By CHRISTINE LEE ’17

Several weeks ago, Asian students from all across the Seattle area gathered at Prep to participate in the Asian American Summit. This one-and-a-half day long retreat allowed students of Asian descent to talk about prevalent issues, hear from guest speakers, and learn what it means to be Asian in the modern world. This year, Seattle Prep hosted the Asian American Summit.
On the first day of the summit, students met with other students from Jesuit schools, warming up to the campus through a photo scavenger hunt. Guest speakers included sophomore Chinwe Ezeonu’s mom as well as Mr. Villanueva, who discussed with the students their life as Asians. Students learned a lot about their heritage from these guest speakers. Later activities included hypnotism and a dance party.
Sophomore Al Bernal participated in the summit. On the second day, students participated in group discussions about what it means to be their ethnicity, and split into affinity groups. Students split into different groups based on ethnic background, such as Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Filipino. Bernal ‘17 states, “As Filipinos, we discussed the great parts about our culture, but also what it’s like having that intertwined with American culture. For example, we all shared the shame of not being able to speak Tagalog, our language!”
At the summit, the Seattle Deputy Mayor, Kate Joncas was also a guest speaker. Joncas is a Korean woman who is the president of the Downtown Seattle Association. She had very insightful advice for the students to listen to. Later on, Prep librarian, Mrs. Abe, spoke about her life, and attendees were served a lunch of Vietnamese sandwiches.
Students were given a chance to show off their talents and interests in a mini Coffee House performance. At the event, several Seattle Prep students showcased their unique gifts. The Pulse Dance Team showed the attendees a taste of Prep’s talent, and performed a hula number. In another notable performance, junior Juan Bernal played the guitar and sang.
The Asian American Summit was a fantastic success this year, and students gained knowledge on their backgrounds that will stay with them for a long time.