The impact of UNM’s AAPIRC space and welcome back lu’au

The Lobo community has celebrated The University of New Mexico's historic milestone of having a dedicated space to help students thrive. The Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center (AAPIRC) hosted its grand opening and its annual welcome back lu'au recently.

The celebration drew over 350 attendees, reflecting the community's excitement about the youngest ethnic center, which is just four years old, marking the center having its own space.

"Securing dedicated space is a critical milestone in AAPIRC's ongoing development and growth and is also a tremendous demonstration of the positive power and impact of the student voice," said Pamela Agoyo, acting director of Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center.

The center's goal is to foster a strong sense of belonging among the UNM AAPI community through special events and its resources.

With the new space, the center now offers a special prayer and meditation room. In addition, AAPIRC's open space concept provides students with a welcoming area to relax, study, socialize and eat in between classes. Providing visitors with a space to connect with one another helps foster a sense of community amongst the AAPI community.

Moreover, the space can be easily converted into a mini-theater or game room for smaller, cultural events. Contact the center to inquire.

Aaron Tuioti-Mariner, AAPIRC's program manager and his team, with the assistance of numerous student affairs offices and staff, came together to host a lively, culturally significant event that welcomed the entire UNM community and showed off their new space.

"We owe a great deal of gratitude and appreciation to all of our on-campus and community partners as well as student organizations," said Tuioti-Mariner. "Without their help, this momentous event would not have been a success."

Tuioti-Mariner shared that these partners and volunteers "jumped in and got to work" in many areas, from setup, event management, takedown and ticket taking, among other duties.

The on-campus partners included American Indian Student Services; the College of Enrichment Program; El Centro de la Raza; African American Student Services; the Student Union Building staff; the Student Activities Center; and Student Affairs Assessment.

The student organizations that contributed to and helped make the event successful were the Asian American Student Association, Indian Student Association, Filipino Student Organization and AAPIRC students and volunteers.

Gabriel Hudson, a UNM alumnus, used AAPIRC's previous spaces during his time in the studio art program. He was excited to be a part of the grand opening celebration. He shared that he "studied at two other higher education institutions, and they had nothing like AAPIRC."

"The center supported me academically and culturally while I pursued my MFA," said Hudson. "AAPIRC taught me the importance of nurturing intergenerational cross-cultural collaborations. It personally reminds me of the magnitude of what my mother, ancestors, and their immigrant parents made in order for us to be exceptional scholars. I imagine that their new space will be more accessible to more students now that it is in Mesa Vista with the other ethnic centers."

The University of New Mexico is committed to supporting students holistically and helping remove any barriers to achieving their higher education goals, to the extent that this dedication is a part of UNM's 2040 strategic plan. AAPIRC's new space is a testament to this ongoing dedication.

The staff at AAPIRC will move forward with purpose and confidence in this new space, continuing to support the AAPI community at UNM and in the greater Albuquerque area. The resource center will strive to foster unity among the diverse AAPI diaspora and non-AAPI students, empowering them to achieve their goals.

"I'm very much looking forward to the center's evolution. I'm also grateful to the Student Fee Review Board for recognizing that adding another student resource center is an important next step in supporting every Lobo on their education journey," said Agoyo.

Visit their website to learn more about the Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center.