Barstow’s Asian American Pacific Islander Association (AAPIA) club is known for its famous cooking events and lively members. Originally started during the 2022-2023 school year by Lilly Kennedy Gregg ‘24, it has since taken off, expanding to over 40 members. Hosted in Mrs. Lea’s room, AAPIA plans, makes, and enjoys food, while learning about different Asian cultures.
“AAPIA’s purpose is to create a club where people from different cultures can come together and share food,” explains Vice-President Alexandra Huynh ‘24. “We celebrate and cook Asian cuisine, and people are welcome to try out new foods and desserts.”
President Kennedy Gregg formed AAPIA her junior year for several reasons: firstly, “to share culture with the larger Barstow community through food and open dialogue.” Secondly, “To create a space for AAPI students to partake in openly embracing their cultural heritage at school,” and lastly, “to have an outlet to meet and share experiences and become friends with other AAPI students and allies,” she explains.
Kennedy Gregg adds that “AAPIA exists to serve the AAPI community, but also to reach out and let Barstow know that we’re proud of the diverse range of Asian culture that we want to share it with friends, parents, and teachers.”
Those same goals that formed AAPIA are reflected in each meeting and the participants’ interactions with each other. Kennedy Gregg highlights that the club “brings together those who might not otherwise speak to each other,” and it “unites Asian students with other AAPI folks, encouraging them to bring their friends who may not be aware of their culture.”
Those same goals that formed AAPIA are reflected in each meeting and the participants’ interactions with each other. Kennedy Gregg highlights that the club “brings together those who might not otherwise speak to each other,” and it “unites Asian students with other AAPI folks, encouraging them to bring their friends who may not be aware of their culture.”
Each Friday the club hosts a meeting during after-lunch flex periods, participating in open-dialogue discussions and planning periods, explaining differing experiences and how to bring AAPI folks together.
Given that many meetings are spent planning events, it is only right to highlight some events the club has hosted. “I love the cultural cooking events,” Kennedy Gregg explains, “because of how many people they typically bring in, where we get to see our members and their friends who join us for a day of food.”
Huynh specifies that she also loves the cooking events, especially “noodles and dumplings day.” When asked about the next open event for students to join, Huynh tells us that they will enjoy nian gao on Friday, February 16th, boba on Friday, February 23, and kimbap later on.
Along with AAPIA’s exciting events, they also participated in the Cultural Enrichment Festival at Barstow on Sunday, February 4th, 2024.
“We hosted a table where half of it was filled with snacks from China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong for people to try,” explains Huynh. The other half was “set up with traditional Chinese chess, mahjong, fans, jewelry, and papers to try traditional Chinese calligraphy with brushes.”
Kennedy Gregg believes the event was a success, as “we got to talk to so many Barstow families about what we do.”
Given that many AAPIA members are seniors, they are looking to next year to see who will carry on the club. “Hate is ignorance,” explains Kennedy Gregg, highlighting the vital importance of the association. “Education and dialogue chip away at that ignorance and will eventually break down that hate. To share culture is to share one’s family with another.”
So Barstow, get out there and join AAPIA. Whether you have cultural connections or not, there is always something to learn about another (or your own) culture!
