To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA) association held a special event to honor Davis AAPI leaders and UC Davis Asian student groups on Saturday, May 14th at the International House in Davis.

The fundraising event, titled Leadership Award & Asian Heritage Celebration, was put on by the APAPA Davis Chapter and APAPA at UC Davis. The celebration featured past Davis elected officials, business leaders, educators, students, and community members and raised funds that will be used to further APAPA's internship programs that provide opportunities for students to work with local and state elected officials and gain invaluable leadership skills.

Special remarks were made by former AAPI Mayors of the City of Davis, Ruth Asmundson and Brett Lee, as well as APAPA Davis Board Members Sharon Guo, Wei Zhang, Christina Vo, Andrew Kim, Alan Wei and Aaron Wedra.

UC Davis student group awardees, recognized for their outstanding contributions, included the UC Davis Bayanihan Clinic, the UC Davis Hmong Student Union, and the UC Davis Vietnamese Student Association.

Davis Leadership Awards were given to Kevin Wan, Davis Downtown Business Association Vice President and owner of Sophia's Thai Kitchen; Emily Lo, Davis Fire Department Battalion Chief; and the entire team at Newstar Chinese School.

Attendees also enjoyed two dance performances by iDance Sisters and Red Maple Cultural Connection.

The APAPA Davis and APAPA at UC Davis board members give thanks to all of their sponsors, special guests, and celebration attendees for supporting the next generation of AAPI leaders and helping to advance AAPI communities through leadership and civic engagement. Learn more about the non-profit at http://www.apapa.org.

Submitted by Aaron Wedra