AAPI students make up 33% of UCLA undergraduates while white students make up 26%. The strong AAPI community at UCLA is not just in the numbers. AAPI culture is prevalent from popular Asian student organizations like the Association of Chinese Americans (ACA) to various Asian cuisines in the dining halls (pho, pork sisig, bibimbap, etc).
Naturally, I quickly found myself at home at UCLA. As an international student coming straight from an Asian country, I was relieved to have my Asian identity appreciated by my peers. Students had a genuine understanding of Asian culture instead of stereotypes and were interested in learning more about my Japanese roots. I also found it inspiring to see a lot of girls who look like me in leadership roles!
As I got used to this new home and started exploring the rest of LA, I realized that this “Asian bubble” at UCLA was indeed just a bubble. If you drive further west to Brentwood, you’ll find yourself in a predominantly white neighborhood that screams old money. If you drive east near Hollywood, you will be surrounded by a whitewashed culture and less diverse AAPI representation. Catch LA is a signature example of this—I noticed that all the workers were white except for the one AAPI worker handing out paper towels in the bathroom. It broke my heart to see that the image of Asian leaders in UCLA didn’t hold true in the rest of LA.
To be honest, UCLA feels comfortable to me, and I don’t really want to force myself outside the bubble. But I know this is an unrealistic sense of security. Ignoring the racism in the world and pretending that the rest of America is also AAPI/Asian-friendly is not going to make the world a better place. We need to acknowledge that UCLA is just a bubble and that there is much more work to be done in uplifting AAPI people.
It’s okay to have an Asian friend group or feel comfortable in an Asian community. But it’s also important to have a broader network of diverse friends to learn from each other. Understanding each other can help break stereotypes and amplify each other’s voices. So, let’s step outside of our comfort zone this AAPI Heritage Month! Let’s step outside the Bruin bubble and spotlight AAPI voices in the larger LA community!