Hobbies and honor societies are just some of the groups to integrate in a weekly or monthly routine, but another good way to immerse yourself in the campus is to learn more about those around you. Culture spread clubs allow students to come together and celebrate diversity, as well as each other. This is the Club Spotlight Corner, and this issue’s organization is the Asian American Pacific Islander Club. 

President of AAPI Club, junior Melody Smith, shares her experience regarding the beginnings of the group, and how much persistence it took.

“I wanted to start a club at Marshall my freshman year and decided to make an AAPI studies club since Marshall has never had one before,” Smith said. “I wanted something to connect the AAPI community at Marshall and to make a club that teaches students at the school more about AAPI cultures. It took me a year and a half to finally start the club after all the paperwork and asking twenty-something teachers to be my sponsor.”

Despite the long search for a sponsor, Smith persisted and found one, allowing the club to begin. 

“Ms.Hunt was the only teacher who said yes,” Smith said. “There was a point where I almost gave up from being stressed, but I pushed through and started it (the club) in December 2023.” 

Finding a staff member to sponsor wasn’t the only challenge. Smith expressed how few members there were when the club was first introduced to the school.

“Last year we had five to ten members,” Smith said.

Yet with the beginning of this school year, that changed with the club membership expanding to 52 people, just a little over five times the original population. With such a jump, there are new goals for the AAPI club.

“My hopes for the club are that we finally get permission to fundraise to be able to have club field trips and that it continues after I graduate,” Smith said.

The Asian American Pacific Islander club is not the only culture spread association. The campus has a class and club for Mexican American Studies, and Smith discusses how the two organizations were involved in the past.

“We have gotten involved with MASSA, like last year with the Cesar Chavez march, but it ended up not going through due to transportation.” Smith said. “Once we got permission, I was thinking of working with all the other cultural clubs like MASSA for a cultural event at Marshall.”

Aside from how Smith wants to get further involved with other clubs on campus, her parting words highlight what AAPI Club is truly about.

“Our club is one that doesn’t judge others and is inclusive. We unite to teach others about the extraordinary world of the AAPI community,” Smith said. “We plan on making Marshall a school that accepts all no matter what background they have, allowing the school to be more understanding of each other.”