Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2024 by honoring and highlighting the diverse culture, heritage, and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders throughout history. Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is nationally recognized and serves as an opportunity to honor and celebrate the traditions, food, art, languages, people, culture, and stories of these communities. We encourage our community to study, observe, and celebrate the AAPI community on campus, within the Worcester community, and beyond.   

May was chosen as Asian American and Pacific American Heritage Month to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869.  

The Theme for the observance of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May 2024 is "Advancing Leaders Through Innovation." 

Stem Scholar Highlights:  

• Harsha Rayapati (Aerospace Engineer) 

• Jane Mogina (Ethnobiologist) 

• Peter Tsai (Material Scientist)  

Read, Watch, Listen and Learn 

• Explore the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center online 

• Read the Journal of Asian American Studies via Gordon C. Library 

• Explore AAPI curated resources 

• Read Curated Booklist for AAPI communities 

• Learn more about Polynesian Culture  

• Explore Best AAPI Films, Television, and Literature for Representation 

• Listen to Podcasts that Center AAPI Experiences 

• Explore PBS’s Collection: The Asian American and Pacific Islander Experience 

• Learn about Asian American milestones  

• Watch Pacific Heartbeat: Daughters of the Waves on PBS 

• Join young surfer Vahine Fierro on her journey to reach Olympic gold. In Tahitian culture, riding the waves is an ancestral activity from which women had been gradually eliminated, but now surfing is open to women, just in time for the Olympics. Coming from an entire family of surfers, Fierro and her two sisters hope to make a living with their passion and travel the world. 

Act 

• Support and get involved with The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Asian American and Pacific Islanders Commission  

• Support WPI’s Chinese Student and Scholar Association 

• Support WPI’s Filipino Student Association 

• Support WPI’s Hawaii Cultural Association  

• Support WPI’s Japanese Club 

• Support WPI’s Korean Student Association 

• Support WPI’s Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers Chapter  

• Support WPI’s South Asian Student Association 

• Support WPI’s Vietnamese Student Association 

• Support the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers  

• Support the Society of Native Hawaiian Engineers  

• Support the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum 

• Register to Vote -OR- Check Your Voter Registration  

• Everything you need to vote. Vote.org  

• Become a Poll Worker 

Learn more: https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/asian-american-pacific-islander-heritage-month 

The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Education (ODIME) promotes and oversees all student-facing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) learning experiences, programs, services, trainings, and initiatives for WPI.