Multicultural Student Services Center to host celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month on May 1; all invited
KINGSTON, R.I. – April 21, 2025 – URI’s Multicultural Student Services Center (MSSC) invites all members of the University of Rhode Island community to join in a celebration launching this year’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month on Thursday, May 1, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom; doors will open at 10:45 a.m. Registration is required by April 27.
The annual program celebrates student contributions and invites members of Rhode Island’s local Asian community to attend and share perspective. Rhode Island Senator Victoria Gu (District 38, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown) and Senator Linda Ujifusa (District 11, Portsmouth, Bristol) will deliver keynote remarks on “Navigating Culture, Identity, and Belonging” at this year’s program. They are Rhode Island’s first elected legislators of Asian descent in the State House. Last year, Xay Khamsyvoravon, Newport’s first Asian-American mayor, spoke.
This year’s Asian Cultural Ambassador Awards honoring URI community members for their leadership and commitment to promoting Asian culture and inclusion at the University will also be presented. The program promotes understanding and cooperation between people of diverse backgrounds at URI and offers a way for students to find civic engagement and to celebrate cultures of heritage or interest.
Sponsored by engineering faculty member Professor Qing (Ken) Yang, the first person from the Chinese mainland to join the faculty at URI, each award recipient will receive $500. Nominations may be submitted through April 27.
“I am truly fortunate to be part of such an exceptional community,” Yang says, “and feel a strong sense of gratitude toward this remarkable institution.”
This year’s program will also include remarks from Neelam Ahmed ’22 who went on to receive her master’s degree in public health at Brown University and is now a doctoral student at Northeastern University Center for Health Policy and Healthcare Research.
Attendees are also invited to dress to represent their Asian or Pacific Islander culture.
The annual event is presented by URI’s Office of Community, Equity and Diversity and URI Dining with the Chinese Culture Club and the University’s Asian, South Asian, Filipino, Middle Eastern and Papuan student associations.
All MSSC programs are open to all in the URI community. For more information, contact Jean Nsabumuremyi at jnsabumuremyi@uri.edu, 401-874-5829.
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