Helping to Spread the Magic of Their Home
Student-athletes thrilled to see luau return for APACC 40th anniversary
Mike Brohard
Cherish what you have.
It’s a comforting alternative for a group of student-athletes who are thrilled to play some role in bringing a piece of their home to campus. They may not be there physically when the Asian Pacific American Cultural Center hosts a luau for the 40th anniversary celebration of the group on campus, but their participation will be felt.
And seen.
“I think it’s awesome. I came in three years ago and it wasn’t going on because of COVID, but bringing it back, it’s like having a piece of Hawaii back at CSU,” said CSU volleyball player Kate Yoshimoto. “I know a lot of alumni are coming back to see the luau. I appreciate everyone being willing to come out and learn about our culture and be a part of it. I just wish I could be there.”
The event will take place Saturday at the Lory Student Center Grand Ballroom from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. It is being put on in conjunction with the Pacific Club, marking a return of the event since its absence was forced by the worldwide pandemic.
For all involved with putting on the event, having it back on campus has been a longstanding goal they are thrilled to revive. Tickets start at $20 ($15 for students), with discounts for seniors and youth; children 5 and under are free. More information is available at the event website.
Tati Soon, the president of the Pacific Club and a Chai to Understand Coordinator on APACC’s student staff, said there will be authentic food and snacks at the luau, as well as merchandise, knick-knacks and games from home, as well as a dance itself.
She said the goal is to make it an annual event again, but it requires financial assistance and student dedication to organize. Getting it back was an important first step, and gaining involvement from the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee was vital for multiple reasons.
“It’s great, because it also helps build the bridge between athletics and the cultural centers, because we’ve heard a lot of students who share marginalized identities who are within athletics, because of their schedules, aren’t able to come to the cultural centers as much as they want to,” Soon said. “Having this event gives them a chance to come to our office and talk to other students who share their identity. Building those connections will help us grow and come together and put on such a lovely event.
“My favorite part about bringing it back was having our students dance and share hula, which is a big part of Hawaiian culture, as well as share mana’o -- or knowledge -- about the different songs we will be performing. As the current President of the Pacific Club, I really wanted to bring this event back and I was super happy to hear the rest of my officers were all on the same trek and all very passionate to bring this event back to CSU.”
These are the events Kim Mbadinga-Nzamba, the athletic department’s Director of Inclusive Excellence, is encouraged to see throughout the year. Knowing time management is key for the student-athletes as a former CSU basketball player, she’s thrilled when they have a chance to take part.
Those who do go, I hope they gain an appreciation for our culture and learn about a different culture. I think it’s exciting when people are open minded and jump into something they’ve never known before.Kate Yoshimoto
Knowing they were integral in the planning through SAAC makes it all the better, as it helps align the goals she shares in the athletic department with central campus.
“As a Ram, and as a member of the CSU Athletics professional team, I work with my colleagues to foster and support inclusion and belonging,” she said. “I believe that when we center this ideology, we put people first, whether they are visitors, donors, student-athletes, coaches, or staff members. When we center people, in their humanity, we can thrive.
“It is very important that we continue the work that has been started, to strengthen relationships and collaboration, to engage in genuine partnership with the Cultural Resource Centers (CRC). The best part is that the students really make it easy to do this once they know they have support. Students can and will see each other in ways that go beyond the playing arena and classroom. This is how they will model solidarity for one another.”
What’s a luau without the traditional Hawaiian dance, which is where Yoshimoto entered to help bolster the event, involving other members of SAAC and other student-athletes. Gathering volunteers, she’s taught a group a hula dance her mother choreographed back home, performing to the song ‘Ka Uluwehi O Ke Kai.’
Hula was something she grew up doing, as did soccer player Ali Yoshida.
Being able to share her love of hula was a fantastic experience, even if she had to find the best way to teach it to others, some of whom were more adept at picking up the movements.
“It has been. It’s been a lot of fun. They’ve definitely come a long way,” she said. “I appreciate them trying very hard to learn it well and be ready to go perform it. This is my first time teaching a group which hasn’t danced before, so it’s been a journey on how to teach them and what’s easiest for them.”
Saturday will be a busy day on campus, dubbed Green and Gold Weekend by the athletics department. The Grit Run, a fundraiser for cystic fibrosis research hosted by football coach Jay Norvell and his wife, Kim, kicks off the day at 9 a.m. A soccer game (11 a.m.), the spring football game (1 p.m.) and a softball game (4 p.m.) will follow. The volleyball team is on the road in Boulder, while part of the track team is in Golden.
Yoshimoto has worked with fellow athletes from a multitude of teams, all of whom cannot perform live. Ruby Kayser, Sydney Mech, Marta Leimane and Jo Vos will perform the hula at the luau; Yoshimoto, Yoshida, Jazen DeBina, Yordyn Tynsky, Maya Matsubara, Buom Jock, Teivis Tuioti, Jack Cauble and Timothy Johnson have all learned the dance and have recorded videos which will play at the event.
The group will also perform the dance during the Rammies on Monday, April 22.
Yoshida has embraced the return to her upbringing. She grew up learning hula at a halau back home, starting when she was in elementary school. When soccer entered her life, she stopped for a spell, then picked it up again in high school when she took it as a class.
“We’re teaching other people how to dance, and that’s pretty cool because I probably haven’t danced hula since high school,” Yoshida said. “That’s pretty cool, trying to get back into it. All throughout high school and when I was younger, I was in hula, but coming here I had to stop. It was nice getting back in the flow of things. When we went to practices, it felt like home.
“I forgot how hard dancing is. It’s funny to watch the basketball girls move swiftly. It’s been fun to teach them how to move around differently.”
Which makes the luau special to them all. For one, Soon loves the fact it brings a bit of home to campus for those from Hawaii, as well as other Pacific islands.
For Yoshida, she’s glad others on campus will get a feel for what life means to them back home.
“It will be nice for those who go to experience the food and our culture,” Yoshida said. “I think the best thing about home is our people, and I there are a lot of Hawaiian people here, so it will be nice to be in that environment and see people from home.”
Yoshimoto wishes she could attend, but the volleyball spring season was altered a bit when the team took a trip to Hawaii. On the trip, she and some of her teammates were able to share their culture with the rest of the squad, outings she felt brought them closer together and provided them with a greater understanding of her upbringing and values.
Which is a big reason she feels the luau’s return is so important, especially on a college campus. It’s not just for the Islanders, but a chance for others to gain an understanding.
“I think it’s a great tradition to have on a college campus. There are enough students from Hawaii here, and there’s a pretty good group of dancers among the students,” she said. “I hope next time I can actually go in person.
“Those who do go, I hope they gain an appreciation for our culture and learn about a different culture. I think it’s exciting when people are open minded and jump into something they’ve never known before. It’s something I enjoy doing myself, so trying to expose other people to this culture is a great opportunity for them, but also for me. Hopefully, they’ll want to share their culture with me.”
The chance to do so was something she had to embrace, even if it means missing the actual moment.