May was chosen to be a month to celebrate Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in 1992. The month was dedicated to celebrating Americans of Asian, Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian descent following the designation of the first week of May in the past. 

May was chosen as Asian American and Pacific Islander Month because the first Japanese immigrated to the United States on May 7, 1843, and the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad was completed on May 10, 1869, with many of the workers being Chinese-Americans.

When students and teachers were asked if they were aware of this heritage month, some answered, “I think so,” whereas others replied that they were only aware because of online exposure, one saying, “I saw the category on Hulu.” Two people out of the twelve that were surveyed answered with a complete “no.”

Princess Anne has one Asian cultural society: the Princess Anne Filipino American Culture Society (FACS), but there is a lack of other Asian societies. 

The school itself has not particularly highlighted the heritage month; however, the school system has posted across various social media platforms, shining light on the month. 

Two Asian American students of different ethnicities from PA voiced their opinions regarding the school and the community’s overall attitude towards the month. 

Jordan Nguyen, a sophomore, hoped for better recognition of the month as she says it is quite important for her. “I feel like I get to be celebrated in a way, but at the same time, not a lot of people say anything about it. As someone who is Asian, the month to me means being able to celebrate my heritage and like grow closer with my identity itself as an Asian American.”

Nguyen shared the importance of celebrating Asians as a minority and recognizing their impact on communities. “Asian people are also a greatly impacted minority in the states, and I just wish we got a lot more recognition for all the things we do. We benefit the community, and not much has ever been said about it at school.” 

Nguyen expressed the significance of her Asian heritage, specifically Vietnamese culture in her everyday life. “I identify very closely my heritage. We celebrate all [of the]cultural events, and I have many different symbolic items around my house. I also consistently eat Vietnamese food, like almost every night I believe.”

Her family goes to many different Vietnamese festivals, celebrates Lunar New Year’s, as well as traveling to Vietnam every summer. 

Nguyen also shared things she wished more people knew about Vietnamese culture. She explained that Vietnamese culture and food has so much range, “…we have so much more than pho and I just really wish people could see that.”

In general, Nguyen hopes people will see beneath the surface of Vietnam, specifically in reference to it as a country outside of solely an American perspective. “I wish people would see Vietnam in general as a country.” She explains that people tend to bring up America’s Vietnam War when she speaks about Vietnam. Nguyen says that the war was not a significant cultural aspect to the country. “There’s so many different and beautiful aspects of Vietnam that I would just love for people to really get to know.”

Jaxon Carino, a Filipino junior expressed similar views in regards to external views on his culture. Carino shares that he wishes people would acknowledge Filipino cuisine more. “The food is amazing. All of it’s good, except for balut.” Balut is a Filipino street food that is simply fertilized duck egg, a delicacy for many within the culture, but also disliked by many. 

As for what the month means to him, Carino stated, “I just feel like nothing goes on for me. I know there’s some stuff like the Asian festival and Fil-Fest, which happens not even during the month of May… I think just a little bit more [could be done].”

“Nobody really posts it on their story that much. It’s not really on Instagram Reels or TikTok or anything,” Carino added.

Both Carino and Nguyen expressed ideas on how to further celebrate the special month.

Carino focused more on a specific cultural aspect such as encouraging others to buy food from local Filipino restaurants such as Susan’s Kitchenette or Angie’s Bakery. 

Nguyen had a broader approach. “I feel like we could better celebrate it by talking about proud Asian American figures and  bringing light to all the work that Asians do.” She hopes to celebrate her culture for more than just a day or month, allowing others to learn more about all Asian cultures and everything that they offer.

“I feel like as a school we can definitely do more for Asian American Heritage Month because such a large amount of us make up the population and I feel like we are not getting the same type of representation as everybody else sometimes.”

“Asians in general are such like an amazing variety of cultures and I feel like a lot of people should learn about us and get to enjoy our culture.” Nguyen explained. 

Nguyen reaffirms her belief that Asian Americans in general provide a variety of different cultures that blend into our community as a whole, encouraging more people to take the time to educate themselves and enjoy the best aspects of Asian cultures.