With a desire for a place to talk about their culture, freshmen Kristen Rosenthal and Stefi Peck established Club Asia on campus.

While there are no Asian language classes at school, this club provides 30 minutes each week for students to learn about both culture and language, Rosenthal said.

“I started Club Asia because I want people to be aware of the Asian culture while having fun,” Rosenthal said. “Not many people know about the diversity of Asia, and Club Asia gives them a chance to learn.”

As club adviser, Yoko Kilbourne supervises the meetings. However, she said that the club’s activities are initiated and organized by students.

“I like it [Club Asia] because it was started by two of our students, and it is student-led,” Kilborne said. “I don’t get them an agenda; they plan it and execute.”

Meetings organize members

The club holds various activities through lunch meetings on most Mondays.

At one meeting, members participated in a Chinese jump rope competition. Freshman Kevin Thao placed first after completing a jumping pattern over a 3-foot high rope.

“My favorite activity was learning Chinese jump rope,” Brandon Porter, ’13, said. “It was really fun because it was an interactive way to learn about Chinese culture. We all had a good time at the meeting when we found out Kevin could jump like a ninja.”

In addition to activities, most meetings include trays of different kinds of Asian food.

While club co-president Rosenthal brings Japanese food, her co-president Peck shares Filipino dishes. Occasionally freshmen Maddie Yee brings Chinese food and Thao shares Hmong, Rosenthal said.

“I joined Club Asia because all my friends were in it,” Jordan Boudreau, ’13, said. “Also I wanted a chance to try food from all parts of Asia. Chinese is my favorite, especially chow mein, but I like trying new foods.”

Guest Michiko Rosenthal visited the club one meeting and introduced sushi and other Japanese delicacies. She instructed the members as they piled their seaweed sheets with their chosen toppings. After they finished making sushi and fried tofu rolls, trays of assorted Japanese dishes were brought out to eat.

“I thought making sushi was really fun,” Peck said. “It was a hands-on experience, and easy enough for me to make at home. My favorite food, though, was the fried tofu beacause it was something different from what I usually eat.”

Leaders look to next year

In its first year, the club experienced a slow start, Rosenthal said. However, she hopes for greater attendance and participation in the club next year.

“Our club is not very big this year, but we hope to do a better job next year,” Rosenthal said. “We want to get hold of more students’ attention by inviting speakers and having more varieties of food.”

For information about current Club Asia activities, contact co-presidents Rosenthal and Peck or adviser Kilbourne.