Students Attend Asian American Footsteps Conference

By Ethan Ding, Amy Lin, and Elaine Qiao

On Sunday, April 16, 20 Exonians participated in the Asian American Footsteps Conference (AAFC) at St. Paul’s School. Over the course of the conference, participants discussed various issues that Asian-identifying students across New England boarding schools face. 

The objective of the conference was to establish a community where Asian students could immerse themselves and gain knowledge about their shared cultures. The yearly event comprised a range of workshops and keynote speeches, many of which were organized and conducted by students. Around 400 students from independent schools across New England came together this year for discussions under the theme of “Building Bridges: Connecting our Heritage and Future.”

Exonians departed early in the morning and arrived at St. Paul’s School at around 9:00 a.m. A detailed itinerary with workshop schedules and classroom assignments was emailed to participants, in addition to QR codes in several buildings allowing access to the schedule. Wi-Fi logins and maps were also offered. “The event began with an opening speech, given by student leaders at St. Paul’s School, since the event was mainly student-organized,” upper Ayaan Akhtar said. “After that, they had a small orchestral performance before we broke off.” 

The day consisted mainly of workshops, with each focusing on a specific, relevant topic for Asian students. “My first workshop focused on Asian art, and I got to practice calligraphy, which was something I hadn’t experimented with a lot before,” upper Coco Kim said. “It was really interesting to interact with that aspect of Asian culture.” 

“A workshop I attended was titled ‘Am I good enough?’ and it explored imposter syndrome among Asian students at boarding schools,” prep Allegra Lai said. “It was a heavy topic, but I think it helped a lot of us realize that we were experiencing it. Many of us didn’t know that it was imposter syndrome until it was voiced out during the workshop. The workshop brought that to light, and it was very helpful, especially for some other schools who don’t talk about that kind of topic very often.”

“My first workshop focused on the hypersexualization and objectification of Asian Americans in modern media,” lower Ava Helbig said. “It was very informative, and I could feel how the speaker was very confident in the way she spoke and passionate about the topic.”

As a student presenter for one of the workshops, Akhtar noted how the participants of the conference came from many different backgrounds.

“We led our workshop multiple times, and for each run we had a completely different group of students attend,” Akhtar said. “I remember having a great discussion with a few Bangladeshi students and Indian students, all from different schools.”

While presenting, Akhtar made sure that the presentation would be as inclusive as possible for the attendees and made an effort not to generalize. “A point to consider for our project was that it was important to differentiate between the diverse backgrounds that students come from, for example, Indian students and Pakistani students,” Akhtar said. “In spaces on our campus such as Asian Voices or SubCon club, identities become homogenized, so we have to find the cultural differences between us and define them so we don’t lose our identities.”

The event also centered around having students meet others in order to bond over their experiences. Participants observed that even at lunch, there was continuous interactions between students.

“Lunch was in a large gymnasium, and we were assigned to sit at the tables with students from the other schools so that we could meet new people,” Helbig said. 

“I appreciated the way the organizers planned lunch. I was able to get to know some great people and make a few friends,” Kim said.

“After a few conferences online due to the pandemic, it was powerful to finally all be back together again. AAFC is an amazing chance for students to share a psychologically safe space with others who can validate and affirm them through lived experiences. Students can see themselves reflected in the program presenters and topics,” Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Szu-Hui Lee said. “While we had over 20 PEA students attend this year, some schools only had one or two students attend. For those students, it was critical for them to connect with other students and be part of this larger sphere of support.”

Many attendees consider the conference an informative experience. “Looking back, I think the event was successful because it provided a space for people who have similar experiences to connect, grow, and learn,” Helbig said. “I took away that even though we study at different schools and the challenges we face might feel unique, that doesn’t mean you don’t have people who understand and will support you. ”

Akhtar shared similar sentiments. “We learned a lot about the depth of the Asian American struggle on boarding school campuses and how nuanced it can be. I don’t think this is a conference that is going to lose momentum. Even after the pandemic, it came back strong. We had a really strong conference on that Sunday,” Akhtar said. 

“Even though there were already so many people this year, I hope that there are more people who are willing to join and share their experiences so we can meet even more people and build more bridges,” Lai said. “I realized I wasn’t alone, and I felt that it was fantastic that I could interact with so many different people, all with their unique experiences. Everyone had different stories, even though we were all Asians. It was a great experience to meet and talk to so many people that identified like me.”