You  know  that  were  on  that  night? Can  we  feel  alive  with  the  night. That's  light.  They  want to  dance  in  the  glance  on  a  globe. No  expe  cyst  trans  Nat  wrong. Man  with  the  hell  machine. G  p  D  F  hands the  Shiva  the  mean  lane  and  so  the  pizza. Worst  citizen,  I  don't know  isa.  Bing  grown  waves. I  fly  across  the  ec  Once  behind  trees, now  I'm  here  to  plan  seas. You  can  see  green  like  guys  from Tavi  I'm  here  to  class  the  world, like,  I'm  glass.  Don't  sleep. Coke.  N  sugar. That's  among  gaffe.  Among  whipped  cream. Among  fast.  Fly  L  M.  I  say  he  is  go  side. Move  to  the  base. Yeah.  You  know  that  we  that  night? Yeah.  Can  we  feel  alive  a  night. Get  Amy energy side to  be  base  of  the  b. You  know  that  we  on  we  five  side. Get M. I  see. We  get  much  you've  got  to  go. We  get  much Good  morning,  everybody. Good  morning  to  the  parents, families,  and  graduates  of  the  class  of  2024. It  is  my  pleasure  to  welcome  you  all  to the  2024  Asian  Pacific Islander  Desi  American  graduation  ceremonies, sponsored  by  the  Carley  Field  Center for  Quality  and  Cultural  Understanding. My  name  is  Travis  Tucker, and  I  serve  as  the  assistant  dean  and director  of the  Field  Center  here  at  Princeton. Since  the  fall  of  2018, the  Apta  graduation  ceremony  has  been an  important  part  of our  cultural  graduations, celebrating  and  uplifting the  incredible  students in  a  diverse  community. For  many  of  our  graduates, we  know  that  today  is  a  summation  of the  countless  hours  of sacrifice  that  you  put  into  getting  here. We  also  know  that many  of  you  have  parents  and family  members  that  helped  you  in the  moments  where  it  felt  too  hard. Please  join  me  in  giving  yourselves  and your  family  members  a  well deserved  round  of  applause. Before  I  turn  it  over  to our  student  MCs,  some  thank  yous. Thank  you  to  the  Richardson  Auditorium  team for  all  of their  wonderful  work  with  this  space, to  the  Apta  graduation Student  coordinating  Committee, the  Office  of  Diversity  and  Inclusion  Team, the  Asian  American  Alumni Association  of  Princeton, and  lastly,  the  Carla  Field  Center  team, Jess  Victoria,  and  especially  Will  Nicholson, who  served  as  a  wonderful  point  person for  all  of  our  affinity  ceremonies. Please  join  me  in  giving  all  of these  individuals a  well  deserved  round  of  app. Finally,  we  would  like  to  acknowledge  that Princeton  University  sits  on the  ancient  lands  of  the  Lenape  people. That  this  land  was  stolen  from these  tribes  to  build  what  we  know  as Princeton  University  today  and  done  so without any  recorded  consultation  to  their  leaders. We  name  and  acknowledge these  peoples  as  it  is  deeply important  to  acknowledge  the  forces of  privilege  that  forced these  populations  off  of their  native  lands  generations  ago, and  to  highlight  the  generations  of new  Lenape  tribe  members advocating  for their  various  communities  today. So  now  let's  get  the  show  on  the  road. I'm  going  to  pass  it  off  to  our  Pond  andMCs to  formally  kick  off  this  morning's  program. Graduates,  friends,  families,  and  loved  ones. Welcome  and  congratulations. Hello.  My  name  is  India. I'm  Luna,  and  I'm  Shawna. And  we  have  the  distinct  honor  of serving  as  peta  Graduation  MCs. We  gather  here  today  to celebrate  the  achievements  of the  Asian  Pacific  Islander  they  see American  communities  from the  great  Princeton  Class  of  2024. Today, Asians  are  the  largest  minority  population in  America  that  is expected  to  continue  to  grow. We  are  a  diverse  group  of  people  with unique  experiences  and  histories. However,  as  Asian  Americans and  Asians  in  America, we  are  all  bound  together  by our  certain  shared  experiences  and  struggles, as  well  as  our  rich  Asian heritage  and  cultures  that  we draw  upon  creating  our blended  identities  as  Asian  Americans. Today  we  celebrate  Apta  a  term reflective  of  the  inclusivity of  this  vibrant  community, and  representative  of  the  complexities of  our  intersecting  histories. Apta  identified  Princetonians  have created  opportunities  to  expand  knowledge, advocacy,  camaraderie  of  this  community throughout  the  university's  history. The  very  first  Asian American  to  graduate  from Princeton  was  Hitchco  Ata in  the  class  of  18  76. Since  then,  the  number  of Asian  American  students  at this  university  has  gradually  increased. Many  thanks  thanks  to efforts  of  students  who advocated  for  the  inclusion. In  2018,  there  were  only  100  apeda  graduates. Every  year  since  then, the  graduation  has  grown. We  would  actually  like  to  highlight that  today  in  2024, we  have  over  300  Apedo  graduates signed  up  to  participate in  this  momentous  occasion. We  have  grown  astronomically. We  have  grown  tremendously,  and  we'll continue  to  do  so  moving  forward. The  efforts  of  Asian  affinity  groups such  as  ASA  and  ARP, have  also  been  monumental  in  creating a  home  for Asian  American  students  at  Princeton. Many  of  whom  have  gone  on  to change  the  world  in  tremendous  ways. Some  notable  examples  include  businessmen  and philanthropist  Sir  Gordon  Wu, mathematician  Manuel  Bargav, and  journalist  and  Nobel laureate  Maria  Ressa. We  are  proud  of  each  graduate  here  today, and  we  honor  the  diverse  journeys that  have  led  you  to  this  moment. Your  success  is  not  just  a  personal  triumph, but  a  beacon  of  hope  and  inceration for  the  entire  community. Each  of  you  has  demonstrated remarkable  talent,  dedication, and  perseverance,  and  it's  clear  that the  future  holds  endless possibilities  for  each  and  every  one  of  you. And  we  can't  wait  to  see all  the  amazing  things  that this  great  class  of  2024 will  go  on  to  accomplish. Okay.  Without  further  ado, let's  jump  straight  into  the  program. First,  we'll  hear  a  few  words  from this  year's  apter  graduation class  speaker,  Justin  euch. Woo. Just  a  few  word. I'll  give  a  little  bit  about  Justin  Che. Justin  euch  is  a  graduate  of the  Mechanical  and Aerospace  Engineering  Department, holding  certificates  in  robotics  and intelligence  systems  and applications  of  Computing. Born  and  raised  in  Dallas,  Texas, he  is  the  son  of Korean  immigrants  and  served  as the  former  president  of  the  Korean Students  Association  of  Princeton. Although  his  post  graduate  plans are  still  up  in  the  air, he's  excited  for  what  the  future  holds  and looks  forward  to  speaking  for  everyone  today. Please  join  us  in  welcoming our  class  of  2024  class  speaker, Justin  vouch,  to  the  stage. Thank  you. Thank  you  guys  for  that  introduction. Class  20  2024. How  are  we  doing?  I  said,  I'm  playing. I'm  playing,  we  want  to.  Good  morning, everyone, and  thank  you  for  joining  us  here  today. I  want  to  extend  a  warm  welcome  to all  the  family  members and  friends  to  our  campus, especially  those  who  have  traveled far  or  those  here  for  the  first  time. I'd  also  like  to  welcome my  fellow  graduates  to  the  ceremony. I'm  not  gonna  lie  after seeing  some  of  y'all  in  the  tents  last  night. I  didn't  think  you'll  make  it, but  it's  good  to  see  you. Before  we  begin,  I  just  want  to say  Happy  Apa  Heritage  Month. For  those  who  didn't  know,  the  month  of  May is  a  time  where  we  can  come together  and  celebrate  the  diverse  identities and  stories  of  one  another. It's  also  the  time  of  year  where  you  can Venmo  request  your  non  Asian  friends, and  they  are  legally  obligated  to  accept. I  wish  I  made  the  rules, but  unfortunately,  I  don't. That's  just  what  I've  been  told, and  we  have  to  stick  with  it. For  any  non  Asian  people  in  the  room  today, I  personally  take  Venmo, that's  at  Justin  Ja  CHA E.  Any  donations  appreciated. In  all  seriousness,  I  realize  that  I  may  be a  familiar  face  to  some  of  you or  a  complete  stranger  to  the  rest  of  you. For  those  of  you  who  don't  know  me, my  name  is  Justin  Ja. If  you're  wondering  why  we've  never crossed  paths  during our  time  here  at  Princeton, one  reason  maybe  because  I  took a  gap  year  beginning  my  junior  spring. I  can't  say  that  I  can  completely relate  to  experiencing my  entire  freshman  year  of college  through  computer  screen, like  many  of  you, but  I  want  to  at  least  share  an  experience  of mine  that  I  had  during my  own  non  virtual  freshman  year, specifically  March  of  2020. We  had  just  gone  the  news  that  we were  being  sent  home  for  COVID? And  naturally,  this  campus  was  a  mess. Parties  were  happening  nonstop. People  were  saying their  final  goodbyes  to  each  other, not  knowing  when  they  see  each  other  next, and  we  had  to  move  out  all  of  our  things in  the  midst  of  this  chaos. I  distinctly  remember  cleaning out  all  of  my  clothes, de  supplies,  and  decorations until  I  was  left  with  one  final  box. It  was all  the  pre  packaged  instant  Korean  food that  I  had  bought  earlier  in the  semester  that  I  had  been  saving. For  a  split  second, a  pardon  me  thought about  just  throwing  it  out, given  that  it  would  expire,  and  I would  have  no  one  to  donate  it  to. But  in  the  back  of  my  head,  I could  hear  the  ancestors  calling  me. Wasting  food.  In  this  Asian  household, are  you  out  of  your  mind? I  quickly  came  to  my  senses. I'm  sure  we  can  all  relate. I  quickly  came  to  my  senses and  did  what  any  rational  person  would  do. Texted  every  group  chat of  Asian  people  I  knew  and  told them  to  bring  all  their  leftover  food so  we  could  have  one  last  supper  together. And  one  last  supper  we  had. For  those  of  you  who  played  overcooked, it  was  basically  a  real  life  version. We  had  assembly  lines  of  chefs  pumping  out pots  of  ramen,  instant  rice  meals. By  the  end  of  the  night,  our  supplies were  cleared  out,  and  our  bellies  were  full. The  reason  I  bring  up the  story  is  because  I  think  it's just  one  small  example  of what  this  community  means  to  me. In  the  midst  of  an  ongoing, impending  global  pandemic, not  knowing  when  I  would  be able  to  return  to  campus  again. The  people  I  wanted  to  spend my  final  days  on  this  campus with  were  those  who reminded  me  of  home  cooked  meals. Now,  I  acknowledge  that  I,  a  Korean  American, can  completely  or  accurately represent  each  and  every one  of  you  in  this  room  in your  experiences  at  Princeton  being  Asian. However,  I  think  we  all  agree  that the  small  pockets  of  community  that we've  discovered  here  have  made these  past  several  years just  a  bit  more  bearable. At  the  end  of  the  day, the  people  in  this  room are  those  that  you've celebrated  cultural  holidays  with. The  people  you're  willing to  split  never  with, to  go  to  Butcher  360  for all  you  can  eat  cream  barbecue or  to  go  to  Trenton  to get  the  familiar  taste  of  hotpot. The  group  chats  that  you  text excitedly  when the  Roma  dinner  menu  says  you're serving  beef  Boggy  only to  be  severely  disappointed  when  you  arrive, has  happened  to  me  too  many  times. The  people  in  this  room maybe  in  your  dance  group, who  have  essentially become  your  second  family. Or  like  me,  they  may  even be  the  people  you  do  prospect  12  with. For  all  the  parents  in  the  room who  don't  know  of  prospect  12, it's  essentially  a  Princeton  tradition, where  students  will  go  to  each of  the  12  eating  clubs  along Prospect  Street  and  study in  each  one  of  them  for  1  hour. Speaking  from  personal  experience, it's  a  grueling  experience, and  it  takes  just  as  much physical  endurance  as  it  does  mental. However,  you  have  raised such  resilient  children. As  I  can  almost  guarantee that  many  of  your  sons  and  daughters  in this  room  today  have  experienced it  for  the  parents  in this  room  who  have  heard  of  Prospect  12 and  are  sitting  next  to  my  mom. Please  be  solid,  and don't  tell  her  what  it  actually  is. But  at  the  end  of  the  day, the  people  in  this  room  are  those  who don't  need  to  do  anything  at  all and  still  remind  you  of  home. I  can  guarantee  that  all  of  us  will forget  parts  of  our  time  here  at  Princeton. Whether  it's  the  name  of someone  in  your  Z  Group  or the  grade  that  you  got  on your  Coast  126  final, we're  all  bound  to  forget  things. However,  as  we  walk across  the  stage  in  just  a  few  minutes, I  hope  that  you  can  take a  few  seconds  to  really pause  and  remember  the  people  in  this  room. For  me,  personally,  this  day  is  almost more  important  to  me  than an  actual  commencement  day because  I  get  to celebrate  my  achievements  with my  best  friends  on  this  campus and  hear  their  names  called  out  loud. These  are  one  of  our  last  opportunities  to gather  together  and  celebrate  each  other. So  I  implore  you  to  really  make some  noise  as  you  see your  friends  walk  across  the  H  day. Don't  be  embarrassed,  and  don't hold  back  because  this  day  is  ours. Mostly.  It  would  be thoughtless  of  me  to  not  take some  time  to  acknowledge  the  village  of people  required  to  get each  and  every  one  of  us  here  today. Whether  you're  someone's  mom,  dad, uncle,  auntie,  mentor, brother,  older  sister  who's  looking  for older  sister  who's  single and  is  looking  for  a  man with  an  engineering  degree from  a  prestigious  university. Potentially,  even  the  number  one ranked  university,  13  years  in  a  row. I  hope  that  you  know  that  you are  appreciated  beyond  words. In  your  sacrifices  don't  go  unnoticed. I  mean,  guys.  Some  of  our  parents  literally hiked  across  mountains and  swam  across  rivers, to  get  to  school,  just  to  raise  us, to  roll  out  of  bed  30  seconds before  our  Zoom  classes. I  think  the  least  we  can do  is  take  some  time  to recognize  the  sacrifices and  show  our  appreciation. Every  unspoken,  I  love you  in  the  form  of  a  plate of  cut  fruit  or  buying 40  costco  packs  of  the  snack. You  mentioned  you  liked  a  single time  has  never  been  neglected. Now,  before  I  close  out  my  speech, I  want  to  recognize  a  person who's  been  my  stnget  support throughout  these  past  five  years, frankly,  my  entire  life. And  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  I'm  here today.  A  little  fun  fact. I  didn't  actually  tell  my mom  that  I  was  speaking  today. And  so  she  almost  got  here  late. My  brother  was  literally in  bed  cause  he  went  too  hard  at reunions  last  night  and  I  had  to call  him  telling  him  to  get  over  here. But  I  want  to  appreciate  my  mom,  Yum  Miug. I  think  she's  one  of  the  most  hard  working and  inspiring  people  I  have  in  my  life. I  have  more  words. Wait,  wait,  wait,  wait,  wait. When  I  came  home  to  be  in  my  gap  ear, it  had  been  a  few  months  my  mom  opened up  the  second  location to  her  brunch  restaurant. She  was  still  short  staffed, so  occasionally,  she  would ask  me  to  come  in  to  work  with  her. I  vividly  remember  one  of  those  5:00  A.M. Mornings  sitting  in  the  car  next  to  her, waiting  for  the  traffic  light  to  change. We  sat  at  the  intersection  in silence  as  the  sun  began  to rise  when  she  asked  me  what  I  thought about  as  I  saw  all  these  other  cars  go  by. I  remember  I  responded with  something  sassy  and  annoyed, mainly  because  I  was  so  sleepy. And  she  told  me  that  she  thinks about  all  the  people  driving  in  the  cars, how  hard  working  they are  to  be  awake  at  this  hour, and  how  inspiring  it  is  to  see  them. I  think  that's  when  I really  began  to  understand  how hardworking  my  mom  is  and  everything she  does  to  support  our  family. I  wish  I  had  more  time  today to  properly  honor  my  mom, but  I  know  that  I'll  have  the  rest of  my  life  to  pay  back  for  all of  her  sacrifices.  Mama,  S  on  here. My  fellow  graduates  of  the  great  class  of 2024  is  in  my  utmost  honor to  speak  in  front  of  you and  your  families  today. Having  a  community  like  this  during my  college  experience  has  brought  me  so  much w  and  given  me so  much  confidence  to  embrace my  own  Asian  identity. I  was  going  to  make  one  final  joke  about  how the  real  Opta  graduation  ceremony was  the  friends  we  made  along  the  way. But  I  realize  that  it  actually is  seeing  all  my  friends  out  here  today. I  hope  that  you  take  this  time  to  enjoy these  next  few  days  to savor  each  and  every  moment  together. This  is  our  time  and  is about  damn  time  we  celebrate. Thank  you  again,  and congratulates  class  of  2024. Thank  you  so  much, Justin,  for  a  great  speech. We  would  now  like  to  introduce our  student  performers  for  today. Founded  in  2008,  te  08  is Princeton  University's  premier East  Asian  Dance  Company. Let's  hear  it  for  eight. Oh. You  may  be  fall  down  to  the  ground just  I  can't  control  your  body. Time  is  running  down a  lady  hangs  wait  on,  baby. Here  we  go  again. Cary  play  heart  again. That's  my  time  away. O  pray  your  heart  again. Just  another  weekend. I  f  celebrated. You  got  me  to  tight  and  I'm  twisted. I  like  it  baby  cause  I  die. J  inside. Play  H  out. You  made  me  fall  down  to  the  ground  just  die. He  shot  he  H go  dig  Concho. Come  a  time  f shang  pri Sos  Chi jumped  do  I  list. C  S  C  M  had. C. You Takes  L. You  fa  is  for me W. Thank  you  Trip  eight for  captivating  performance. It's  now  our  pleasure  to  introduce tonight's  keynote  speaker, Professor  Beth  Lew  Williams. Professor  Bethe  Williams  is a  historian  of  race  and migration  in  the  United  States, specializing  in  Asian  American  history. At  Princeton  University,  she is  a  professor  of  history and  the  director  of  the  program in  Asian  American  Studies. Professor  Lou  Williams  holds the  esteemed  distinction  of  being the  first  ever  appointed  professor of  Asian  American  history  by  the  University. Her  port.  Her  first  book titled  The  Chinese  Must Go  Violence  Exclusion  in  the  Making  of Alien  and  America  won the  Ray  Allen  Billington  Prize  and the  LSW  Haley  Prize for  the  Organization  of  American  Histories. Professor  Lou  Williams  earned  her  AB  from Brown  University  and  her  PhD in  history  from  Stanford  University. Through  her  research,  teaching,  and  advocacy, Bethe  Williams  continues  to  make invaluable  contributions to  the  understanding  and appreciation  of  Asian  American history  and  its  significance within  the  broader  narrative  of American  society  and  culture. Please  help  us  in  welcoming our  2024  keynote  speaker, Professor  Beth  Lee  Williams. Hi,  everyone. Congratulations.  I  just  wanted  to  say, first,  just  congratulations  to all  of  our  graduates. I  think  that  just  looking  at  all  of you  makes  me  so proud  of  what  you've  accomplished. It's  it's  a  beautiful  room  of  people  here. You're  in  this  room  because  you  worked really  hard  for  the  past  four  years, and  for  many  years  before  that. And  you're  in  this  room  because of  your  families  who  are here  to  celebrate  with  you  today, and  maybe  before  I  continue, just  a  round  of  applause  for the  parents  and  families  here. But  you're  also  in this  room  quite  literally  because  you  signed up  for  something  called Asian  Pacific  Islander Das  American  Graduation. And  so  I'm  going  to  say  that  one  more  time, so  we  can  think  about  it. Asian  Pacific  Islander  Das  American  Opda. It  is  a  terribly  awkward  phrase. And  it  represents,  I  think, an  even  more  awkward  sort of  assemblage  of  ideas. And  since  this  phrase is  what  brought  you  here, and  since  I'm  a  historian, I  thought  I'd  take  my  few  minutes here  to  talk  about  where  this  term  came  from, what  it  means,  and  what  it  could  mean. So  I'm  going  to  take  the  term  apart and  put  it  back  together. You  get  one  last  lecture before  you  head  off  into  the  world. Okay.  So  before  there  was  a  Peta, there  was  simply  Asian  American. And  Asian  American  itself is  a  racial  construction. And  it's  a  racial  category that  didn't  emerge  that  long  ago. Right?  In  1968,  Yugi  gioca a  professor  at  UC  Berkeley coined  the  term  Asian  American, and  he  did  so  to  put together  a  new  political  group  on  campus, the  Asian  American  Political  Alliance. This  was  a  political  act. Etioka  was  taking  a  racial  group that  had  primarily  been formed  in  America  through a  history  of  exclusion  and  oppression, renamed  it  and  repurposed  it. He  believed  that  this  identity, Asian  American, came  with  particular  political commitments  to  fight  for racial  inclusion  and  social  justice alongside  a  coalition  of  people  of  color. The  term  itself  declared  that Asian  Americans  were  present, that  they  had  a  history  in  this  country, and  that  they  could  be  politically  powerful. It  was  the  US  government  or more  precisely  bureaucrats  that  transformed Asian  American  into  Asian  Pacific  American or  Asian  American  Pacific  Islander  AAPI. The  term  was  invented for  administrative  convenience. The  US  government  needed some  bucket  in  which  to put  people  from  places  as  diverse  as  Hawaii, Guam,  Samoa,  Micronesia,  Fiji, and  other  islands  and  nations  in  terra. I  can't  even  name  them  all,  right? Because  there  was  no  easy  place  in  America, American  racial  schema  to  place these  people  within  a  schema  that really  only  recognized  white, black,  yellow,  and  red. A  Asian  Pacific  American never  really  solved  this  problem, right?  Questions  arose  immediately. Wasn't  there  more  that  divided Asian  Americans  from  Pacific  Islanders than  brought  them  together? Would  lumping  these  groups together  mean  that  Pacific  Islanders  would always  be  sort  of  in  the  shadows  of the  larger  demographic  group of  Asian  Americans? Then  came  Daisy,  the  last  addition  to  A  Pita. It  too  is  an  American  invention. Second  generation  South  Asian youth  brought  the  word into  popular  parlance  in  the  1980s  and  90s. It  describes  a  global  diaspora with  origins  in  India, Pakistan,  Bangladesh,  and  Sri  Lanka. It  sets  aside  a  history  of  Indian  partition, and  it  imagines  a unified  South  Asian  homeland? It  is,  in  this  way, I  think  a  really  hopeful  word when  that  builds  important  bridges. But  when  Daisy  is  combined with  Asian  American  Pacific  Islander, I  think  that  the  significance of  this  actually  shifts,  right? Why  is  the  A  Daisy  necessary  in  pita? Does  it  mean  that  Asian  in apta  is  only  for East  Asian  and  South  East  Asian? Does  the  inclusion  of  Desi  signal  cracks in  the  very  idea  of  an  Asian  America? So  in  short,  there's  nothing  natural about  this  term  Opta,  right? There's  more  than  20  million  Americans who  identify  as  Asian, Native  Hawaiian,  and  other  Pacific  Islander. That's  more  than  6% of  the  American  population. We  represent  56  different  ethnic  groups and  speak  over  100  languages. There  is  no  one  Opta  culture  or  heritage. And  some  commentators  have questioned  whether  this  identity  can  hold together  Jay  Caspian  Kang, a  writer  for  the  New  Yorkers  and the  New  York  Times  has taken  a  pretty  pessimistic  view. In  his  memoir,  he  describes Asian  Americans  as  the  loneliest  Americans. He  says,  and  this  is  a  bit  of  a  long  quote. He  says,  It's  hard  to  blame anyone  for  not  caring enough  about  Asian  Americans  because  nobody. Most  of  all  Asian  Americans  really believe  that  Asian  America  actually  exists. While  most  Americans  may  not  be able  to  tell  the  difference  between  me, a  40  year  41-year-old, first  generation  Korean  immigrant, he  writes,  raised  in an  educated  middle  class  household, and  the  first  generation undocumented  immigrant from  Fudan  Province  who  delivers  their  meals. That  does  not  mean  that  some  bond  has been  forged  out  of  this  misunderstanding. So  King  describes a  community  joined  together  by the  experience  of  being dismissed  and  misunderstood, a  community  premised  on a  civil  rights  history, but  one  that  most  of  us  have  forgotten. And  a  community  that  is  experienced just  as  sort  of  momentary thin  connections  to  strangers. But  I'd  like  to  think  that there's  something  more  to  it. I  think  the  term  is  meaningful. I  think  this  community  is  meaningful. After  all,  you  showed  up  here  today. But  I  do  think  we  have  to  be really  clear  about  what  it  means. One  of  the  things  I  think  is most  powerful  about  the  Apta  community. I  think  is  that  it requires  radical  acts  of  empathy. Foraging  this  community  involves  reaching across  divides.  Big  ones. It  means  bridging  differences based  on  nation  of origin,  language,  generation,  culture, religion,  past  wars,  color, class,  caste, education  and  immigration  status. These  are  big  divides  in  our  community. And  these  divisions  make the  community  unstable. But  I  also  think  that  learning  to  bridge them  could  also  be  our  superpower. Because  I  think  that  if  you claim  the  whole  apta  community, then  you  must  care  for second  generation  professionals  like Jay  Caspian  Kang  and the  undocumented  Fujine  delivering  his  meals. You  must  care  about high  school  students  who are  like  yourselves  bound  for  the  Ivy  League, and  students  in  inner  city underserved  high  schools  trying to  learn  English  as a  second  language  and  stay  off  the  streets. It  means  caring  about a  second  generation  tech  worker who's  shut  out  of  the  boardroom, and  the  refugee  nail  salon  worker who's  exposed  to  toxic  chemicals. It  means  caring  about  Christians  and Muslims  and  Buddhists  and  Hindus  and  Jews. And  it  means  questioning the  structures  and the  systems  that  divide  us. It  begs  questions  about  the  impact  of border  control  and  colonialism and  militarism  and  capitalism. This  community  requires radical  acts  of  empathy. All  communities  do.  And  so my  parting  hope  for  all  of you  is  that  this  community  can act  as  a  training  ground  for  your  empathy. May  this  community  provide a  solid  foundation  from which  you  can  reach  out  to  the  world? May  you  have  the  curiosity to  learn  from  one  another, the  humility  to  realize  how  little  you know  and  the  energy  to build  the  community  that  you  need? Congratulations  to  the  class  of 2024.  We're  so  proud  of  you. Thank  you  so  much,  Professor  Lou  Williams  for such  an  inspirational  speech and  one  of  our  last  lectures. If  we  can  ask  for  another  round  of  applause. We  have  a  we'd like  to  present  you  this  as  a  thank  you. And  now,  without  further  ado, we  would  like  to  begin the  presentation  of  Stolls to  each  member  of  the  class  of  2024. So  graduates,  how  this  will  work  is Richardson  staff  are  going to  dismiss  us  row  by  row. As  your  name  is  called,  you  will  be presented  with  a  Stoll  by  Andy  Cain, Assistant  Vice  President  for Diversity,  belonging,  and  Wellbing. Please  make  sure  to also  stop  at  the  end  of  the  stage for  a  quick  graduation  photo with  your  stools  as  well. Jupiter  Ding.  Keith  Jong. Elizabeth  Vacio. Caitlin  Ru.  Jenny  wn. Olivia  Cao. Maria  Victoria  Louis. Crystal  pan. Ski  Shaw. Dena  Saha. Mean  Kim. Kathleen  Lee. Samantha  Lee. Julia  Cha. Hog  Martin she  Alex I  pass  the  pictures  around. Now.  Adele  Harden  Rager. Gail  Parabe Julia  Do. Naomi  Farkas. Helen  Bing  Pong. Nancy  Shu.  Andy  Wong. Magic  Michael  Tang. Shana  China India  Bao.  Justin  Cha. Rachel  Chen.  Hannah  Lee. Irene  Gill. Ariana  Maria, Beatrice  Barmo. Sum  Ira  Gia. Aza  Raza. Ala  Rose  Nahu  Ramos. Sabrina  Kim. Maya  Yascan. Bethany  Vela  Rs. Mi  Ji  Singh. Ananya  Bashar. Struthy  Barajar. On  J  Chang. Benjamin  Kai. Brian  Lee. Mohan  Sete  Charity. Si  Rachimala. Okturgi. Vicki  Fang. April  Dawg. Oscar  Platt. Fara  Sophia Osme  Aquila  Bo  Laura. She's  Sophia  Topiala. Harris  Corak  Gupta. Fast. Changes  Anania  rover. Disappears an  Fahimz. Sharen  Amna  ierik. Miriam  Latif. Alina  Job. Allison.  Does  craze Shan  Everything  Benjamin  Ben. Bag  Patel. Change  change  never. Edward  Jong. Matthew  Pickering. Sophia  Villa  Corta. 18,  we  will  under. Le  Lani  Bender. Muhammad  Ri. S  A.  Kayla  Schultz. Christina  Choi. Jessica  Wong. Stephanie  Yen. R  re  Jan.  Hayden  D. Angel  Qa. 25  everyone. Travis,  Chai,  and  Dronre.  Erica  Sha. Know  what  to  say. Taylor  Yasha. Coleman  Yana. Ellie  Bay.  Liliana  os. Melissa  W.  Gloria  Wong. Jasmine  on. Tricia  Bon  Po  Mahi. Katie  Choliner  Any  song. Brian  Wong. Andrew  Tau. O. U  M.  Tiana Ruden.  Mulch. Joy  Cho.  Katie  Lee. Baby  the  things  die. Jamie  Kim. I  can  deal  with  the  bad  Annie. Allison  Lee. The  Arg  Jack  Javon. Ernest  McCarter. Joyce. A  M.  No. Albert. Disappear. Alex, D. Logan  Oyama. You  can Howard  Sage Camo  H L.  Benjamin L.  Teresa  Lim. Y H.  Ha  Md. Kim. Jessica. Raya  Mo Edmund  Young. Do  you  ever  feel  like  the  placating  the  wind Ceng  like  a  ca  Eugenie. A  six  ban  on  the  screen, and  no  one  seems  to  hear a  thing  Rebecca  Chow.  Can. You  just  got  Rachel  Tam. Just  Shirley  Young. Aditi  D.  Anika  Odin. A  Gondi. A  Peraza God  Hurricane in  Maya  Jam. Could  open  to  the  Tris R.  It's  time  to  go  Saudi  Ahmad. Michelle  Hunter. Sophia  Baron. Bonnie  Saw  William  Aw. Harvey.  Peter  In. Ten  Walter  Angelo. Risa  Rat. Omar  A  Y La.  Alis  Kim. Oh. A  Sandra  Chen. Kelsey  Shan. Shirley  Ren. Sh  Ada  gala. Aria  Nagai. Maya  song. Christopher  Thomas.  Caris  Kim. Chloe  Kim.  Meghan  King. A  Alessandra Jan.  Vivian  Lee. Becky  Bontica,  Rosen. Natalia  Lan. Katherine  Sha.  Oh  Clara  Kim. David  Song.  Jenny  Na. Jane  Wynn.  Ariana  auch. Jimmy  Han.  Amber  Chao. James  Chen. Brian  Wong. Hate  Lee.  Timothy  Park. David  Wong. Camille  Sevron. Ted  Kong.  Eric  Lee. Eric  on  Lenale. Suja  Kana  Mara  Putty.  Justin  i. Let's  go  Sidney  Huang. Cali  Jang. She's  walking  Tajan  Young. Noi  Zubaz  Tojo. Tiffany  Chang. Ethan  Look. Kevin  Chen.  Arca  Dogra. Kathleen  Wang. Crystal  Luis  Remo. A  new  bru  put  top. Kia  Fitzgerald. Reva  Singh. Sarah  Peterson. Sophia  Fong. Elliot.  A  Lou. Change  the  sky. Salsa  Mania  Zoo. Anne  Chang. Pearson  Pardo. Cora  Wynn. Sasha  Gooch. Akae  Wong. Alena  Chen. John  Paul  Dory. An  Roe. Ko  Che. Anna  Shin.  Michelle  Huang. Rea  Gondi. Sue.  Hm  Kim. Vanni Anania  Siva Langa  Siva  guru. Asana  Khan. Chris. Marquez  White. San  Wong. Jerry.  A  Tea. A. We  Niko  A  jaa. Ali. Can.  Aya. Yo. Oh  Yun  Dong  Mahato. Alexander  Zoo. Benjamin  Small. Sarah.  Rishi  Si  Kana. Dennis  Jacob. Penny.  Samuel  Lee. Richard  J. Stephen. Less  me  have  basin  by  Joanna  Tom. Ama  Vada. Isa  Ashley. Richard  Lee. Tejas  Gupta  of  July. I  always  Anika  Butch. By  Dancing  in  the  mir  show. Howard  Y.  Alexander  Kim. Michel  Ariel  Bachman. Michelle  Kim. Isaac E.  Manoli  Bawa. Da  Dalia. Vivan  Patel. T.  Alan  Ln. Ja.  Yung  Sim. June  Kim.  Andrew  Do. Ethan  Lamb. Evan  Wong.  Jason  Go. W  is  somebody. So  good  old  day  Evan  Joe. A  these  reckless.  Sony  gone and  the  magic  of  the  good  old. Is  think  about  the  band. Congratulations  to  the  class  of  2024. While  the  stools  look  stunning  on  you  guys. Congratulations.  We  would  now like  to  invite  Nancy  Lynn  class  of 77  from  the  Asian  American  Alumni  Association of  Princeton  to  say  a  few  words, as  well  as  present  the  A four  P  Senior  Prize  Award. Thank  you.  Can  everyone  hear  me? Vertically  challenged,  you  know, Asian  American  kind  of  shy. I  was  terrified  the  first  time  I  had  to speak  at  a  company  meeting. And  I'm  looking  at  this  amazing  group  of 300  students  about  to graduate  and  join the  ranks  of  Princeton  Alumni. Congratulations  to  you  and  your  families. What  is  A  four  P? Asian  American  Alumni Association  of  Princeton, but  it's  not  just  Asian  Americans. And  it's  not  excluding  any  part  of  Asia. It's  East  Asia,  South  East  Asia, South  Asia,  Asians, anywhere,  any  fraction  of  Asians, anyone  who  self  identifies  as  Asian. Have  friends  who  are  Princeton  alumni, whose  names  have  no Asian  connotation  whatsoever. Their  one  16th  or  one  32nd  Asian. And  they  remember  stories from  grandparents  and  great  grandparents. And  their  sense  of  traditions  is  as  strong  as people  where  their  families just  came  over  from  Asia. And  it  is  fantastic. The  linkages  and  the  ties to  family  that  we  share. Um,  I  want  to  just  mention  well, I  won't  cut  short  my  remarks. There's  always  a  tendency  to  say, we're  running  late,  and I  should  make  this  short. But  I  think  it's  really important  that  you  understand  that you  have  worked  hard  for four  years.  You've  struggled. We  in  my  class, we  say  Princeton,  only  the  strong  survive. It's  very  real.  If  you  went  to  other  schools, you  would  not  have  worked anywhere  near  as  hard. I'll  tell  you  that  as  a  fact. I'll also I  will also  say  that  that  pain  and  torture will  be  a  source  of strength  for  you  in  the  future. You  will  tell  yourself,  I  survived  this, this  this  Junior  project, this  horrible  professor,  this  awful  team, and  I  came  out  k, and  I  will  beat  whatever  project  they  have thrown  at  me  or  whatever life  is  throwing  at  me, and  I  will  come  through  it. And  you  will.  But  one  of the  ways  that  kind  of  helps  in  getting through  it  all  is  knowing  that  you  have an  alumni  community  that  is  unsurpassed. The  Princeton  alumni  community  and the  A  four  P  alumni community  is  there  for  you. And  it  is  an  amazing  group. And  I  only  got  involved  after  I  retired because  I  was  way  too  busy with  my  life  until  then. It's  a  relatively  new  group, 45-years-old, but  really  getting  into its  energy  in  the  last  couple  of  decades. This  is  a  group  that  has  committees, for  careers  and  mentoring, for  planning  reunions, for  civic  engagement,  lots  of  stuff, and  we  are  always  looking for  alumni  activity  and energy  and  interest  in  order  to make  the  community  yours  and  to  serve  you. The  history  of  Asians  at Princeton  goes  back  a lot  longer  than  we  realize, 150  years  was  when  the  first  Asian came  to  Princeton  as an  undergraduate  sent  by  his  government. When  I  was  on  campus, Asian  and  Asian  Americans  were  3%. You're  now  well  over  25 to  30%,  which  is  amazing. So,  I'm  supposed  to give  you  some  life  advice. So  I  will  quote  my  mother. Everybody  quotes  their  mothers. Mothers  are  key  drivers. Mothers  and  fathers  are  really  important. My  dad,  actually,  I'll  start  with  Dad  first, was  a  Boxer  rebellion  indemnity  scholar, sent  to  the  United  States  to  study. He  got  his  graduate  degree from  Princeton  in  195. And  when  I  agreed  to  come  to  Princeton, he  asked  me  not  to  join  an  eating  club. Because  in  the  1930s, Princeton  was  not  welcoming  to  Asians, and  the  eating  clubs  were  elitist, privileged,  and  very  exclusionary. We've  come  a  very  long  way. So  now,  I'll  mention  my  mother. My  mother  who  came  over  as  a  scholar, and  then  was  trapped  here  in the  United  States  after the  Revolution  in  1949. And  my  mother  would  say  health is  the  most  important  thing, and  I  want  to  reiterate  that  to  you. Your  physical  and  your  mental  health is  the  most  important  thing. So  work  hard,  Struggle  hard, but  don't  do  too  much. Don't  work  too  hard. Don't  push  yourself  over  the  edge. No  one  to  pull  back  from the  cliff  so  that  you  can  recover, give  yourself  some  space  to  breathe, and  then  move  on  to  the  next  objective. Life  is  a  marathon.  It  is  not  a  sprint. You  can't  just  take a  break  and  say  it'll  all  be  perfect. It  will  never  be  perfect. There  will  be  ups  and  downs. Enjoy  the  s,  and tell  yourself  you  got  through  Princeton. You'll  be  fine  through  the  Downs. So  going  back  to  A  four  P, it  is  a  great  way  to  meet alumni  and  develop contacts  in  your  interests, and  in  areas  that  aren't  your  interests, perhaps,  learning  new  things. There's  a  lot  of  goodwill  and life  career  experiences  in the  alumni  waiting  for  you. Sign  up  on  Tigeret, join  Facebook  and  Instagram and  Linked  in  and  connect. Welcome  to  class  of  2024  to  A  four  P. Now,  it's  my  privilege  to  announce this  year's  A  four  P Senior  Prize  Award  recipient. This  award  was  created  in 2015  to  a  graduating  senior  who has  demonstrated  outstanding  service  to the  Princeton  University  Asian and  Asian  American  Community and  the  Asian  and Asian  American  community  at  large. This  year's  recipient  is  Akana  Wong. Please  come  up,  Akana. Oh.  Akana  is a  civil  and  engineering  engineering, civil  environmental  engineer  on the  Architecture  and  Engineering  Track. She  was  the  22  23  president of  the  Asian  American  Students  Association, the  23  24  president  of the  Student  Chapter  of  the American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers, an  Orange  Key  Tour  Guide, a  yearbook  production  team  member, outdoor  action  leader,  BSE  interactor. I'm  running  at  of  Words. Global  ambassador  for  Princeton's  OIP. She  has  consistently demonstrated  an  outstanding  dedication to  the  Asian  American  community through  her  time  serving  on  ASA. Boards.  And  as  the  president  of  ASA, she  implemented  new  initiatives, continued  the  effort  to organize  speaker  series,  social  events, open  discussions,  and  build  community within  the  Asian  American  community at  Princeton  and  beyond. She  re  opened.  I  met her  as  a  freshman  and  sophomore, a  strong  connection  with  A four  P.  For  supporting  and overseeing  the  new  role  of the  alumni  engagement  share  on  ***  E  Board. She  also  oversaw  initiatives of  the  Big  Little  program, Bone  Marrow  Donor  Registration  Drive, partnership  with  Vote  100 at  Princeton,  PI  Hight, especially  in  the  wake  of  the  Atlanta  Board shot  spa  shooting. Sorry,  and  emphasizing  the  importance of  mental  health  and  being  conscious  of  it. I'm  going  to  cut  it  off  here because  she's  just  amazing, except  one  more  thing  that the  spearheading  of  ASA events  in  collaboration with  Princeton's  Black  Student  Union  to facilitate  the  conversation  in the  Stop  Asian  Hate  and Black  Lives  Matter  movements  have  been a  really  turning  point and  an  important  element  of bringing  together  the  communities  of Princeton's  Asian  and  Black  students. And  postgrad,  she'll  be  working  for a  construction  management  company in  New  York  City, where  she  hopes  to  follow her  passion  for Construction  and  Civil  Engineering. I  am  delighted  toward this  year's  A  four  P Senior  Prize  Award  to  Akana  Wong. A Okay, we're  about  closing  up. We  would  just  like to  give  a  huge  thank  you  to the  graduation  committee for  helping  to  plan  this  event. We'd  like  to  ask  everyone that's  served  on  the  planning  committee  to please  stand  and  be  recognized  by your  peers.  If  you  want  to  stand. Yeah. And  we'd  also  to we'd  also  like  to  thank  Will  Nicholson, wherever  he  is  for  his  hard  work and  leadership  without  him. This  event  would  not  be  possible. Oh  And  so  graduates, we  have  nowhere  to  go  from  here  but  forward. We  stand  here  today  not  as  individuals, but  as  the  collective  efforts  of our  communities,  of  our  families, of  our  friends,  loved  ones,  teachers, and  mentors  who  have  come  together along  the  way  and  helped  and  guided  us. It  is  now  our  duty  to  give  back  to our  communities  and  make  a positive  impact  on  the  world. Let  us  be  beacons  of  hope, catalysts  of  progress, champions  of  justice  in our  communities  and  beyond. Thank  you  all  for  being  here  today, and  we  wish  you  all  the best  in  your  future  endeavors, and  look  forward  to  hearing  all about  your  adventures.  Thank  you. Okay.  I  think  everyone. I  think  we're  dismissed. I  think  we're  dismissed.  I  love  you,  Mom.