graduates pose for a photo together after the AAPI graduation ceremony at the Koenig Alumni Center on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
The Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Club at the University of Colorado Boulder gathered on Saturday, May 11 to celebrate AAPI graduates with a small ceremony at the Koenig Alumni Center.
CU Boulder alumni Nikhil Mankekar gave the commencement speech to graduates, friends and family highlighting the importance of community and authenticity.
“We all come from an amazing, amazing cultural heritage and it’s so significant that this event is happening,” said Mankekar, the first Indian and Sikh-American member of the City of Boulder Human Relations Commission. As a Leeds School of Business graduate, he now works for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade as the Venture Capital Authority Board vice chair.
Nikhil Mankekar gives the commencement address during the AAPI graduation ceremony at the Koenig Alumni Center on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
He recalled the challenges of embracing his cultural identity as a minority student in college. According to CU Boulder’s Fall 2023 enrollment profile, students who identify as AAPI made up just over 10% of the student population.
“It was difficult to fit in, to know how you fit in. All these struggles I think we all share, it’s difficult. For me, I also grew up in the city of Boulder, so if you think CU is a predominantly white campus, just imagine growing up in the city,” Mankekar said. “I think I was one of only a few people of color throughout my life in the school system out here.”
Christina Fang, AAPI club co-president, gives the opening remarks of the AAPI graduation at the Koenig Alumni Center on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Mankekar added many AAPI students struggle to stay connected to families and cultural backgrounds outside of the countries where those traditions primarily reside.
“We live in minority populations and there’s not always a community built among us. Things that they [parents] grew up with in that Asian culture just happened naturally: learning the language, the food, just the feel and the vibe and the values of that culture. It’s something they had to take extra time to imbue in you,” Mankekar said. “And it’s not always possible. That’s one of the sacrifices that may have had to be made… Take time to get to know your own culture so that you know who you are and you can stand on that.”
Following his speech, Mankekar welcomed the 2024 graduates to the stage. Each graduate brought with them a ribbon on which they wrote a wish for the future and tied it to a small tree onstage as the audience applauded.
A graduate ties their wish to the wishing tree during the AAPI graduation ceremony at the Koenig Alumni Center on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Psychology graduate Kelly Truong and math and economics graduate Carolyn Qiu achieved their respective degrees and walked the stage in the AAPI ceremony. They both are members of the student group Asian Unity which aims to provide a source of community for Asian students.
“It feels nice to be appreciated for who we are because oftentimes – especially with Boulder – we have a small community, so it’s definitely nice to just bring us all together,” Truong said.
Truong recalled the initial difficulties of expressing herself when she first came to CU Boulder, including struggling to express her identity as an Asian American.
“I feel like for me, I held back a little bit like being fully who I was because I felt like I couldn’t be myself around certain people just because I felt embarrassed to be Asian,” Truong said. “I’ve learned to appreciate it more like I met Carolyn through Asian Unity. It’s been pretty nice to build those relationships.”
Graduate Emily Stamos introduces herself as she walks across the platform during the AAPI graduation ceremony at the Koenig Alumni Center on Saturday, May 11, 2024. (Clementine Miller/CU Independent)
Qiu added that she found importance in connecting with younger CU Boulder students and encouraging them to embrace their identities for building community.
“It’s been great, as I get older, to be able to foster mentorship for younger students as well,” Qiu said.
As for Mankekar, he said he was honored to be invited to speak to the newest class of AAPI graduates.
“This is the first college graduating class that entered college during the pandemic and so much has changed since then… and it’s really these young folks who are going to go out and face a whole different world that’s really different than the one we all understood before,” Mankekar said following the ceremony. “But also [they are] equipped and ready to go out and change it and to make things better.
Contact CU Independent Managing Editor Ann Marie Vanderveen at ann.vanderveen@colorado.edu.
