The Asian Pacific Islander Club at Los Medanos College is currently welcoming any interested students as new members. The club meets Monday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the library, Room L-106.

“Anyone is welcome to attend and participate in this club, participants do not have to identify as Asian, or as a Pacific Islander, as long as they support the community,” said API Club President Sierra Abel. 

As club president, Abel explained that her current duties are to build the club’s foundation, search for, and recruit dedicated officers and support members within the upcoming fundraisers, events and trips their planning on holding. 

The official start of the meetings this semester marked the first time that LMC has had a club like this, according to Abel, as they began working on the club last year.

The main purpose of the API club is to create a strong sense of community among its members and grow their presence at LMC.

Abel mentioned that, amongst their many goals for the club, API is also hoping to give back to the community in a major way.

“Our goals for the club is to create an API awareness and community on campus,” said Abel. “We want to eventually have a program such as Puente or Umoja, that provides social and educational opportunities and resources.”

Puente and Umoja are programs that help provide important tools, assets and support to disadvantaged and or underrepresented students. 

“The Puente Project is a national award-winning program that has improved the college-going rate of tens of thousands of California’s educationally underrepresented students since 1981.

Its mission is to increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students who enroll in four-year colleges and universities, earn college degrees and return to the community as mentors and leaders to future generations. The program is interdisciplinary in approach, with writing, counseling and mentoring components,” according to an excerpt from their ‘About Puente’ on their website www.thepuenteproject.org. 

Planning to do something similar to this project in the future, the API club has already begun taking steps in the right direction with their fundraising efforts.

“We did our first fundraising activity a few weeks ago where we sold lumpia. I was so surprised how we sold out in the first 20 minutes,” said Abel. 

The club plans to do more food-related fundraisers in the future, and any money raised will go back into API club funds. Those funds will help them put on more campus and community events in the future. They will also contribute to different social and educational trips they may plan out and attend in the future.

They currently have about 50 members who’ve signed up to participate in club meetings and activities. They are also looking to fill an officer position within the group. This job is open to anyone who’s interested in being more involved with club activities on campus.

For more information about the API club, visit one of their weekly meetings or contact club president Sierra Abel at [email protected]