Why We Need Asian Pacific Islander American Studies

Asian Pacific Islander American students exist within a liminality of identity, being placed in that situation by outside forces. This liminality, then, becomes a crisis point for most students, as they have to deal with uncertainties regarding identity, mental health, and social relationships among many things. The infrastructure to deal with these various problems simply does not exist within mainstream academia and these Asian Pacific Islander American students have to find alternative ways to resolve their issues. This film attempts to showcase the experiences of a few APIA students and the ways in which they have dealt with their own trials and tribulations by participating in Asian Pacific Islander American Studies courses and community spaces