Maha Amer moved to the United States at 18 years old to begin her collegiate diving journey. Five years later, she reflects on her early upbringing, the start of her diving career and how it led her to a second home at UF.
The sound of people speaking Chinese, Japanese or Tagalog layer over K-pop harmonies. The smell of Indian spices floats in from next door. It’s the sight, sound and smell of home. Located on the corner of Southwest 34th Street and Archer Road and nicknamed “Gainesville’s Chinatown” by some for its high concentration of Asian restaurants, there are more than 15 Asian businesses within a mile of each other.
“If I was a brand new student at UF [walking] down the halls of the Reitz Union or some other high traffic area, and I saw images of Asian American students on the walls from the 1900s, from the ‘30s, from the ‘40s … how would that then impact my own ability to connect to the institution?” Phillip Cheng said.
Johnny Nguyen found he enjoyed the comfort of a pencil in his hand from an early age while growing up in Urbana, Illinois. Now a recent graduate from UF in business management and economics, the 21-year-old artist still loves to work with his hands. Most of his paintings were studies of different artists, but lately, he’s been inspired by Franklin Booth’s illustrations and Studio Ghibli films because of the attention to detail and whimsical nature.
Nathaniel Chan, 24, is a gay, Chinese American dedicated to using city planning to serve the community he loves. While his determination got him a position with the city, his path there was not always clear.
At first glance, most people I’ve met don’t realize I’m an Asian American, which led to my desire to embrace my Filipino identity. It pushed me to learn more about that side of my heritage. It was something I was proud to represent in my accomplishments, such as graduating high school and attending UF.
Representation matters. Having two top editors of Asian descent for the first time in The Alligator’s 117-year history matters. Their voices, their perspectives and life experiences matter – not only for their newsroom but for the UF community.
Han Yi, who immigrated to the U.S. from China, feels betrayed by the state she’s called home for roughly 10 years due to a bill restricting Chinese citizens from purchasing real estate in Florida. Yi, the vice principal of the HuaGen Chinese School in Gainesville, is one among the many frustrated Asian American and Pacific Islander locals speaking out against three bills signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis aimed at limiting the Chinese Communist Party’s influence on the state.
While attending local farmers markets, Kate Yeung noticed the lack of representation of Asian American business owners among the vendors. The 23-year-old Gainesville resident left her 9-to-5 banker job to start her own business, Coterie Market, empowered by her family’s experience owning businesses in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Some UF students are condemning a state bill that limits Florida’s colleges and universities from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Despite the enormous efforts the community has made to establish its presence, The Alligator has lacked consistent coverage of AAPI people in the Gainesville community. Admittedly, this is the result of an inconsistent amount of AAPI reporters on our staff from semester to semester.
AAPI month serves as a reminder for the students looking to learn more about their heritages, students who haven't had the experience to learn from home.
The No. 20 Florida Gators (38-22, 11-13 SEC) lost to the No. 6 Stanford Cardinal (43-13, 14-10 PAC 12) 11-2 in the sixth game of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Regionals in Palo Alto, California, Sunday.
The No. 20 Florida Gators (38-21, 11-13 SEC) defeated the Loyola Marymount Lions (28-22, 12-3 WCC) 10-6 in the fifth game of the NCAA Regionals in Palo Alto, California Saturday.
The No. 20 Florida Gators (37-21, 11-13 SEC) were shut out by the No. 6 Stanford Cardinal (42-13, 14-10 PAC-12) 8-0 in the third game of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Regionals in Palo Alto, California Saturday. Stanford’s freshman pitcher NiJarre Canady let up only two hits to Florida throughout the entire game.
The No. 4 Florida Gators (42-13, 20-10 SEC) defeated the No. 19 Kentucky Wildcats (36-17, 16-14 SEC) 5-2 Saturday at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington, Kentucky.
The No. 4 Florida Gators (41-13, 19-10 SEC) were defeated by the No. 19 Kentucky Wildcats (36-16, 16-13 SEC) 6-4 Friday evening at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington, Kentucky. The Gators mustered only five hits to Kentucky’s pitching staff which was able to strike out Florida fourteen times.
The No. 20 Florida Gators (37-20, 11-13 SEC) defeated the Loyola Marymount Lions (40-14, 12-3 WCC) 3-2 in the first game of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Regionals in Palo Alto, California Friday.
A Gainesville man was taken into custody May 17 on charges of 11 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography.
The No. 4 Florida Gators (41-12, 19-9 SEC) defeated the No. 19 Kentucky Wildcats (35-16, 15-13 SEC) 10-3 Thursday at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Florida’s offense was headlined by Langford and Kurland who earned three hits and runs each.
Solutions by The State News
