RIC’s Asian Student Association Awarded by R.I. Legislators

Sen. Linda Ujifusa and Sen. Victoria Gu, the first Asian Americans elected to the Rhode Island state legislature, honored the Rhode Island College Asian Student Association (ASA) for promoting Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) history and culture.

On the senate floor of the State House, during a resolution in honor of AANHPI Heritage Month, Gu presented individual certificates to members of the ASA executive board, along with a certificate of special recognition for the organization itself. There to receive their awards were ASA president, Andy Pham; ASA treasurer, Roungrut Sonevong; and ASA social media director Linda Valdez. (From left in photo: Ujifusa, Valdez, Gu, Pham and Sonevong.)

“This executive board embodies the best of our students,” notes Professor Vince Bohlinger, ASA faculty co-advisor. “They revived an inactive organization this past fall and have done a tremendous amount of work to share Asian and Asian American culture on campus. Membership in the organization is now at or over 100.”