If you do not already know, Bentley has an on-campus organization, Bentley Asian Students Association (BASA). This article is an interview of Banmai Huynh about her journey in this organization and her experience planning their signature event: Asian Culture Gala.
Banmai Huynh is a junior at Bentley University majoring in Corporate Finance and Accounting. From Chelmsford, Massachusetts, she has impacted the Bentley community through her various involvements in the Honors and Women’s Leadership Programs and being an RSVP Peer Educator, HerCampus President, and Orientation Leader.
One of her key involvements is BASA. She states that this organization aims to celebrate all the diverse Asian cultures through events with diversity, equity, and inclusion themes, open forums, performances, of course, and food.
Banmai joined BASA during her freshman year because she felt disconnected from other students due to taking classes remotely during the pandemic. She states, “I wanted to find a group on campus where I would make friends and feel part of something bigger. I interviewed to be a freshman liaison, got the position, and the rest is history.” As a leading member of BASA, she has served as the social media coordinator, creative director, and secretary and is now the junior advisor. By serving in various roles, she has made a great impact. She says, “My biggest accomplishment in BASA was designing a fundraiser during my freshman year to combat and help the victims of the rise in AAPI hate crimes. We raised $3,500 over one week and donated it all to Stop AAPI Hate.”
Throughout the school year, BASA hosts general student body meetings and numerous events such as bubble tea chats, paint and sips, Asian Night Market, and Asian Culture Gala (ACG).
ACG took place recently on Friday, April 21st, in the Arena. To plan such a largely attended and successful event, much work must be put in. Banmai explains that BASA works with AIA to get a budget for performers, decor, and food. They then begin recruiting local performers and the headlining act. The performers are usually the largest part of their budget. Additionally, they cater food from local Asian restaurants, and the remainder of the budget goes towards decorations and other miscellaneous needs.
This year at ACG there were many performers. Some notable ones were MIT’s East Asian Dance team, Bethany Barber (Bentley alumni), the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association Yoyo Team, and Jessica Lin and Wesley Chan from Wong Fu Productions.
Banmai’s favorite performance was the Imperial Lion Dance Team, as they did “a very high-level, traditional dance performance, complete with tricks and five lions!”
With 200+ attendees on Friday, it is important to note why this event is important and impactful. Banmai says, “With Bentley being a PWI and Asian students only making up about 9% of the Bentley population (last time I checked), it is important that we get to celebrate our culture, share it with others, and make ourselves heard on campus.”
When I asked the question, “What have you learned from organizing such a large event,” Banmai responded with, “Abraham Lincoln once said, ‘Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.’ I have learned that preparation really is the key to success, and the more work you do before the event to get things into place, the smoother the day of the event will go.”
Already thinking about next year’s ACG, Banmai is excited to see what the theme will be and hopes that they will have more performers and food. This was BASA’s first time hosting the event in the Arena, and it will not be the last. She also has other event ideas she would love to incorporate next year around Asian dance and fashion. She states how this is an area BASA has never ventured into before and thinks it would be a hit on campus!
In conclusion, Banmai wishes more people knew how committed members are to their mission as an organization. She states how BASA is constantly hosting events to spread Asian culture and bring together all students on campus. She hopes that more people of diverse backgrounds and different organizations would attend their events to experience their cultures with them.
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