By: Ava Uhlack, Sept. 17, 2024
California Assembly Bill 190 allocated $8 million across the California State University System in support of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Student Achievement programs with Cal Poly Pomona receiving a $360,000 grant.
As an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander serving institution, CPP has the required percentage from AANAPISI population to apply to certain grants, according to Dora Lee, the director for Academic Support & Learning Services from the Office of Student Success.
“We are going to explore possibly developing a Pacific Islander American experience course,” said Lee. “Some money will go to that to build that curriculum and in the meantime look for scholars that could bridge some of that knowledge gap.”
Along with campus opportunities being explored, the grant will be used for possible incoming students from the APIDA community.
“Our end goal for this year is to offer a leadership conference for our Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian students,” said Lee. “It’s going to be open to high school students, college students, community college students to connect with their community.”
Accompanying the Office of Student Success, the Asian and Pacific Islander Student Center is also assisting with allocating the grant to give students the best resources.
“We are relaunching what we call ‘AMP,’” said Lylannie Ducut, the retention coordinator for the APISC. “It’s our Asian and Pacific Islander mentorship program. We have a cohort of 17 students, new first-year students and transfer students.
The mentorship program began before the pandemic and allowed for students to be paired with a mentor, according to Ducut. Alongside the partnership, students would have academic, career and personal navigation support opportunities through workshops and events with guest speakers and alumni.
The APISC offers other resources throughout the semester available to all students, including a space for extended study hours during finals, according to Ducut, and free printing and scantrons available for student use.
They also have cultural events throughout the year, including an annual Lunar New Year celebration around late January to early February and the celebration of APIDA heritage month starting in April, according to Ducut. Nationally, it is celebrated in May, but due to the academic calendar ending in May, the APISC starts the celebration early.
Within the different initiatives to highlight the APIDA community, Ducut is working with Academic Affairs, the Department of Ethnic and Women’s studies, Lee and others in a partnership to cover ensure this grant is used to its full potential.
“As someone who attended a CSU in their undergrad, I’m really proud that we’re able to achieve and receive grant funds to support all our students on this campus and uplift our community that has been underrepresented,” said Ducut. “APIDA students have always been conflated and for us to now highlight Pasifika and Oceania students on this campus is something I am personally excited for as they have been marginalized in higher education for so long.”
According to Andrea Mae Cunanan, who identifies with the APIDA community, the arrival of this grant is putting CPP on the right track to becoming more inclusive and more well-versed.
“There has always been these ideas and these wants, and now the conversation is turning from a ‘hopefully’ or ‘maybe’ to ‘how do we do that now’ and ‘how can we collaborate to do this now,” said Cunanan.
Events for the APIDA community have already begun with a welcome lunch and formal announcement of the grant held Sept.10 in the Bronco Student Center, Ursa Major.
The APISC will continue to put on events in the coming months with announcements coming via MYBar,its website and Instagram.
Featured image courtesy of Tom Zasadzinski