Asian American Association brings cultural celebration to Miami

Oxford residents got a taste of Asian culture in the heart of the Midwest on Friday, Oct. 24, with the Asian American Association’s (AAA) annual Asian Cultural Fest, which took place in the Oxford Memorial Park from 4-7 p.m.

Bordering the park, members of various cultural organizations on campus — including Global Initiatives, Indian Students Association and Japanese Culture and Language Club (JCLC), among others — had tabletop presentations about life abroad and their respective countries.

Natassia York, a sophomore art history and French double major, said she has been working with her team to organize the event since May. York is in her first year serving on the executive board for AAA, one of the largest multicultural organizations on campus.

“I came from a more multicultural area,” York said. “I'm Wasian, I’m Latvian, I'm Chinese, I'm Japanese, so being able to be in a blended space, especially with Asian American Association, it being kind of the catch-all Asian org, is really friendly to multi-ethnic Asians like myself. It's very rare that we get to see everyone in Oxford, especially around a cultural event [...] it's a lot of fun seeing the blend of cultures. Not only like Asians, but just the cultural makeup of Ohio.”

AAA was not the only organization at the event advocating for diverse cultural experiences on campus. Miami University's Global Initiatives center, represented by Chi Truong and Mina Khurana, works to expand students' perspectives, offering study abroad programs and opportunities for international students.

Chi Truong, a senior international studies major and international admissions ambassador from Vietnam, praised the Global Initiatives center for increasing interconnectedness on campus for international students.

“Oxford can be sometimes a very distancing place, and an environment where you don't see a lot of people that look like you or feel like you,” Truong said. “Working in an office where you know the majority is like you is very calming to me [...] establishing a friend or community is just so nice.”

Truong was joined by Khurana, her coworker and an international student from India.

“Mina and I, we have had great experiences here at Miami,” Khurana said. “Sometimes it feels disconnected with like among the community, but also just being able to share our cultures with [...] American Students and Oxford community, that is also a good opportunity.”

In addition to the informational presentations, AAA organized hourly performances by Miami organizations, such as Seoul in Miami (SeMi), the Red Dragons martial arts club and Luxxe, a K-pop dance group from Cincinnati.

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Karina Hollenkamp, one of the original founders of SeMi and former vice-president, attended the event, bringing her current Cincinnati-based K-pop cover group along with her.

As a 2025 graduate of Miami with degrees in biochemistry and pre-medical studies with a minor in Japanese, Hollenkamp said that K-pop interest has grown in the past three to four years — especially with the help of AAA.

“I think the biggest part of growing that dance community specifically was having the people who host [Asian Cultural Fest],” Hollenkamp said. “So, AAA and KASA [Korean American Student Association], with Asian cultural meetings, [are] really just trying to spread culture around Miami.”

AAA prides itself on being a place to foster community and celebrate cultural roots from all over Asia, regularly partnering with groups celebrating Asian culture, such as SeMi, for their biweekly meetings.

“It’s been encouraging that we are kind of a home or a home base, kind of a hub for other Asian orgs,” York said.

AAA meets biweekly on Wednesday in Shidler 001, putting together both educational and activity-based member events throughout the semester. The organization is open to members of all backgrounds. Interested students can find the organization on Instagram @aaa_miamioh.

froschse@miamioh.edu