The establishment of any club at North Atlanta gives any group of students a chance to make new friends and promote important shared ideas. A brand new club at our school will allow that all-important process to happen for students at our school who come from a culturally Asian background. 

Juniors Sam Nelson, Annie Kim and Chase Parish have worked together to create North Atlanta’s Asian Culture Club, a group that will celebrate the best that Asian culture has to offer, and will allow for an even stronger voice at our school for students who are of Asian heritage. 

The club’s trio of founders, two of whom are Korean-Americans and one of whom is a Chinese-American, say their new organization has been a long time in the making. Nelson, Kim and Parish all felt there was a need for an organization where students can express their culture’s unique perspective and to celebrate the traditions that students carry from their homes. 

Nelson said he has lofty ambitions for this club, and a primary goal will be educating the school’s larger student body about the many contributions that Asian-Americans have made to U.S. culture as a whole. Although club meetings will start virtually, Nelson knows that with the support of his club members, their shared endeavor will be a success. “I’m excited to have the ability to involve people in my culture as it plays a big part in my life, especially the food!” he said.

Annie Kim said she is ecstatic to be able to meet with her peers and to promote her culture. She said a common experience among students of Asian extraction is encountering misunderstandings that people can have about those who are different then them. “I just want our presence to be acknowledged,” says Kim. “Asians don’t get much spotlight in school in general, and I want to be able to change that for the better.”

Even though a school year that has started remotely has meant a different kind of club launching, there’s been widespread enthusiasm among the club’s new members for what they are starting together. Anna Greer, another new club member, traces her heritage to the central Asian country of Georgia — not to be confused with the American state we all call home. Greer said she looks forward to promoting Georgian culture while learning about other country’s traditions as well. “I’ve had Asian influences in my life, and I’m happy there is now a place where I can discuss similarities I may have with others,” she said.

As the club takes its first steps, leaders and members alike will certainly be hard at work to make this club thrive. With the goal of nurturing people’s knowledge of Asian life, the Asian Culture Club will provide a positive setting for all NAHS students for this school year and all the years to follow.