On the morning of Tuesday, May 30, students gathered in Centennial High School’s auditorium for the school’s first ever AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) assembly. The audience sat through a motivating and inspirational presentation in a thrilling conclusion to AAPI Heritage Month.

Participating clubs and organizations included the Chinese club, National Chinese Honor Society, Indian Dance club, K-pop club, and Korean American Student Association.

“There’s a little bit of pressure,” said sophomore Zhuoyu Yang, one of the event’s main student organizers, “[as] we were the precedent.” With such a big responsibility, students involved described the behind-the-scenes process as a chaotic but rewarding experience.

The assembly featured students, speakers and performances and ended with a fashion show that displayed cultural clothing from various regions of the world. Attendees included officials from numerous county and state departments and prominent members of the community.

As AAPIs make up over 40% of the school’s student population, the organizers felt an assembly was long overdue. The student body’s response was generally positive, and freshman Prakhya Chengal responded, “It’s a work in progress, but at least we’re giving… recognition toward the Asian American community.”

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