#itasa2016-2017

1. What is your TASA's community like? Our TASA welcomes everyone! We try our best to embody the welcoming community that Taiwanese Americans are. We love food (minced pork rice anyone?), meeting new people, and being our ridiculous selves. 

2. What do you wish to accomplish on your campus/What influence or effect would you like to have on people at your school? Our goal is to create a space for Taiwanese American students or any student partial to our community to meet people and make friends. We really just want to help people form those bonds that carry you through college and through the rest of your life. TASA is where a lot of our board members made our first friends, and those bonds have stayed with us to graduation and beyond. 

1. What is Yale TASA's community like?

The Taiwanese American Society (TAS) at Yale aims to promote awareness through the cultural, social, and political events and serves as a multilateral platform to connect anyone and everyone interested in Taiwanese culture. Yale TAS is non-exclusive and embraces with open arms all who are interested in joining the organization. From learning how to fold dumplings to sampling authentic Taiwanese dishes, from becoming a Big Sib for adopted Chinese children in CASPY to bonding with a TAS family, TAS welcomes everyone interested in participating. While advocating for cultural diversity, inclusion, and participation in conjunction with the other cultural organizations on campus, TAS, above all, is a supportive community consisting of a warm and diverse group of friends.

2. What do you wish to accomplish on your campus/What influence or effect would you like to have on people at your school?

The largest goal for TAS is promoting cultural awareness, aiming to increase diversity inclusion and multicultural participation on campus. TAS holds political events that provide safe spaces for discussion and invite speakers to address pressing issues. Through the TAS newsletter, TAS serves as the receiver and distributor of important events and different opportunities in Taiwan and in aspects of cultural and diversity engagement. In addition, TAS holds many food events to share the beauty of Taiwanese cuisine. Most importantly, TAS aspires to function as a platform where students of Taiwanese heritage can connect with their roots and where students of all races can find welcoming inclusion into the TAS and the larger Asian American community at Yale.  

3. What are some of your favorite things about Taiwan/Taiwanese culture?

Vivian Chen 

Year: Senior 

Age: 21 

School: New York University 

Major: Applied Psychology

Minors: Producing and Creative Writing 

Hometown: Hong Kong 

Been on ITASA: Summer 2013 

A little about yourself: I love listening to music and choreographing, but sadly haven’t really danced again since freshman year. 

Christie Shen 

Year: Junior 

Age: 21 

School: Johns Hopkins University 

Major: Public Health 

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA 

Been on ITASA: since summer 2015 

A little about yourself: I can lick my elbow? 

Alison Chan 

Year: Senior 

Age: 22 

School: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign 

Major: Psychology

Minor: Asian American Studies 

Hometown: Carpentersville, CA 

Been on ITASA: Summer 2016 

Name: Justin Doong

Year: Senior

Age: 22

School: Stanford University

Major: Electrical Engineering

Hometown: Kildeer, IL (Chicago area)

Been on ITASA: First Year

A little about yourself: I play the violin, I'm a big basketball and football fan, and my favorite boba drink is Hot Taro Milk from Fantasia!

Name: Deborah Wu

Year: Senior/ Class 2017

Age: 21

School: University of Maryland, College Park

Major: Community Health, Public Health Science

Hometown: Silver Spring, Maryland

Been on ITASA: First year on ITASA! Been involved in UMCP TASA since freshman year of college.

A little bit about yourself: I’m a bit on the weird side, some what of a dork, maybe considered a nerd :) I love flying pigs and am a pretty big fan of any adorable little creatures. I promise I don’t bite so feel free to hit me up for a conversation! I’d love to get to know more people! 

Name: Harry Tong

Year: It’s 2016 but he never filled this out so idk. 

Age: College age. 

School: Northwestern University

Major: Professional Singer

Hometown: Naperville, Illinois

Been on ITASA: Forever in his heart.