What are the goals of SASA this year?
So this year, obviously with COVID, the most significant need was to create community. So we have been trying to do that with meet-and-greet events; basically, just events where the officers and members can interact.
Going off of that, what events have you planned this year?
So far, we’ve had a meet-and-greet at the beginning of the year, a bonfire vespers with Adelante, and just last week, we watched “The Prince of Egypt” in Newbold. We have a couple more de-stressing events coming up. As you can see, most of these events are just about getting together, where people can interact and just have fun in a safe manner. However, next semester we are planning some bigger things, and more details about that will come.
What do you think of the state of Southern Asian representation on campus?
Generally, in my first couple of years at Andrews, it was nonexistent. It was almost like we were always sprinkled among other groups of people, but not really congregating amongst ourselves. It was just like “oh, that’s a South Asian, amongst other races,” and we really never had the opportunity to express ourselves on our own time. So I think that all the South Asians are proud and happy that we are finally represented and visible outside of club events.
This year, SASA participated in an event called Infusion on campus. What is this event, and what was your role in planning it?
Infusion is one of the biggest events on campus. It is a vespers that infuses three different cultural worship styles into one beautiful service. This year, the vespers showcased Caribbean, Brazilian and South Asian culture. The program highlights how people from these cultures worship and praise God. Students from these regions were interviewed about their experience, and one of the most impactful parts is the song service. The song service was a combination of all three cultures. It was sung in 6 languages! Despite it being in languages that much of the audience would not understand, everybody was moved by it. One could feel the presence of God in the service that night. There was a play that highlighted the beautiful differences in the three cultures. In addition, there was an impactful panel that discussed important topics such as the need for worshiping God within our culture and how we are united by God. The service was streamed on YouTube and is still available to watch on 老司机传媒’s YouTube Channel at .
What went into the spotlight that you got from Infusion, and how has it affected your exposure?
So, after last year’s Infusion became a big deal at Andrews, we were very excited to be a part of it. We decided that since it’s our first time on the main stage, if we adequately expressed our culture, we could relate to the audience. I think that as much as we are different from other cultures, we are at the same time very similar. I think that us being on the stage and sharing our culture allows people to say, “Oh, South Asian culture is not that much different from mine” or, “what I had thought about them isn’t necessarily true.” It was an excellent experience for people to gain knowledge about South Asians.
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