By Layla Alogna – Staff Reporter

Jonathan Law’s Asian & Pacific Islanders (API) Club is a new group looking to promote awareness of the inclusivity of Asian and Pacific Islanders.

API Club was founded by sophomore Siya Patil who is looking to be a representative of the Asian community at Jonathan Law. Patil was inspired by the need for awareness and representation so she decided to step up.

“The cub’s purpose is to advocate for the API community and promote awareness at Jonathan Law, especially during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which takes place in May,” Patil said.

Junior Diya Patel is the Vice President of the club. She was inspired by the message and wanted to be part of the API community.

“I decided to become the Vice President because it gives me an opportunity to make Law a place for Asians and Pacific Islanders to feel comfortable with showing off their culture and to find somewhere to learn about others,” said Patel.

History teacher Ms. Shagoury decided to step up as the club’s advisor because she wanted to help promote the club’s message and get more involved in the Jonathan Law community.

“The API Club strives to create inclusion among the Asian and Pacific Islanders at Jonathan Law,” Shagoury said. “We also plan to do several fundraisers throughout the year in support of providing for various Asian and Pacific Islander reliefs as well as bringing awareness to the community at Law.”

The club’s Executive Officer, junior Sunaina Khan, is really passionate about the club and enjoys giving back to the community through fundraising.

“Advocacy-driven and ambitious people should participate in Asian & Pacific Islanders Club because we organize events & fundraisers beneficial to the groups we donate to but also to the Law community,” Khan said. “For example, our holiday goodie bag event not only uplifted holiday spirits but also raised funds to address food insecurity in Milford’s Youth alongside Milford Food 2 Kids.”

API Club recently sold holiday goodie bags to raise money for UNICEF and Milford Food 2 Kids. UNICEF is an organization that supports children’s health and nutrition. Donation money goes towards providing kids with clean water, quality education, and skill-building resources.

“I enjoy the fundraisers we organize to support local organizations such as Milford Food 2 Kids,” senior Moulika Sivalenka said. “This connects the school and benefits our local community.”

API Club meets once a month during Advisory on E days.

“People should join this club because it promotes inclusivity and helps students get involved to learn more about API voices and traditions while learning about the API community as a whole,” Patil said.