Cultural Celebration Picnic with Asian American and Nepali Student Association

The University of Central Oklahoma’s Asian American Student Association hosted a cultural celebration picnic in collaboration with the Nepali Student Association on Wednesday, Oct. 8, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Buddy’s Lawn. 

AASA President Kalvin Gutierrez said events like this are meant to make UCO’s international students feel welcome and represented. 

“UCO is a big international school,” Gutierrez said. “AASA’s goal is to make those international students in the Asian community feel at home and give them some culture so they feel represented.”

Gutierrez said that before joining AASA, he didn’t know much about his heritage, and the organization has helped him learn more about his cultural background while helping others do the same. Gutierrez said that AASA isn’t just about fun events but also serving and bringing together Edmond’s Asian community. 

“For some people, it may just seem like we do festivities, but we always try to incorporate cultural meaning,” he said.

The collaboration with the NSA centered around the Nepali festival Dashain, the main festival in Nepal that represents good over evil and the importance of family.

Sandhya Rimal, Student Engagement Coordinator for NSA, said that during Dashain, older family members apply tika to the foreheads of younger family members and give blessings. Tika is a mixture of vermillion powder, rice, and water. They also wear jamara, a grass grown from seeds planted on the first day of Dashain, behind their ears or in their hair.

The Dashain festival lasts 15 days, with the first five days focused on visiting temples and receiving blessings from the gods.

Gutierrez said AASA often partners with other cultural groups on campus to build unity and share audiences. 

Larger events, such as the annual Asian Moon Festival, can take up to three months to plan and cost between $3,000 and $4,000, while smaller events like the picnic cost around $300 and bring in about 50 to 80 participants.

This semester, AASA plans to host more events, including a Studio Ghibli movie night later this month featuring “My Neighbor Totoro,” where attendees will be served food shown in the film. AASA will also host a karaoke night on Nov. 13.

Beyond campus, AASA often invites representatives from the Greater OKC Asian Chamber of Commerce to speak at its events. Gutierrez will represent AASA at the Chamber’s annual gala, scheduled for Nov. 6 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Vast in the Devon Tower.