Poly’s AAA Celebrates AANHPI Heritage Month

Poly’s AAA (Asian American Alliance) student group came together in a vibrant celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. The student-led assembly, designed and coordinated by Anya P. ’25, Alena T. ’25, and August T. ’25, conveyed the theme “United in Diversity; Strong in Heritage”—a powerful reminder that shared identity can be found not through sameness, but through mutual respect for each individual’s story.

Inspired by the Black Student Union’s assembly earlier this year, the AAA leadership team sought to create an event that was both honest and celebratory. “Especially since Poly has such a strong Asian American presence, we wanted to emphasize the different cultures and experiences within our community,” said Alena. “We hoped the audience would take away that Asian Americans are not a monolithic group—we each have our own unique stories and cultures.”

The assembly featured a range of student-led performances and presentations, including collaborative visual art, music, poetry, and film. These creative expressions offered a window into the richness of AANHPI heritage while emphasizing the strength that comes from embracing both individual and collective identity.

A highlight of this year’s programming was the introduction of a multicultural food fair. Tables offered an array of traditional dishes, from pandan custard cake and Taiwanese braised pork rice to Indian samosas and Japanese matcha cake. “The food fair allowed our community to engage with diverse culinary traditions, appreciate a variety of flavors, and come together in a vibrant atmosphere,” said Anya. “It was also a great way to celebrate DEI outside the classroom and create connections through something we all love: food!”

The event underscored the importance of representation and the value of building bridges between different cultures—not only within the AANHPI community but across all student groups. “With this year’s theme, we found it important to highlight that we can celebrate our differences while still being united under one narrative, and that it is possible to find common ground with each other, especially through art and tradition, both of which were important aspects of our assembly,” said Alena.

As the AAA leaders look ahead, the energy and inspiration from this year’s assembly are already fueling plans for next year. “Although I won’t be at Poly next year, I hope that we can involve more students from different backgrounds to connect with each other within the affinity space and that we can continue to connect with both Poly’s middle school affinity group and Poly’s parent affinity group,” said Alena. 

Anya echoed that vision, adding, “As a junior, I have the opportunity to continue in AAA leadership next year. I hope to introduce more cultural elements and make our initiatives more interactive by holding cooking classes and storytelling sessions with guest speakers from diverse backgrounds.”