Reflecting on 2022 and Preview of 2023
As we welcome the Lunar New Year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on AAAYA’s impact on our community and recap some of the significant milestones that AAAYA achieved in 2022.
Our Year in Numbers:
Significant Achievements This Year:
Website Refresh
AAAYA completed a long overdue overhaul of its website. This ten month effort refreshing our website has been met with positive feedback from our community. Check out our new website if you haven’t already!
New Logo
The board commissioned a new logo for the organization to establish a modern visual identity and better align with Yale’s brand identity. Board Member Tao Leigh Goffe’s (PhD GSAS’15) thoughtful essay on the design process and symbolism of the logo can be read here. Be on the lookout for logo merch in 2023!
Return to In-Person Events
For the first time since the pandemic started, AAAYA returned to organizing in-person events. This was a much awaited and needed return to normalcy for our community. Among other events, the Northern California chapter returned to hosting its annual pre-frosh summer welcome picnic, Washington DC members connected over Asian foods in monthly socials, and New York organized several curator-led exhibit visits to “Photographic Justice: Tribute to Corky Lee". Check out previous and upcoming events and photos for your local chapter here.
Left to right: Prefrosh at annual NorCal Summer Picnic; Alums enjoying Pho at DC Sunday Social; Students and alumni at the AACC during Yale Assembly
Looking Forward to 2023
2023 will be another big year for AAAYA. We have been energized by the community’s response to our return to in-person events and the investments we made in the organization last year. Our leadership is building on this momentum to find new ways to connect and support the AAAYA community.
AAAYA will be embarking on an ambitious plan for financial organization and sustainability. This has long been a concern for the board, and this year, the board has committed to prioritizing our long-term financial strategy and health. Our goal is to have the financial infrastructure and resources on-hand to cover operational costs, fund community events and award fellowships. We will be sharing more details on our strategy for achieving this in the coming months.
You can also expect to see more opportunities to engage with fellow community members. A major focus in 2023 will be offering more community events (both virtual and in-person). Recurring casual social gatherings such as the DC chapter’s Sunday Socials, virtual discussions with community leaders such as our fireside with last year’s Tina Yeh fellow, Chong Gu (MArch’23) on Feb-2, and more programmatic events for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May are just a small sampling of the kinds of events AAAYA are organizing for our community.
Support AAAYA with a Donation
These events, as well as our national operations, are funded through the generosity of our alumni community.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation* to help sustain our operations and keep our events free to the community. As a 'Thank you', any member who contributes $10 or more, will receive a 6"x2.5" AAAYA logo sticker.
Our regional clubs are planning Lunar New Year events, and we hope you’ll be able to join fellow members to welcome and celebrate the new year.
Thank you again for your continued support and engagement! We wish you all a happy and healthy new year.
Sincerely,
Austin Baik (YC'11)
President, AAAYA National Board
*AAAYA is a registered 501c3 non-profit