Spotlight on the AAPI community: 2023-24 in photos Words and photos by the Yale Daily News. Photo essay curated by Christina Lee.

Oct. 25, 2023: The Yale School of Medicine honored Dr. Yan Fuqing, the first Asian person to graduate from the institution, with a new statue of him in partnership with the Yale-China Association. The bust was a tribute to Dr. Yan’s medical accomplishments and legacy of fostering enduring relations between Yale, Fudan University and Central South University. Courtesy of Anthony DeCarlo.
Oct. 28, 2023: At Woolsey Hall, Yale’s South Asian Society hosted its largest annual cultural show, Roshni, showcasing performances from several Yale-affiliated South Asian dance and music groups to celebrate the diversity of South Asian creativity on campus. Kamini Purushothaman, Contributing Photographer.
Nov. 4, 2023: Student leaders from the Indigenous Peoples of Oceania and other cultural affinity groups collaborated to host a benefit concert to fundraise in support of Maui wildfire relief. Connor Arakaki, Contributing Photographer.
Nov. 4 to Nov. 14, 2023: Korean members of the Yale community celebrate its first ever “Korea Week” to illuminate the country’s culture and history on campus. The program included lectures, screenings, food tastings, and cultural performances open to all members of the Yale community. Karla Cortes, Contributing Photographer.
Nov. 27, 2023 to Dec. 4, 2023: Students of the newly founded Indigenous Peoples of Oceania organization celebrated Lā Kūʻokoʻa, or Hawaiian Independence Day, with week-long festivities honoring Native Hawaiian culture and community. Throughout the week, students attended Lei and Mele Oli workshops, a film screening, and speaker events. Chris Tillen, Contributing Photographer.
Mar. 2, 2024: Yale’s South Asian Society hosted Dhamaal, an intercollegiate cultural show. Aiming to foster South Asian community across different institutions, the spring showcase featured dance performances from six Yale teams and seven teams from other colleges. Kamini Purushothaman, Contributing Photographer.
Mar. 27, 2024: Academy Award-nominated “Past Lives” Director Celine Song visited Yale to give an address as the keynote speaker for this year’s Pan Asian American Heritage Month. Ellie Park, Multimedia Managing Editor.
Apr. 1, 2024: Korean filmmakers Byun Gyuri and Kim Il Ran were invited to speak about queer, feminist filmmaking by Professor Kyunghee Eo, an assistant professor of East Asian Languages and Literature. The event featured a film screening of Byun’s “Coming to You,” a 2021 documentary about queer life and activism in South Korea, and a Q&A session moderated and translated by Jiwoong Choi GRD ’24. Ellie Park, Multimedia Managing Editor.
Apr. 9, 2024: Alan Gao ’24 presented his senior thesis on Sig Chi’s culture and hierarchy as an Asian fraternity. Samad Hakani, Senior Photographer.
Apr. 11, 2024: DJ Annie Nguyen ’25, known as Vna, was the inaugural winner of the “The Dock,” a virtual DJ competition debuted by Spring Fling where winners showcase their talents at the festival. Nguyen aims to diversity Yale’s music scene with a multicultural angle to her sets. Courtesy of Corey Nguyen.
Apr. 12, 2024: The Korean American Students at Yale celebrated their 40th anniversary since the organization’s establishment in 1984. Festivities included the annual KASY Cultural Show featuring various exhibitions of Korean culture such as K-pop dances and percussion music. Hubert Tran, Contributing Photographer.

Contact Christina Lee at christina.lee.sl2844@yale.edu.