Bamboo Offshoot Spring 2009

8/9/2019 Bamboo Offshoot Spring 2009

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U CI\, OIE leE MAY 7-JUNE 7, 2009ASTWESTPLAYERSTIM DANG, PROOUClNG I S I I C DIRECTOR Performnce Run May 14-Jun 7,Wed-Sat at apm, Sun at 2pm$50 Orchesl/a, ~ B a I c ~ lIett G9neral ionC lD aily lIiJht Wed, May 20 at 7pm. Fee Ima,Soda, Beer! ' $1 Opportunity D8WlDg TIckets.PRruTS Student RushTickets are available 30 minullls prior to curtain ofany regular performa . for $20 W i t ~ valid tudent I.D..

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BAMBOO OFFSHOOTVOLUME XVI I ISSUE 5 iAPRIL 2009EDITORIAL STA FFJoyce ChenPublisherDominique FongPublisherDavidYiEditor in ChiefElizabeth DengManaging EditorSharon RenPublicityDavid LauArt EditorJoshua SyPhoto EditorSophia Jiang, Amanda ChiuBusiness ManagersCONTRIBUTORSMelanie CasabarAndrea ChinKevinChoiTeresa ChungDaphne HoSophia KangCatherine KwanAlyson OwyangNimisha ThakoreJohnson WangBamboo Olfshoot is an AsianPacific American studentpublication at USc. It is independently run by students oncampus and provides a sounding board for APA voices.

ED ITOR'S NOTE I DAVIDYII don't know wheth er to laugh or cry. It's over, it's

done.And like that--snap! boom! bam! --life hits me,

much like aJoan Didion essay, slowly unraveling realityin a surreptitiously brusque fashiop.

I've imagined this day for so long, the day that I'dbe free from the entrapment of essays, unfettered fromthe chains of midterms or finals, free of any campusresponsibilities, finally able to attain one of my lifelonggoals-- moving to New York--and forget all about college.

All I wanted was to be finished . Grade-approved.Hand me that diploma, USC, and let me get the hell outof here!

But it's ironic how this mindset completely goes tokaput once the reality of graduating sets in. I realize tha tcollege was indeed, as trite as it sounds, the recipe forsuccess.

Four years have been a blink of an eye and I realize that too often, I had forgotten to open them longenough to witness how beautiful life was. I came toUSC as a wide-eyed freshman from Colorado Springs,CO, excited to learn. As a broadcast journalism major,I desired nothing more than to become the first AsianAmerican male in entertainment news, to be the maleequivalent to Suchin Pak, if you will.

But when life threw limes instead of expected lemons far too many times, I had become jaded.

Now in retrospect, two weeks before graduation,with a laughable GPA and scores that even Bill and Tedwould scolf at, I sit here wr iting in a small corner inDoheny, undefeated.

Because I realize that college was not solely basedon scores, or tests, or attending classes. College wasabout learning. Learning in every aspect whether it be anew drinking game, a stranger's foreign name, or findinga new Korean barbecue jOint, the four years were meant

PUBLISHER'S NOTE IDOMINIQUE FONGI hate saying goodbye. I'm not really good with the sayonara kisses and hugs after

graduation. Perhaps that is a little cruel. But I want to focus on what's next, what's new,what's fresh. May is officially, Asian Pacific Heritage Month. Flip to our events pageon page 4 to get your butt olf campus and explore some of the many ways you cancelebrate L.A.'s diverse Asian 'communities.

Joyce Chell and David Yi, crusaders of c!range, arc leavingthe ir posts at Bamboo for a /lew life ill New Yorkfor discovering oneself and getting to know andunderstand who and what you were and are.

And this is wh ere I say farewell and goodluck to my fellow seniors, Class of2009. I sendyou good wi shes and ask that you, too, reflect onwho you are, especially in this economic situation.Though we are heading into a dark, uncertain fu-ture, I have complete confidence in our generationand know that we will make our future.

I hear the sounds of change made from ourgeneration.1heyreverberate and echo. Theymove, they shake. They are unabashed and uncompromising. This is the sound of our class, of2009.

S i ( c e l Da vid Yi, Editor in Chief

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Undiscovered Chinatown Tou rVisitors are led on an off-the-beatentrack tour of Chinatown's cultural

. and historical gems. Enjoy the bestbargains and unique shops! May 2.1O:30AM - 1PM. Tickets $20. AtChinatown) downtowll. 213-680-0243or chinatow1l1a.com.20th Annoal Pacific IslanderFestivalWith traditional ar t presentations,stage performances, and ethnic food,this event recognizing Polynesian,Micronesian and Melanesian communit ies will be sure to impress! May2,3. lOAM - 5PM. Free admissionand parking. At Harbor RegionalPark) 2580 Vermont Ave.) Wilmington)Harbor City. 714-968-1785 or 310293-2136.Ten to LifeThe Lodestone Theatre Ensemblewill be performing Ten to Life, a playthat includes four original, twistedacts performed by four Lodestoneveterans. 1his production willceleb rat Lodestone's 10th anniversary while promoting an enhancedawareness of Asian Pacific Americanidentity. May 2 through Jun e 7.2PM & 8PM. 'ickets $12 - $16.At GTe Burbank) l 111-B West OliveAve.) Burbank. 323-993-7245 or lodestonetheatre.org.Ho'opunipuni:The Myth of tatehoodThis year marks Hawai' i's 50th anniversary of statehood, an issue that hasbeen highly controversial and continues to be challenged by many NativeHawaiians. Visual Communicationswill be featuring short videos that

asian pacific islanderherit emonth

Celebrate your identity! May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month. From fortune cookies to railroadconstruction, Asian Pacific Americans have made \numerous contributions to American history and culture.To recognize their impact, PresidentJimmy Carter signed aJoint Resolution in 1978 that designated the first 10 days ofMayas Asian Pacific Heritage Week.May signifies the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants tothe Unit ed States on May 7, 1843. I t also marks the anni-versary of the completion of the transcontinental railroadon May 10, 1869, which involved a majority of Chinese im-migrants. This year's theme, ((Leadership to Meet the Challenges ofa ChangingWorld;' reflects the powerful shifts inglobalbusiness and domestic politics, as well as the effortsofAsian Americans to maintain stability and unity duri gthese changes.

-- by DAPHNE HOcall attent ion to this issue and revisit the event will screen a wide range ofHawai'i's history. A panel discus films, including comedies, documen sion will follow to analyze Hawai'i's taries, and dramas such as the Oscarcomplex relationship with the United winning film, Departure. April 30States. May 4. 6PM, reception. 7PM, through May 7. Ticket prices and timesshowtime. Free admission. At the vary. Visit vconline.orgfor more informaNational Center for the Preservation of tion.Democrac}'J 111 N. Central Ave.) Little Asian Pacific lleritage MonthTokyo, downtown. 213-680-4462 or Celebration at th e LA Zo ovconline.org. Enjoy traditional music, cul tural crafts,

dance performances, and of course,Asian Pacific Film Festival animal shows. May 16 & 17. lOAMThe Asian Pacific Film Festival returns - 5PM. Tickets $12. At the Los Angelesfor the weeklong celebration of Asian Zoo & Botanical Gardens, 5333 Zoo Dr.)Pacific movies in the U.S. and abroad. Los Angeles. 323-644-4200 or lazoo.org.

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I LEAP Artist David Lau's fierce Trojan version of the cover art forKanye West's album, "Graduation. " We salute all USCgraduates for all their hard work and w ish them good luck.Santa Barbara Chamber OrchestraThe Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra celebrates its .30th anniversary season in addition to Maestro HeiichiroOhyama's 25th year music director and conductor. Theprogram will present the world premiere of Gordon Chin'sconcerto for cello and chamber ensemble with interna-tionally acclaimed cellist, Felix Fan. The new work willdebut to raise awareness for the 2009 Asian Pacific Heri-tage Month. May 21. 7:30 PM . Tickets $25. At The BroadStage, Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 131011 th St., Santa Monica. 310-434-3200 or shco.org.

Sear(h to Involve Pilipin0 Americans. ktvites you to \tOWNTEER at theT4!lTlpie G a t ~ \ N a y Youth &. Community C e n t ~ r In Jflstori( Ffl ip itj;Qtown near Downtown LosAtlgeles. 12


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BY SOPHIA KANGPHOTOS COURTESY OF MAYA YOGEY

H ave you heard of Grai? No, it's not a typo for thedull, somber color straddling the fence betweenblack and white. It's a fashion line by Maya Yogev.

Yogev is a long-time Los Angeleno who knew sinceshe was a child that she wanted to make her own clothes.Fortunately} her parents supported her decision and gaveher freedom to pursue her dreams.

She does recall} though} that her father tried to steerher towards business when college admissions rolledaround. Little did he know that his daughter would eventually own her own fashion busll ess!

Yogev graduated in 2002 with a degree in fashion fromOtis College ofArt & Design. J ust a week after graduation} she went to Paris to work with prominent fashiondesigner Rick Owens. Yogev describes her experience assurreal, learning a new language in one of the most beautiful cities in the world while being mentored by a deSignerwhom she had admired fo r so long. Two years later} Yogevreturned to Los Angeles to work on various collaborationswith designer Dr. Romanelli.It was not long before Yogev set her sights on creating her own line.When asked how she came to call theline Grai, Yogev confesses that the name started as a joke.She and fellow mentor and friend, Mike Gonzales (ofMike&Chris) were out on the fire escape on a drearyLA day} trying to quickly decide upon a name. Gonzalesjokingly suggested gray because the weather was sort of

gloomy, a suggestion that Yogev decided that was perfect.Just a few days later they agreed on Grai.

In 2006, Yogev added} "Grai was bo rn from the concept of creating the quintessential coat and jacket:'

She currently has showrooms in both Los Angeles andNewYork. Yogev shows no sign of stopping now that she'sfulfilled her goal of creating the essentia11eather jacket. Shejust launched a men's line and eventually plans to expandto different divisions such as "baby grai:'

What inspires Yogev 's work is that she loves what shedoes. Surprisingly, she said that creative inspiration is no tthe hardest challenge but running the business aspect.She single-handedly runs Grai and is still learning aboutthe business aspect of fashion. She explains} "It's not allfeathers and rhinestones and ho t glue gun - know what Imean?" so she must have some natural business savvy.

What sets Grai apart from other lines? Yogev's deSignshave gained a cult following among celebrities and havebeen worn in the season finale of SamanthaWho? Perhapsthe appeal of her clothes lies in how she uses fabric togracefully hug the body. Her leather jackets are croppedbiker-style to exude just the right amount of edginess. Herrelaxed fashion forward cuts are both casually u ndone andfuturistic chic.

Head over to Grai to break the gloom of these windyApril days.

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seni o rRE LECTIONSPASSING THE TORCH ONTO THE NEXT GENERATION, MELANIE CASABAR AND TROY PHI INSPIRE OTHERS TO FOLLOW THEIR DREAMS. N ow that I'm a senior, nostalgia regularly kicks in at theoddest mOf!1ents. Many of these great memories hap

pened here at usc . It's hard to believe that in a few short weeks Iwill become a usc graduate.Just three years previously, I was in the same transitional mo

ment as a high school senior with a big decision to make. Wherewas I going to end up? As hard as it is for me to believe now,usc was not my top college choice, let alone a choice to beginwith. I remember the day I decided to 'try' applying to USC, eventhough I didn't seriously plan to attend.

What triggered that specificmemorywas an event I attendedon March 28, 2009. USC Troy Philippines, a club promotingPilipino culture, hosted its first annual Youth Conference. Thepurpose of the event was to address barriers high school studentsperceive about attending a private school such as usc . ThoughAsian/Pacific Islanders comprise about a quarter of USC's undergraduate population, Filipinos make up only 0.8 percent.

What's stopping us?Troy Philippines proudly launched their first high school

outreach program after a year's worth of preparation. More thanSO students of different ethnicities from the surrounding highschools and attended. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the students walkedaround campus, participated in various icebreakers, and attendedworkshops focusing on financial aid and scholarships, the application process, extracurricular activities and student life. Oneworkshop was led by Annalisa Emile, a social work professorwho taught uSC's first Filipino American Experience course. Thestudents had the opportuni ty to ask questions addressing theirconcerns and interests while being persuaded to attend usc .

Mike Corpuz, the president ofTroy Philippines, said, "Withfewer Filipinos matriculating at USC, we felt it was necessary.toget this outreach program up and running. It was an honor, asFil-Ams and as Trojans, to educate the next generation about how in order to increase the number of students, espepossible it is to attend this great school. The first annual Troy cially within the APA community, attending privatePhilippines Youth Conference (TPYC) is undoubtedly one of the universities or universities in general.greatest highlights of our year:' I can look back on my college memories soThe event was an overall success, garnering positive feedback fondly because I know that I went to the rightfrom both high school students and club members. What made school for me. I'd hate to think that I could haveit so successful was the rapport that developed from students con missed out on such a great opportunity due to somenecting with fellow students on an intimate level. unfounded reason.The Youth Conference demonstrates that more can be doneto lower barriers and to raise awareness about higher education

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, lJ only realized recently, after I've b e ~ n here f ~ r four-Vears, that I do just have this burningpassIon for thearts that I can't get over... " Catherine Ricafort doesn't sleep.The 22-year-old senior simultaneously conquers sing

ing, dancing, acting, and engineering.Ricafort, who is ethnically more than half Filipina,

a quarter Chinese and a little Spanish, will graduate thisMay with a degree in industrial systems engineering and aminor in musical theatre.

"I chose USC because it had the best of both ofwhat Iwanted, which was engineering and musical theatre;' shesaid.

In her four years at USC, Ricafort has become a "triplethreat:" dancing, singing and acting, skills she's been honing since childhood.'An active member of the USC Repertory Dance Company, she's snagged a choreography awardfrom the School ofTheatre for one of her pieces.

"I don't know if I'm going to do it again because I thinkI'm too much of an engineer," she said of choreography. "Ineed it to be perfect and I spend too much time on it!"

She serves as the Visual Performance Director for theSoCal VoCals, a campus a cappella group she's been singing with since her freshman year. Recently, Ricafort hasbegun leading the music at the Catholic Center for 10 p.m.mass - what she calls "good 01' college time: '

When Ricafort entered USC as a freshman, she didn'thave anyone particular major in mind.

"My parents didn't push me to have a solid major. If !wanted to study arts and stuff that would be fine, but I hadto have something to back myself up;' she said.

Ricafort declared her major as computer science, butgot "kind of bored with just coding" and switched to industrial systems engineering. She hasn't looked back since.

"Engineering is just awesome," she enthused with asmile. "It solves the world's problems!"Ricafort seems to live two very distinct lives - performer and engineer - that luckily balance each other out. Heracting, singing and dancing is grounded by her involvement in the merifresearchprogram at the Viterbi SchoolofEngineering, where she investigates how to improverunway safety at airports.

"It becomes a lot to handle at times," she admits. "People are like, 'How do you have a social life?' because I don' thave time for one. Allmy activities are my social life!"

Ricafort excels in each of the myriad activities she 'juggles. Case in point: at this year's "Absolute A Cappella"competition, she won best female soloist for her renditionof "Lady Marmalade:'

As for post-graduation plans, Ricafort will spend hersummer performing in the musical "Cats" in her hometown, Thousand Oaks. Never the underachiever, she'll alsobe interning with the business analyst team at DirecTV.

"So it's like engineering by day and performing atnight," she said. My mind immediately pictured a capedcrusader tackling crimes ofmathematical inefficiencieswhile belting "All That Jazz:'

Ricafort plans to spend a couple years pursuing theatre full-time while she works on her progressive master'sdegree at USc. Eventually she wants to switch into a solidengineering job. As a performer, she hopes to land a bigshow, preferably her dream role ofMs. Saigon, in NewYorkor on a national tour.

"I only realized recently, after I've been here for fouryears, that I do just have this burning passion for the artsthat I can't get over, and I kind of need to get it out ofmysystem," she said.

For someone as motivated and multitalented as Ricafort, engineering and performing arts provide the perfectchallenge.

"I like having definite rules and things to go by but alsohaVing a little creativity," said Ricafort. ' ~ t heart I'm notjust an artist - I'm also sort of a nerd!"

She encouraged incoming freshmen to try somethingthey've never considered before. Then, she paused andshrugged, laughing off the question.

"Who knows if I did it right! Who am I to give advice?"she asked.

Maybe. But with such a long list of successes trailingin her wake at USC, it's evident that somewhere along theway, Catherine Ricafort did something right.

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DOWNTOA

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Ii, . ,"Exclusive Nordstrom T-ShirtsNordstrom partnered with designers KoiSuwannagate and Anna Sui to producethree limited edit ion T-shirts. They willbe sold online and at 15 nationwideNordstrom locations (including TheGrove at Farmer's Market) throughoutthe month ofMay. All proceeds willbenefit the Organization of ChineseAmericans Scholarship Program.

--DaphneHo

BY ALYSON OWYANGQRffKSPEAParticularly during the peak of rush, sorority girls andfraternity guys can be seen roaming campus in hopes ofsnagging a few new students to their pledge classes. At firstglance, the matching sweatshirts and T-shirts can makeboth the Asian and non-Asian Greek organizations lookquite similar. However, there's something a little deeperdistinguishing these young adults sporting oversized sunglasses and trendy tees.Like other Greek organizations, Asian-interest Greekorganizations pride themselves on doing communi ty service, working at internships, and participating in a myriadof other extracurricular activities. The Asian sororitiesand fraternities encourage the pursuit of multiple otherinterests in order to produce experienced reputable youngadults.

"I believe the members of Delta Phi Kappa are ambitious, well-rounded, and respectable women. I cannotthink of a single active member who is only involved withour organization ; said Erin "Hi 'iler' Morimoto, a seniorand the president of Delta Phi Kappa.

Battling against stereotypes and reputations of harshhazing traditions, Asian-interest Greek organizations aretrying to move away from conventional images ofAsians."We're honestly just a regular fraternity with Asians.We don' t dress up as dragons and celebrate Chinese NewYear. That's not USj that's CASA;' commented David Yoo, asophomore in Beta Omega Phi.

Contrary to som e popular belief, the Asian-interestfraternities and sororities embrace women and men of allethnic backgrounds to join. The meshing of ethnic and

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ADAYI HE DAVID LAU CAPTURES THE HECTIC(& ~ U ' PACE OF COLLEGE.LFEO TROY

GREEK I CONT. FROM PAGE 10cultural backgrounds is just one ingredient that adds tothe close-knit ties in these organizations.

"As an Asian-interest fraternity, we pride ourselves onbeing culturally and ethnically diverse. We resemble theepitome of the American melting pot, having no prejudice toward race or culture. It is quite a beautiful sightto see when you have so many different typ es of peopleworking together to build a lifetime of brotherhood; ' saidVincent Cheng, a junior and the president oEB ta OmegaPhi.

With membership typically ranging from 30 to 40

students, the Asian Greek sororities and fraternities benefitfrom efforts to get to know one another on various different levels. The significantly fewer number ofmembers sa distinct difference that places Asian Greek organizationsapart from other non-Asian Greek organizations.

Asian Greek organizations don't necessarily focuson shared Asian culture; they are shaped by individualmembers' unique personalities, experiences, and interests.Asian-interest Greek life encourages the development ofwell-rounded young adults who gain experience from jobs,internships, clubs, and whatever else interests them.

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~ ' T H E NEW FACE OF THECAM PUS LE FT . CAM PUSPROGRESS HAS PROVIDEDPROGRESSIVE STUDENTSWITH TOO LS THEY'VE NEVERHAD BE FORE."

- THE NATION"A SOCLALlST SM EAR GROUP. H- YOUNG AMERICA'S FOUNO,.\TION

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Bamboo Offshoot Spring 2009

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