As the 2023-2024 school year kicks off, students from many different backgrounds arrive to contribute to the diversity of Oviedo High School. Roughly 6.24% of the student population is made up of Asian/Pacific Islanders. It’s safe to say Asian students are a minority in Oviedo High School, which causes several students like senior Krish Patel, the current president of the Asian Student Association (ASA), to feel alienated.
“I had no one to relate to, I had no one to talk to about my own culture, and hang out with. I felt like I had no one to go to events with. As I progressed through high school, I felt disconnected from my culture,” Patel said. “That’s the main reason why I started ASA just so other people don’t have to feel this way.”
In order to start a club, there needs to be a sponsor. In this case, teacher Jessica Jenkins decided to step up for the task.
“One of the reasons why I decided to be the sponsor of the ASA was because the leadership within the group was already so powerful. They have a strong vision, and they take things by the reins and go with it,” Jenkins said. “These kids are amazing, top-notch students.”
The first meeting on September 13 was attended by roughly 35 out of the expected 44 people. One of the attendees, Aiden Iverson, a Taiwanese and Pakistani senior, shared their thoughts.
“I joined the ASA to learn more about my own cultural heritage and also make myself familiar with other students’ cultural heritages that also go to Oviedo High School,” Iverson said. “As students from different cultural backgrounds, it gives us more opportunities to build a community despite differences by cooperating and collaborating with each other.”
Building a community from scratch isn’t easy, and it takes quite a lot of work.
“Since we’re seniors, I wanted to be able to pass it along and give them a structure to help them handle what they should do with the club moving forward. Me, Ayan (Secretary of the ASA), and Daniel (Vice President of the ASA) worked really hard to make this all possible.” Patel said.
The immense effort that Patel has put into making the ASA has gathered the attention of many students who hope to build a community in their school and reconnect with their own culture.
