Celebrating 45 Years of Asian Pacific Student Services

The university community celebrated 45 years of Asian Pacific Student Services (APSS) at Loyola Marymount University. On Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, several speakers from staff and faculty to current student leaders for the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) students gathered to celebrate this milestone.

The celebration also included two significant announcements: first, the office has been renamed to Asian Pacific Islander Desi Student Services (APIDSS) to be more inclusive of all of the heritages within the community of students it supports and fully embrace the South Asian community; the second was the announcement of a fundraising campaign to support both the office and the 11 registered student organizations closely tied through their cultural traditions to APIDSS, called the Ties that Bind, running through the end of November.

“I grew up navigating multiple cultural worlds, and sometimes that left me feeling like a bridge without solid ground on either side,” said Dhruv Kanani ’26, president of the South Asian Students Association. “APSS was the solid ground where I could transition from simply existing as a student to fully thriving as a mentor of a vibrant interconnected community. And the moment that will forever define that experience was the community’s decision to fully embrace the acronym change from APSS to APIDSS. For many, it feels like a small alphabetical addition, but for me and the South Asian community it was monumental. It was recognition that our experiences, histories, and our specific needs were being seen and intentionally included. The subtle yet powerful shift transformed my sense of belonging and gave me the confidence to step into this leadership role.”

Those interested can support the Ties that Bind campaign here, or support the following APIDA RSOs:

• Asian Pacific Islander Desi Student Services (APIDSS)
• Asian American Symposium
• The Chinese Students and Scholars Association
• Han Tao
• Isang Bansa
• Korean American Student Association (KASA)
• Nā Kōlea (Hawai’i Club)
• Nikkei Student Union
• Seoultang (K-pop dance group)
• South Asian Students Association
• Taiwanese Student Association
• Vietnamese Student Association

Born from student advocacy and unity, APSS has been a beacon of belonging since 1980. On Feb. 15, 1980, following years of advocacy efforts by students, a formal proposal was submitted by three student organizations, the Asian Pacific Student Association, Chinese Club, and Hui Kumulipo (known now as Nā Kōlea).

APIDSS has been led by Director Min-Jung Kim ’15 since 2022, marking the first alumna of LMU and Korean American to serve in this role. “Today is more than a celebration of a legacy, it’s a reaffirmation of purpose, because now more than ever we need to honor this work,” shared Kim during the anniversary program. “Across the country, efforts for diversity, equity, and inclusion are under attack. Institutions face pressures to scale back the very structures that support historically marginalized students, and in this climate, offices like APSS matter, not just as a symbol but as a real live anchor for students who need a home, a voice, and community.” They matter as a reminder that belonging, not simply assimilation, is fundamental to the mission in higher education.”

Under her leadership, the office expanded its reach and impact across the APIDA community, and she was instrumental in championing the expansion and inclusivity of the office with the adoption of APIDA at LMU to be more inclusive of LMU’s South Asian students. Some other key initiatives under Kim’s leadership include the co-direction of the TOMODACHI Inouye Scholars Program and the Asian American Symposium, bi-weekly APIDA roundtable meetings with consistent e-board attendance, an Annual Pass the Torch event for current and upcoming student leaders, Inaugural APIDA Leadership Summit, and the revival of Unity Games with Nā Kōlea, Isang Bansa, and Han Tao, which fundraises for Maui relief efforts. As an LMU alumna herself, Kim has supported LMU’s API Alumni Association with her ongoing collaboration with the Alumni Engagement office.

In June 2025, Kim and Curtiss Takada Rooks, Ph.D., professor of Asian American studies, received the inaugural Magis Award for Excellence in Programming and the Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Academic Partnership for their continued collaborative efforts between Academic and Student Affairs. For both Kim and Rooks receiving recognition ran deeper than personal recognition. “It meant the recognition of the LMU students who trusted us as they owned the experiences individually and collectively, trusting one another, supporting one another, caring for one another,” said Rooks. “It meant recognizing the ways in which the TOMODACHI Inouye Scholars created bonds of friendship and trust across the silos that we too easily build. It meant recognizing the effort the Tomodachi Inouye Scholars made in creating person-to-person bridges with the Japanese homestay families and their Sophia University Tomodachi Inouye Scholar peers. Most importantly, it meant that these young leaders, the Tomodachi Inouye Scholars now, know they matter.”

The celebration included several speakers from staff and faculty to students and an alum, all who shared their well wishes to celebrate APSS and hopes for the future of the office and APIDA community, including:

• James Parker, chief of staff to the senior vice president for Student Affairs
• Jennifer Abe, Ph.D.’s remarks read by Nola Wanta, staff co-president of LMU’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Faculty Staff Association and senior director, business development and strategy from the LMU College of Business Administration
• Jonah Wasserman ’26, APSS programming assistant and applied mathematics major
• Edward Park, Ph.D., professor and chair of Asian and Asian American Studies in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
• D’Anthony Yates ’27, TOMODACHI Inouye Scholars Program Scholar, ASLMU president, and biology major
• Rosemary Kim, Ph.D., professor of accounting, from the LMU College of Business Administration
• Dhruv Kanani ’26, economics and theatre arts double major and president of the South Asian Student Association
• Eric Haruki Swanson, Ph.D., faculty co-president of LMU’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Faculty Staff Association and assistant professor of theological studies in the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts
• Colin Kim ‘26, APSS programming assistant and a psychology major
• Curtiss Takada Rooks, Ph.D., professor of Asian and Asian American studies
• Trey Hernandez ’12, Asian Pacific Islander Alumni Association Board president.

Park marked the 45th anniversary of Asian Pacific Student Services (APSS), by saying, “As we celebrate the 45th anniversary of Asian Pacific Student Services, an institution that has not only shaped the lives of countless students, but has also stood at the very heart of what I think of when I think of LMU’s pedagogical composition,” said Park. “LMU is a campus that equally values academic and student service sides of the university, this idea is embedded in the vision that we seek to educate the whole person, mind and heart, knowledge and values. I speak not only as a faculty member, but as a front row witness to the transformative power of collaboration between APSS and AAAS. This partnership is not incidental, it is fundamental, it’s the kind of collaboration that allows us to accomplish things in a way that is greater than the sum of its parts. Together, our joint efforts have produced initiatives that are innovative, transformative, and ‘hella’ fun.”

For students, the impact of APSS has spread across experiences and backgrounds. Yates shared, “Before I was ASLMU president, I was a first-year student trying to find my place, my community, my purpose and my connection.” Yates added, “I found that through the TOMODACHI Inouye Scholars program … when I joined the program, I thought it would simply be a cultural exchange, but what I have found is that it’s been a family. A community where I can show up as my full self, learn from others, and be challenged to grow. Like Yates, when Colin Kim ’26 first came to LMU, he was looking for a place to call home and find his community. “APSS is a place that gives students a sense of identity, purpose, and community,” said Kim. “When I first came to LMU, I had no idea what I was doing with my life … I previously had never truly felt like I belonged. That changed when I found the APIDA community here at LMU. Experiences with APIDA RSOs, led me to become more involved, eventually serving as a secretary for Han Tao, LMU’s Chinese and Chinese American culture club.”

As of November 2025, APSS supports nine student programming assistants, one event support staff member and 12 APIDA RSOs. These RSOs host seven cultural nights each spring. Also in spring, APSS celebrates the graduating class with the APIDA grad ceremony, which last year in May welcomed over 85 graduating students and 300 guests. To learn more, visit lmu.edu/apss.