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玛丽亚·索利亚诺 Finds and Grows Community Through AAPIA Club Involvement
玛丽亚·索利亚诺 always knew growing up she wanted to leave her home of Juneau, 阿拉斯加, 搬到更大的城市去.
The University of Idaho senior did just that through a National Student Exchange (NSE) while enrolled at the University of 阿拉斯加 Southeast. She attended Stony Brook University in New York.
“I felt pretty homesick being so far away from my family,索里亚诺说, a student studying 体系结构 在 艺术与建筑学院. “Living in a big city was a tremendous learning experience, but it just wasn’t right for me at that time.”
The following year, 2017, she decided to give NSE – and “the city” – another chance.
“An opportunity became available to attend the University of Idaho, 我决定试一试,”她说。. “I knew I wanted to pursue a career in 体系结构, and I knew 莫斯科 was a smaller college town that would feel similar to Juneau. 那里离家更近. U of I seemed like a perfect fit for me.”
经过一年的交换, Soriano officially transferred to U of I and enrolled in 体系结构 school. She’s loved her Vandal experience ever since.
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While she enjoys further developing her skills as an architect, one activity she’s particularly proud of is her involvement 在 university’s Asian American Pacific Islander Association (AAPIA).
“When I was 3 months old, my mom and I moved to Juneau from the Philippines,索里亚诺说. “My grandparents immigrated from there to Juneau, followed by my dad in 1989 and then me and my mom in 1996.”
在朱诺长大, Soriano said she was surrounded by a “big and proud” Filipino community, so she never felt like she didn’t belong.
“Coming to U of I was an entirely different experience with the demographic here being mostly white,”她说。. “我认为, 在早期, not having that community of people who identified as Asian American was something that was missing from making U of I a place I could call home.”
In 2018, she received an invitation to join U of I’s AAPIA, which was re-emerging after years of inactivity.
Growing and supporting this community as part of my Vandal experience has been amazing, and it’s really made me feel at home in 莫斯科 and at the University of Idaho. 玛丽亚·索利亚诺
“I remember walking into the room during that first meeting and seeing people who weren’t necessarily Asian American Pacific Islander but were people who took the initiative to bring this club back so these individuals could feel a sense of belonging and community on campus,”她说。. “It was really great to see all these people helping support our community, even if they didn’t necessarily identify with it personally.”
The first two years of re-establishing the club was difficult, 索利亚诺说, who has since served as vice president and now co-chair of public relations for the group.
“Our club continues to gain traction and more visibility on campus, which is great,”她说。. “我们的人数每天都在增长.”
Her involvement 在 group has been fulfilling and a side she didn’t expect to explore as part of her Vandal experience.
“Taking initiative like this on campus was honestly not something I really saw myself doing at first, but AAPIA has allowed me to collaborate with students and staff to make real change that affects the whole community,索里亚诺说. “I joined AAPIA because I wanted to be a part of a community of people like me who celebrate and embrace their AAPI heritage and pride. What we’ve been able to accomplish in terms of community-building these last few years is incredible.”
She said she’s been proud of the growth the club has witnessed, particularly now as AAPI hate and violence has witnessed an increase during the pandemic.
“现在, 我们是一个俱乐部, 在本地, can create change by bringing awareness to the issues that our communities are going through on a national level,索里亚诺说. “Growing and supporting this community as part of my Vandal experience has been amazing, and it’s really made me feel at home in 莫斯科 and at the University of Idaho.”
Article by Kassandra Tuten, University Communications and Marketing.
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2021年5月出版