Hunter College AANAPISI Project (HCAP) is a program funded by a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Program to enhance academic and student support services for Asian American and Pacific Islander and other high-need students at Hunter College, including first-generation college goers, English Language Learners, and students from immigrant families.
Academic support for students with multilingual backgrounds through courses, summer and winter seminars, and workshops on academic reading, writing, and presenting.
Leadership opportunities for students through a community-based internship program at Asian/Asian American-serving organizations in NYC and HCAP Peer Leaders Training Program.
Outreach events, courses centered on AAPI communities and mental health, referrals with NYC community mental health centers, and collaboration with departments and services at Hunter College.
Asian American Studies Center & HCAP Present Covid-19 &...
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Last week, HCAP held a mental health check-in led by Dr. Marcia Liu! Attendees were able to discuss different stressors in their lives and address each one whether it was related to covid-19, being AAPI or a racial minority, school stress, or their mental health in general. They then discussed SMART ways to cope with such stressors (swipe right!).
Identities: Queer, non-binary, Bangladeshi American, Hunter College Alumni living in NYC
“As a queer and trans person who has never come out to their parents, quarantine has been difficult for my mental health. A lot of my college years have been about figuring out and being honest to myself about all my identities. A big reason I was able to be so open was thanks to the friends who always made sure to have an inviting space. Having to go backwards and hide these identities from the people around me has been a unique challenge that I didn’t expect to have until the pandemic. Safe and welcoming environments are crucial for all of us to thrive in, and yet many trans people of color are not granted this experience without working hard for it. This struggle becomes more challenging on the mental health of trans people of color whose coping mechanisms and outlets have been taken away due to the pandemic.”
(Anonymous)
Identities: 1.5 Gen, Taishanese Chinese, Cis Woman
“At one point in my life, it was difficult to identify as Chinese. I moved here with my parents when I was only four, so I’ve been immersed in American culture. I’ve grown into who I am now, and I’m proud of my identity as a Chinese-American, but sometimes I get scared to lose touch with my Chinese culture. My parents are from Taishan, Guangdong China, and we speak Taishanese. Similar, but different, to the more commonly-known Cantonese. I don’t meet many people who speak it who are my age, so it’s difficult to practice outside of my family. There are also traditions my parents want me to keep and pass on one day, but I fear I'll be unable to without guidance.
At times it is challenging to navigate my own wants from expectations that are put on me. I know how hard my parents worked to make a better life for me, and I want to please them, but is it worth giving up my happiness? Sometimes we’ll get into arguments because of a conflict in our personal beliefs, and I’ll defend my position, even though it is looked down upon to speak up against your elders. Dealing with the stress from these arguments can be difficult because my family doesn’t talk about mental health at all. I don’t know even the word for depression [in Taishanese], but I know the importance of acknowledging my feelings. I’m still learning how to navigate these stresses and balancing both cultures.”
(Yu L.)
Identities: 2nd Gen, Fujianese Chinese, Cis Man, Brooklyn
Nine out of ten Fujianese immigrants work in the restaurant business. I’m proud of being the son of two hard working immigrants and blessed to be a restaurant kid. I wasn’t always fond of the restaurant kid experience growing up, but have grown more appreciative and grateful in recent years. It took my parents a lot of hard work and long hours and an unfathomable amount of sweet and sour chicken lunch specials for them to get to where they are today. I have no intention of taking over the restaurant and neither does my younger sibling. My parents never wanted us to enter the business. They sacrificed it all, leaving their country, working 12 to 14-hour days, 364 days a year, in the hopes that we wouldn’t have to struggle and work as hard as they did.
Their hard work makes me feel as though I’ve grown up entitled and lazy, having fallen short of the expectations my parents set for me. I was reluctant to uphold my family responsibilities, was awful at school and have even had run-ins with the law, having spent months in juvenile/detention centers. Nevertheless, as I notice my parents rapidly age, and their energy decline, their support and love stay strong and unwavering. It is my recent recognition of this that has filled me with a deep regret and sadness. I know I can’t change the actions/deeds I’ve already committed, but I still have the opportunity to do the best I can to make up for the past and redeem my former “demon” self. COVID has given me a lot of time to reflect and recognize what’s important. I’ve spent a great portion of my time and attention during quarantine with my parents and have found this to be very emotionally rewarding.
(Anonymous)
