University Prep’s first ever night market happened on May 2. It was hosted by the Asian and Pacific Islander Student Union affinity group (APISU) partnering with Global Link Taiwan.
The idea sprouted when Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Taylor Kanemori led an Asian and Pacific Islander (API) affinity group meeting at the beginning of the year.
“On our very first meeting in September, they told me that they had this awesome idea for a night market. They really wanted to make it happen,” Kanemori said.
The night market was part of UPrep’s Bring It Back night, highlighting the Global Link programs, snow school and more. Global Link Taiwan partnered with APISU to bring back the night markets they visited in Taichung and Taipei, Taiwan.
Junior Nathan Lee, an APISU student leader, was excited to be working with Global Link Taiwan.
“It will be really cool to have that experience, especially at UPrep, where you don’t have to go anywhere else. And especially with the people that went to Global Link already went to a night market they can help bring back that vibe,” Lee said before the event.
But the intention isn’t just to bring Taiwan to UPrep.
“The purpose is to highlight all Asian Pacific Islander culture and to celebrate that through food,” Kanemori said. “The Asian Pacific Islander umbrella has a lot of different cultures underneath it. And the four leaders of the APISU all identify differently under the API umbrella, so they wanted to have an event that could showcase all of their cultures.”
One APISU leader, junior Sonia Sidhu, ran a booth at the night market representing Indian culture. With more than 10 booths, the event helped people get a taste of different Asian cultures.
“A lot of these people haven’t tried all these foods before, and it brings more awareness of Asian culture and how diverse the API community at UPrep is. Because it’s not just Chinese food, but a variety of different cultures,” Sidhu said.