Culture, language, and identity define Gallaudet University’s campus; essentially, stories shape the campus. Yet with all the strength and diversity on campus, one group of people has often existed around the periphery of that community: Deaf Asian and Pacific Islander (API) students. This year, the Asian Pacific Islander Association (APIA) boldly steps into a new era, directing a new vision and leading the way for Deaf API voices to be finally seen, heard, and celebrated.
APIA is proud to introduce its new 2025-2026 leadership team.
- President: Gavin Fields
- Vice President: Glee
- Senator: Luka Cunha
- Alternate Senator: Allison Jordan
- Public Relations: Mary Figueroa
- Assistant Public Relations: Vika Lekhkobyt
- Student Advisor: Elghin Hebrado
- Treasurer: Trent Gobble
- Alternate Treasurer: Prashant Parmar
- Event Planner: Alexis Decker
- Faculty Advisor: Dr. Dae-Kun Kim
- Secretary: Ashley Lai
Their unique and diverse cultures, languages, and life experiences from across Asia and the Pacific create a community of champions, advocates, mentors, and leaders that is dedicated to making Gallaudet a home for Deaf API students and creating a new milestone for APIA as well as a historic milestone for representation on this campus.
APIA strives to affirm, empower, and celebrate Deaf Asian and Pacific Islander (APIA) students by providing multicultural, historical, and experiential richness unique to the API community on the Gallaudet campus and beyond.
APIA’s mission includes:
- Creating a cultural home where Deaf API students are recognized, understood, and valued
- Extending Deaf API voices through advocacy, representation, and leadership
- Educating the campus community on the breadth and depth of API cultures
- Providing safe spaces toward connection, growth, and healing
- Building a pipeline of leadership opportunities for API students to take up space
APIA is more than a club for students. APIA is family. It fosters a culture of taking pride, identity, and belonging.
APIA aims for 2025-2026 to increase the organization’s visibility on campus and to celebrate, lead, and engage within the community. Current goals throughout this year include:
- Increase representation in the Student Body Government
- Increase collaboration with other student organizations
- Hosting culturally meaningful events, talks, and workshops
- Offering spaces in which students tell stories, build friendships, and grow
- Challenging negative stereotypes about Deaf API identity
- Ensuring that every API student, from our first-year undergraduate members to our graduate members, feel welcome
APIA plans to positively impact Gallaudet’s cultural heritage by uniting its students.
APIA’s core members include API students, API allies, API friends, and anyone interested in learning more about API cultures and communities at Gallaudet. All Gallaudet students are welcome here.
“APIA is here, and we are ready,” the leadership team shared. “This is our year to shine, to build, and to take up space in ways we never have before.”
As this semester continues, APIA hopes to grow, empower students’ voices, and maintain the same sense of community at Gallaudet that makes it such a special place. We have a renewed spirit. We have passionate leadership. We are prepared to make a positive impact on the world. We will do it event by event. We will do it story by story. We will do it for one student at a time.