For over 30 years, many Tar Heels advocated for a campus center devoted to studying Asian American culture and serving Carolina students. Thanks to their efforts, today the Asian American Center serves as a welcoming home and project incubator open to all Carolina students, staff and alumni.

In 2019, a group of students, alumni and staff put together a campaign for a physical center, and after authorization from the Office of the Provost and the UNC Board of Trustees, the center was established on Jan. 30, 2020. Due to COVID-19, the center’s official ribbon cutting took place in August 2021.

Sean Nguyen ’21, co-founder and student director of the center’s campaign, worked with University partners to make the space possible for future generations of students. “It was incredibly inspiring to see that spirit of public service at Carolina, which has influenced my worldview today.”

Located at the edge of campus on West Cameron Avenue, the center features indoor and outdoor event space. The center hosts many student-focused events: lectures, pre-professional meetings with medical faculty, art exhibits showcasing student or faculty work and social gatherings to encourage community building.

“It’s been a great networking and gathering space. Nothing makes us happier than when we have loads of people at the center. It’s a home and an anchor where people can come,” said Heidi Kim, center director and professor in the English and comparative literature department of the UNC College of Arts and Sciences. “They know that this is the place to come have conversations, find out about resources and meet other people. That’s a key value for us, taking academic work and University research out into the community.”

The center works with academic units, community partners and student organizations to host events and boost Asian American studies. The center, open to all Tar Heels regardless of identity, offers cultural snacks, drinks and books in the space so students can immerse themselves in Asian American culture. Nguyen feels that the center allows for the celebration of Asian American identity, culture and experiences at the University.

“There is such a sense of community,” said first-year student Rebekah Lyan. “In classes, you don’t get to hang out with people as much. This gives us a way to connect, especially through the events to attend.”

The center’s work spans beyond the physical building on Carolina’s campus, it also reaches surrounding communities. Southern Mix, a project supported by the center, works with area high schools and libraries to circulate portable and easily distributed physical displays. The displays showcase a selection of oral histories collected by Carolina students. Each square highlights a person, a quotation from their oral history and some photos illustrating their experience. A QR code leads the viewer to recordings, available summaries and transcripts.

“I’m grateful for how incredibly supportive people have been of the AAC. I think over the last five years there’s been tremendous support from administrators, faculty, colleagues, alumni, staff and of course students,” said Kim. “Around 2021 when we were opening the building, I did some events for admissions, and there were incoming students who said they chose Carolina because it had an Asian American Center. That was so incredibly meaningful for all of us to hear.”