Small moments, lasting impact: APSA’s butterfly effect

Photo courtesy of Jayden Ramirez

A single moment can spark a ripple of change. This is exactly what Chapman's Asian Pacific Student Association’s (APSA) event highlighted, spotlighting the moments and actions that can shape culture, identity and community. 

Fostering cultural awareness and creating a community for all students, APSA hosted their 27th annual Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month celebration.

The event’s theme, “butterfly effect,” symbolized the idea that small actions of engaging with one’s culture can lead to meaningful changes. 

APSA’s event and its theme sends a message through campus, showing that student voices and cultural representation play a powerful role. 

Co-president of APSA and senior computer science major, Kaye Galang, resonates with the theme of this year's event. 

“I grew up in a pretty whitewashed neighborhood and felt really disconnected from my culture for a long time,” said Galang. “Through experiences with APSA, I’ve realized that reconnecting doesn’t have to be something big. Even small steps like showing up to events or engaging with the community can have a really powerful impact.” 

APSA serves as the umbrella club for other cultural clubs on campus such as Vietnamese Student Association, Pua’ikeana, Kapamilya,Nikkei Student Union and South Asian Student Association, all of which are featured in the annual APIDA celebration. 

Throughout the event, attendees engaged with a range of vendors and performances that showcased talent across cultures. 

The vendors that supported the event offered dumplings, stickers and boba, all while performances included a number of singers and dancers such as Joon, NoSo, Floor 13, Twilight and more.

From dance segments to music sets, each act contributed to the emphasis on APIDA voices and talents. The event not only entertained, but served as a reminder of the importance of representation and visibility for students and the community. 

“APSA feels like a family. It’s a space where people from different backgrounds come together, learn from each other and really appreciate those differences instead of ignoring them,” said Galang.

Senior applied physiology and psychology major Katie Scholle, APIDA co-chair for APSA, shared similar feelings. 

“We all share a passion for the APIDA community and we all come from different backgrounds, trying to stay connected to our community,” said Scholle. 

This celebration is a part of a long-time tradition within APSA, which has centered its work on building a multicultural community of cultural advocacy at Chapman. 

Since its reestablishment in the late 1990s, the organization has played a key role in organizing events and promoting dialogue around social and cultural issues. 

“Having this annual dedicated event, it's a good opportunity and tradition we should always keep,” said Scholle. “We don’t celebrate our cultures enough, and knowing April is when we get to showcase our cultures is really important to me.” 

Students gathered not only to watch, but to support one another and celebrate shared experiences, allowing all to learn from different perspectives in the APIDA community.

As APIDA Heritage Month continues, events like this serve as a reminder of the importance of celebrating underrecognized cultures while also acknowledging the ongoing work needed to create the spaces that APSA has. 

Whether it is a single performance, a single voice or even a single night, APSA’s annual celebration brings forward these moments that instill change. 

“Butterfly effect” not only honors APIDA identities, but also encourages students to consider how their own small actions have caused a ripple within the community.