For an extra 2 hours I was able to write a reflection of my experience working with the IACA, this is what I submitted so I thought I would share it on here:
My name is Madeline Hooks and I are currently a junior at Butler University, I had the opportunity to work with the IACA this past semester for one of my history courses at Butler. I have never participated with a group off campus before because I’m from California, so I’m not very familiar with the area. With that being the case, when we were told who we were going to be working with, I had no idea what to expect! The only thing I knew was that people were going to tell us about the Asian American culture and how that has had an effect on them. What I didn’t expect was how many amazing people I was going to meet!
The first and time my classmates and I met Benny was when he took us to the Newfields museum to show us around and tell us about the Asian exhibits! It was like having a personal tour of the museum, Benny knew so much about all of the different art pieces. Other than learning about the art, we all got to learn a little about Benny and his life! I always enjoy learning about other people’s lives and the things that they have gone through, he was full of wisdom and advice! Although the museum was very fun, my absolute favorite aspect of working with the IACA was the International Festival!
When we were all told about the International Festival, none of us really had an idea what it was going to be! I for sure did not know what to expect, but when we all got there we were pleasantly surprised and shocked to see how many booths were there and all of the people there! In preparation for the International Festival we had the privilege of learning how to perform the lion dance! Benny has two lion costumes, so he brought them to campus to teach us so we could perform at the International Festival! When we were at the festival we were able to walk around in the parade with all of the other people from the booths! It was such a fun experience to go to the Cultural Festival and meet a bunch of new people! Working with the IACA also helped me and my classmates bond more! We would all spend time together at events and it was very fun to experience those new experiences together!
Overall I have been very happy with my experience working with the IACA! They are a great group of people that are very passionate about what they do, and they are very good at getting others involved and sharing their knowledge.