MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) – Only 0.013% of the Upper Peninsula population is Asian or Pacific Islander.

That’s why the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission hopes to develop a sense of community here in the U.P.

Work that started with a mixer and dinner Thursday evening at Westwood High School.

“It was awesome to meet other Asians in the community,” Michigan State Police Negaunee Post Community Service Trooper Tom Kinnunen said. “To have new knowledge, conversations. I am leaving smarter than I was when I started this event.”

The mixer took about 2.5 months to plan. It was spearheaded by Kinnunen, TV6s Noel Navarro, who emceed the event, Alex Conklin, Ludy Johnson, and Laurel Capobianco, a commissioner with the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPAAC). The idea formed after Northern Michigan University sponsored a visit by the MAPAAC.

“We held a number of listening sessions with the community and with NMU faculty,” Capobianco said. “From that, a group of Asian individuals said, ‘Hey, you know what? We would love to come together after this and really talk about some sustainable work and building in the community so that we could be a more inviting, engaging community for A.P.I individuals.’”

At Thursday’s event, attendees brought and shared cultural foods and took part in networking activities, like a speed dating game.

Aspen Ridge Elementary students also provided live music. The fifth graders performed Omochio, inspired by how the Japanese dessert Mochi is made.

And as the organizers hoped, some also left the event with new friends.

“Some people from Gwinn I met that I’ve never seen before,” Johnson says. “They’ve been here for a while, and some brand new people with organizing this thing. It’s really nice to meet them in person.”

The group plans to host more events in the future.

Copyright 2025 WLUC. All rights reserved.