Our Time 1998

I MSA prided itself on the formation and development of the many cultures and peoples at the Academy. The Asian Cultures Club, Alma Latina, and AASA were just a few of the ways student creativity and interest in cultures other than their own were displayed. This obvious appreciation of different customs has identified what IMSA truly is, a diverse and nurturing community of its students. The Asian Cultures Club, as is indicated by its name, is meant to display the holidays and traditions of the Asian student body. This club, like all others, does not restrict members; on the contrary, all students of all backgrounds are invited to participate. Tessie Kim, one of the five senior co-chairs of the club stated that the club spent "a lot of time pulling together activities" such as the Indian holiday of Diwali, the Lunar New Year, and the Harvest Moon Festival. In order to make sure that students fully tasted the culture, food, dances, and music were provided. As Tessie said, "There is a lot of time and effort behind them, but I definetly think all the festivals are worth the wo r k ." Alma Latina is another club which displays students' cultural identity. Beatrix Sandoval, the Senior President of the club, stated that Alma Latina "really tried to be a group whe re different shades of the world are shown, both Hispanic and not." Along with Co-President Senior David Zacarias, Vice President Junior J immy Valadez, and Secretary Senior Denise Kellenberger, she incorporated Hispanic influence into the club's trips to Latino museums, movies, and other events. The group was like a "support system," as Beatriz said, with all members, Hispanic or not, sharing cultural experiences. The African American Student Association, or AASA for short, was another of IMSA's diversity clubs. Students tried to make AASA a bridge for both African American and non African American students to learn about the culture. To do this, there were modern poetry reading, movies, and activities such as opportunities to hear modern African American leaders speak. As Sophomore Deana Hayes said, "It was really interesting." % # ft p i t Hanguk Youth Association Row 1 - Tessie Kim, Jay Mowli, Jen Cheung Row 2- Regina Won, Hyun Jin Son, Alice Kim, Juhee Kim Asian Cultures Club Row 1 - Anthony Nuval, Kavi Sagi, Grace Yang, Isaia Kisiem, Abby Moy Row 2 - Alice Kim, Emily Wu, Maliha Mustafa, Tess Jay Mowli Row 3 - MaryAnne Liong, Hyun Jin Son, Juhee Kim, R Won, David Nopachai PME Row 1 Jason Wiley, Andy Torres, Eduardo Pina Above Left: Emily Wu instructs Paul Bunsongsikul, Rita Wang, Kevin Yao, and Peng Wu the next moves for the pop dance that was presented at the Lunar New Year Celebration 168 ^JLAU