From bustling club fairs to cozy classrooms, James Logan High School’s cultural clubs have turned foreign traditions into enjoyable customs. Culture clubs have always been places for socialization and new experiences, open to all students on campus. However, the advent of the coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed the way how cultural clubs function.
One of the biggest drawbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic is the lack of in-person activities. Sophomore Lailah Ali, president of the French Club, recalls the benefits of team-bonding events the clubs would do at the beginning of the year.
“Crepe making was really a bonding activity and we can’t do the same now [because of the pandemic],” Lailah adds. Unfortunately, the pandemic prevented the club from doing the activity this year. In addition to team-bonding experiences, the pandemic has also posed a challenge for spreading cultural awareness. Senior president of the Vietnamese Student Association (VSA), Vivan Nguyen, notes that the cultural shows and camps VSA attended to reach out before the pandemic got canceled.
To compensate for the lack of in-person meetings, James Logan culture clubs have moved all of their communication online. Some groups such as the French Club benefitted from this change.
“Our meetings last year were every Wednesday. This year, we usually talk everyday about what we’re going to do and how we’re going to plan everything,” Ali said.
On the other hand, clubs such as the Fillipinx Youth Association (FYA) had a tedious experience communicating online.
“A difficulty our club had encountered was trying to communicate with others and trying to get new officers in our club,” junior FYA President A.C. Nicandro said. “Right after the pandemic had struck the club was left to my responsibility as there was nobody willing to take the role. It was a struggle to keep the club alive,”
In the face of activity cancellations and communication difficulties during the pandemic, James Logan’s cultural clubs continue to thrive and adapt. For example, many clubs are holding virtual events to substitute in-person activities.
“For this year, [VSA will be] primarily operating off of social media activities (like bingo or pics) or by giving members resources to other events which are hosted by other bay area VSAs,” Nguyen said.
Other clubs are following this model as well. The hours after class have become almost as busy as in-person school for some Logan students. The desire to meet and connect did not lessen just because students are at home.
“[The French club] plans to do some group bonding virtually. We still plan to teach our club about French culture and how it has changed,” Ali said.
While confined within virtual boundaries, clubs such as the Fillipinx Youth Association are planning to expand their cultural outreach overseas this year. “We’ve been promoting cultural awareness by considering a fundraiser at a restaurant to donate the money we’ve raised to organizations that help with causes in the Philippines such as cancer treatment for children and women, giving books to children in schools, and more!” A.C. said.
It takes more than just pure determination and hard work to overcome the negative impacts of the pandemic. Teamwork and passion also fuel culture clubs’ efforts to continue spreading cultural awareness in Logan.
“When I became a part of VSA, I found it really nice to just have a group of people I could share my culture with,” Nguyen said. “So I want that option to extend to other Logan students as well.”
Nguyen’s unwavering passion for her own culture and her desire to share it to a wider community has allowed VSA to continue spreading cultural awareness even during the idle days of the pandemic. Furthermore, this passion seems to be shared among all members of culture clubs. The fact that they are still thriving during the pandemic and planning activities is a testament to that.
“I work with the other officers because they all have some sort of leadership experience from running other clubs. I have learned a lot from them and come to rely on them a lot,” Nguyen replied when asked how she was able to manage VSA during the pandemic.
A.C. and Ali gave similar responses in their interviews. This not only shows how close-knit James Logan’s culture clubs have become during the covid-19 pandemic but also the value of sharing and spreading culture in a diverse community.
The coronavirus pandemic has driven students out of campus and imposed virtual boundaries on communication. In spite of these obstacles, many James Logan culture clubs have continued to promote cultural awareness through virtual events and active collaboration. For as long as the covid-19 pandemic lasts and beyond, these clubs will thrive to preserve Logan’s cultural diversity.
