APASA Spotlight: Ruth Chen
Why did you apply to APASA?
I grew up in Indiana and attended a high school that was only 3 percent Asian. As a first generation Taiwanese-American, learning how to embrace my Asian-American identity was largely an individual struggle. Coming into USC, I knew I wanted to find a community that was similarly passionate about our struggles and experiences. APASA stood out to me because it gave me a platform to share my culture and to advocate for my community, which was something that I was never able to do growing up. I’m so grateful to say that APASA’s been all that and MORE :’)
Favorite APASA memory so far:
Honestly, my favorite APASA memories are just cleaning up the aftermath of each event with everyone. Whether it is dealing with broken trash bags after Welcome Back BBQ or stuffing our faces with leftover food from Night Market, it’s always such an odd feeling of tiredness, joy, and pride. The tiredness makes us slap-happy, but amidst the tiredness there's always this feeling of joy because everyone is always so proud of all the hard work we put into the event. APASA Disney is a close second :) The passion and dedication of my fellow APASA members coupled with the openness of the USC community honestly makes any memory with APASA so great.
A significant cultural milestone for you:
The Farewell! Growing up, I did not see a lot of faces that looked like mine, shared the same experiences as me, or even ate the same foods as me. Unfortunately, when I turned to the screen, the media reflected the lack of APAs around me as well. The fact that The Farewell is an American movie with mostly Mandarin dialogue coupled with Awkafina’s broken Mandarin was something that really resonated with me. It was comforting that I could finally point to the screen and say -- that’s me; I relate to that!
What does being APA mean to you?
Growing up, I felt like being APA was an identity people labeled me as, rather than one I chose. Being in APASA has helped me hone in on what it personally means to me. To me, being APA is learning how to reconcile two conflicting identities. It’s an ongoing journey. Traditional Asian and Western ideals aren’t just different, they’re often directly at odds with one another. Individualism versus collectivism. Asian beauty standards versus American beauty standards. Pale versus tan. To me, there’s SO much beauty and pride in learning how to reconcile that. It speaks to life on a larger level about what it means to forge a new identity and from seemingly disparate elements.
If you could plan any event at USC, what would it be?
Asian food holds such a special space in my heart, but sadly I cannot replicate my mom's delicious dishes. If I could plan any event, I’d plan an event where you learn how to cook traditional Asian dishes from Asian family members. There’s so much depth in Asian food and flavors, but there are basically no recipes -- It's frustrating but it makes the food even more special!
What is your long-term goal for APASA?
Being in APASA has taught me about the richness in diversity within our community but also about our and intersectionalities. My main goal as co-historian this year was to focus on individual storytelling in an effort to showcase the depth of our APA community. There’s so much overlooked diversity in our APA community, and I want to be able to highlight that. I want APASA to be representative of all our experiences and identities. I want APASA to be a space and platform that acknowledges our individual nuances, while standing in solidarity in our shared experiences.
Thank you Ruth!