inclusive Asian representation within American society while educating others when they use cultural slurs or stereotypes to define an entire community. To me, being APA means being unapologetically proud of being both Asian and American.

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

It would be a week-long festival of inviting famous APA folks within different entertainment industries (i.e. music, TV/film, dance, youtube, etc). During the first two days, we'd an Asian American music festival (like Cochella and Head in the Clouds) where we'd bring in a wide variety of Asian American musical artists ranging from folks like Niki, Rich Brian, HER, P-Lo, Ruby Ibarra, Bruno Mars, BTS, Big Bang, etc . The next two days would consist of a film festival where we'd bring in a lot of Asian American actors, directors, screenwriters, etc while screening their respective movies/shows. The next two days would be YouTuber convention where we'd bring in OGs who we grew up watching like Ryan Higa, Wongfu, Michelle Phan, AJ Rafael, Jeremy Passion, etc. in addition to current/new Asian American YouTubers. Finally, the last day of this week-long festival would be dedicated to Asian Americans in dance where we'd have a showcase of various Asian American dance groups like Kinjaz, Jabbawockeez, Quest Crew, and more from all across the US.

What is your long-term goal for APASA? 

My long term goal for APASA is to continue supporting other API’s in embracing their cultural heritages, sharing their stories (including both adversities and triumphs), exploring their intersectional identities, advocating for themselves, and elevating others within community. Much like the platform statement that Michelle, Stacy, and I set out when we became this year’s directors, our goal has been to emphasize transparency within APASA to allow us to foster a strong community in which we'd able to better provide a compelling support system for our member organizations while empowering them to embrace cultural heritages, adversities, and intersectionalities. Ultimately, I'd love for APASA to continue being a safe space for folks to share their stories and build community with one another ❤️

Thank you Richelle!