By Giselle Lee | Staff Writer
The Baylor Korean Student Association held its annual Hanin Gala in the SUB Barfield Drawing Room Sunday evening. The event, themed “Crazy Rich Asians,” consisted of performances and a raffle.
President of the Korean Student Association and Memphis, Tenn., senior Eunice Yi said it was the organization’s goal to host for the sake of advertising the organization, but also to promote inclusion for everyone.
“We try to show that you don’t have to be Korean if you want to join KSA,” Yi said. “We wanted to host things like these so that we can get more people out because we get people who attend Hanin Gala that aren’t Korean or non-members … they come out and become members afterwards.”
Yi said despite having ups and downs this semester, the evening was a success.
“Right before this event, we all had a lot of stuff going on, but it’s nice to see that all of us came together, and we managed to pull off this event and host well,” Yi said.
Fort Worth junior Esther Ekpo said attending cultural events such as the Hanin Gala helps other students learn more about elements of culture they wouldn’t see unless they visited the country, even for those with multicultural upbringings.
“I have a very wide variety of cultures in my family, so I think that being involved in different cultures is very helpful for students,” Ekpo said. “Even if it’s not your ethnicity, I think that being here and doing events like this is important to get to understand not only the culture itself, but the people that have already been influenced through being raised in that culture.”
The event also had Lion Dancing for the first time in 11 years of the gala’s history, creating further integration between various Asian organizations across campus.
Co-dance Chair for the Korean Dance Team and Dallas junior Camille Santos said the event was a good opportunity to build community for current and future Asians who attend Baylor.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for all the Asian organizations to mix with each other and get to know each other, rather than being distinctively Vietnamese or Korean people,” Santos said. “I think that integration between the communities really builds a sense of belonging for a lot of people, especially freshmen who are coming in, not knowing anyone; it helps them feel welcome, find their place here at Baylor.”
Dallas sophomore Ethan Kang said promotion of various cultures builds awareness that Baylor’s community is not just “one race or one culture.”
“It’s cool to show people that want to come to Baylor that they can be a part of this as well,” Kang said. “I’m part of this culture, so I want to be along in that culture and so I can also be a part of that; however, even if you’re not Korean you can learn about it.”
Kang, who performed as part of the Korean Dance Team, said that he didn’t expect to become part of the team, but said the experience was something new for him.
“I encourage people just to get out of their comfort zone and just do try new things,” Kang said. “There’s a lot of things that Baylor you can do, so just try step out and do it.”
Ekpo said despite Baylor’s attention to promoting diversity through creating space for multicultural events, she encouraged students to be proactive in learning more.
“When a lot of people think about joining different cultures or different groups like this, it can be hard, especially if you’re not a part of that people group,” Ekpo said. “It’s important to at least keep trying because these things open your eyes, especially with what’s happening around the world. It’s good to be more aware, rather than ignorant. So being brave and stepping out is the first step, and not many people will even take it, but you should.”
