By Kristy Louie
In this painting, the Chinese Zodiacs represent my undergrad years at UMass Lowell (UML): the Pig (2019), the Rat (2020), the Ox (2021), and the Tiger(2022). The background colors are part of Cambodia's lucky colors: ក្រហម (red), លឿងចាស់ (dark yellow / yellow orange), ពណ៌ស្វាយ (purple), ពណ៌បៃតងខ្ចី (light green), ពណ៌បៃតង (green), ពណ៌ខៀវ (blue) , and ពណ៌ស្វាយចាស់ (dark purple).
The two cultural clubs it references, Cambodian American Student Association and the Student Association of Chinese Americans, are two clubs that I am a proud member of. I believe that these clubs continuously cultivate and encourage language learning, culture, and belonging.
Culture, Community, and Home
家 “Home”
Home for me is in NYC. The hustle and the bustle, the skyscrapers, and the ease of public transportation. Lowell is completely different in its own unique way and that is what makes Lowell special. The mediators for my connection with Lowell are the two Asian clubs on campus: the Cambodian American Student Association and the Student Association of Chinese Americans. These two clubs gave me a home away from home, something that I cherished throughout my undergraduate years from 2019-2022.
社 会 “ Community”
After my freshman year, I became part of the SACA executive board for two years because I wanted to be involved in the Chinese community and create a sense of unity in the Asian Community at UMass Lowell. It was an influential learning experience. I felt like a foreigner on new terrain when I first came to Lowell and SACA was a way for me to connect myself with UML and with my peers. I saw improvements that could be made, and I wish for it to be better connected to the university, students, and overall, the Lowell community.
For CASA, there was always something new to learn in the club. CASA inspired me to learn more about the Khmer culture and to become more involved with the club. Before coming to Lowell, I did not know that Cambodia was a country and I did not know anything about the culture. I felt a disconnect with the Lowell community because I was unfamiliar with the people that lived in Lowell. The more I learned about the Cambodian culture from CASA, from participating in Intro to Cambodian Culture class with George Chigas and joining the traditional Cambodian dance group part of CASA (the Coconut Dance), the more sense of belonging I felt in the Lowell community. Even though I am not Khmer, I can still relate to their culture, food, and discover similarities within my own culture. Therefore, I was able to find comfort in my own self and in this new land that I may call my home away from home.
文化 “Culture”
I am ethnically Chinese, and I identify myself as Chinese-American. From learning about what the word “Asian” meant in a public elementary school to learning about systematic racism, I am continuously learning about what it means to be “Asian American.”
As a member of two clubs, I noticed a lot of similarities and differences between the cultures. The two major similarities are the food and the respect given to elders. The one major difference is the history between the respective cultures. There is so much more to learn!
Biographical Statement - Kristy Louie
Kristy Louie is an Asian American woman aspiring to make a positive impact on the world. She is a double Riverhawk at UML and is pursuing her MBA in the Business Analytical pathway. After finishing her education, Kristy hopes to pursue a career that pushes her to grow and to create a positive impact on the APPI community.