The “____” Guy

If you were to attend a general body meeting hosted by the University of Central Florida’s Asian Student Association, you would inevitably come across self-proclaimed, “white guy,” junior Kyle Smith.

In an organization known for its community of Asian American students, Smith stands out. Such a blunt nickname invites laughter and light teasing, which he gladly accepts and even encourages, through his frequent use of the phrase in officer introductions and tabling events.

“I genuinely think it is funny. I can take a little beating from it; sometimes I am the only white guy,” Smith said. “I feel like [for] people who want to experience the culture, sometimes it is easier [if] I am the white guy.”

As the fundraising chair for ASA, Smith has a more exaggerated role in club promotion. He thinks of the combination of his race and his position as a positive, inviting signal to prospective non-Asian members, especially those who are concerned about fitting in.

“I liked seeing Kyle, as well as other non-Asian members take part in the club. To me, it showed that the Asian members were open to sharing their space with their non-Asian friends,” graphic design junior Kayla Andries said.

Though she is Jamaican-Guyanese, Andries started practicing her Mandarin in third grade and continued to learn about Asian culture from her friends in high school. She was interested in furthering her ASA membership into college and has found its members to be very encouraging.

Asian culture is difficult to precisely describe, but it is safe to say that Asian pop culture is widely accepted. The likes of anime and K-pop are widely popular in the West, with passionate fans from both camps eager to share with anyone who will listen.

Still, this is not what many of the Asian organizations, such as ASA and the Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC), are about. Andries is aware of the difference between culture and pop culture; such consciousness does cause her to hesitate to participate.

“As an African American, I have felt alone at times when my friends aren’t around. As much as I like the opportunity to get to know new people, I’m reluctant to introduce myself because I fear some people will think that my interest in Asian culture is superficial,” Andries said.

Such reluctance is not unique to Andries. Senior Romel Scott felt similar, but instead, pushed himself to be more active. As an African American brother in Delta Epsilon Psi, a South-Asian interest fraternity, Scott did have some reservations about engaging in Asian organizations, but was interested in exploring outside of his own culture.

“Everyday people ask me, ‘why are you so involved with Asian culture,’ or due to me being in a South-Asian frat, I am asked why I did not join a Black fraternity instead,” Scott said.

“The question never bothers me because I proudly tell them that I am interested in learning more and expanding my network with people of different backgrounds. “

Scott is mostly acquainted with Indian culture, and specifically notes that participating in the Garba was a meaningful learning moment, exclaiming that the dances are “next level, amazing and unique!” Garba is a Gujarati folk dance, usually performed before joyful festivities such as weddings and Navratri, a nine-day Hindu festival in autumn celebrating the Goddess Durga.

Dance has proven to be yet another way to bridge Asian students with those looking to learn. Students have the opportunity to showcase various styles, such as the Vietnamese-American Student Association’s fan dance and the choreography from the Filipino Student Association’s dance team, “Fresh Off the Beat.”

UCF alumni Dajour Harris, a former brother of Lambda Phi Epsilon, an Asian-interest fraternity, recalls “building great memories” from dancing with his peers. Despite originally being skeptical about his involvement, Harris was the former cultural dance coordinator for the Filipino Student Association.

“I did have this feeling of being an outsider early on into my experiences. A lot of jokes, references and such all went over my head, since I did not know much about certain cultures,” Harris said. “It definitely scared me from participating in certain events like cultural dancing.”

Harris was a founding member of Crown Interest Group, an Asian-interest club, which evolved into UCF’s chapter of Lambda Phi Epsilon. He sought out brotherhood, which he found within the fraternity; his continued attendance at events and support for the Asian organizations are due to that love he found during his time at college.

Many of said events hosted by the Asian-interest clubs on campus are socials; members mingle at partial-proceeds held at boba shops or play different icebreakers. Yet, it seems that this is what students most cherish, and consider to be the heart of Asian culture.

“Asian culture really stuck out to me. It goes back to that aspect of lifelong friends and family that are embedded that drew me to Asian culture,” Scott said.

APAC advocacy committee co-director Cheska Magdadaro understands the importance of social meetings, even if she prefers to do more with activism and politics. As a Filipina, Magdadaro is simply “impressed” to see students have an authentic interest in her background and Asian tradition.

“I think it's good that we have socials. I think that's the reason we join those organisations. It's so that we can be social in a kind of community where we identify with the people there. It's very cool that someone took the time out of their days to look into [culture],” Magdadaro said.

The advocacy committee takes a vested interest specifically into Asian-centered social issues. Frequently the committee holds coffee-shop talks to spark serious discussion, as well as provide and research resources for students to get involved with local legislation and social justice movements.

Magdadaro became the co-director because of the opportunities it gave her to talk, learn and educate. Education is largely important to her; she appreciates those who ask her about her background, who stay engaged, and “share their personal experiences,” even if they are not Asian.

Education is more than just textbooks and classrooms. It requires direct interaction with the subject of interest. Freshman Riley Alvaro is Latina, but attends Indian Student Association meetings to understand and get to know her Indian roommate. She also views this effort as a sign of respect; culture immersion helps her to avoid unintentional problematic comments and mistakes.

“I wanted to be able to appreciate that part of her identity,” Alvaro said. “I didn't have a lot of previous knowledge of Indian culture outside of the basics I learned in school. I think learning about different cultures and practices that belong to them is one of the best ways to ensure I am being as respectful of others as possible.”

Genuine appreciation of Asian culture is welcome. Whether you are the “white guy,” or of any other ethnicity, culture and learning will foster lifelong connections and passion.

“You can go to any of the Asian org events and you instantly have all these people who want to know your name, want to kind of grab you by the hand and take you in,” Smith said. “ It's just a level of community and friendship that I feel like is not in a lot of other places.”