AANHPI Heritage Month: Celebrate and Learn

Today’s topic is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month.

This month, we celebrate and recognize the many contributions of Americans who trace their ancestry to one of the Asian countries or islands of the Pacific.

NOVA is designated as an AANAPISI college, and collegewide, in academic year 2022–23, 17% of our students reported being of Asian descent. At our Annandale Campus, which is home to the AAPI Intercultural Learning Center, this figure rises to 22% — aligning more closely with the demographics of Fairfax County, in which about 21% of residents are of Asian descent.

May is the perfect month to stop by the center, whether you’re a regular visitor or will be visiting for the first time. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the center offers a welcoming, bright, art-filled hub that supports student learning, promotes a sense of belonging and helps students connect with services that promote their retention and completion. It also assists faculty interested in understanding AAPI culture, expanding their curriculum or connecting with AAPI organizations. NOVA is completing the third year of the AANAPISI grant, and I thank Director Dr. Mei Lin Frame for her leadership of this important project.

I also want to take a moment this month to highlight a partnership between NOVA and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art that is also in its third year. Each summer, NMAA awards half of its paid internships (five) to NOVA students. This innovative collaboration connects our students with careers in arts organizations and to the amazing cultural resources at the NMAA, which has a full calendar of AANHPI programming. My appreciation to Director Chase Robinson and his team for this impactful, innovative collaboration.

And just a reminder about the upcoming VCCS webinar, “Intentional Inclusion: Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Students in the VCCS,” which will be facilitated by NOVA Senior Research Analyst Diana Bharucha. You can register here for the May 15 Intentional Inclusion webinar.

This month, I encourage all of us at NOVA to celebrate AANHPI history, heritage, culture and contributions and to learn more about how to strengthen the sense of belonging for our students and colleagues of Asian and Pacific Island descent.

Kind Regards,
Anne