Carrie Yang
Feb 10, 2026
On Sunday, January 25, Mercersburg Academy’s Asian Student Union (ASU) hosted its annual Lunar New Year celebration in the Simon Student Center, drawing a large number of students, faculty, and families. The event featured traditional foods from many Asian countries, cultural performances, and decorations representing the range of Lunar New Year celebrations in each country.
ASU’s Social Media Manager Karin Sugiyama ’27 said this year’s event was designed to expand beyond a single cultural lens. “This year, we tried to incorporate a more diverse range of Asian cultures,” Sugiyama said. “Rather than only Chinese events, we wanted to feature the celebration through different geographical lenses.” She went on to say, “Our main goal was focusing on how we can envelop all these traditions in one whole celebration.”
Community engagement played a central role throughout the evening. Co-President Carrie Yang ’27 commented on her highlight of the event: “Definitely the community,” she said. “It is great to see people try new things such as origami, tasting tea, or writing calligraphy.”
Planning the event required coordination among students, parents, and faculty. “I was quite scared at first since it is my first time organizing the Lunar New Year event,” Yang said. “But we were blessed by all of the parents and volunteers who helped along the way.”
Faculty adviser Grace Abel credited parent leadership. “The main reason that the event was so grand and the coordination was so well done is because of their efforts,” Abel said.
The mother of Communications Director Renee Jin ’26 served four years as an organizer, connecting parents with the school for the event. “I am responsible for my community and connecting with the school,” she said. “We brought Chinese culture to a U.S. boarding school and harmoniously combined it,” she said. She also explained that parents organized a fundraiser and divided responsibilities for food, drinks, and activities to ensure smooth execution.
Other parents supported logistics and preparation. The mother of Jolie Zhu ’26 said her role focused on transportation and fruit preparation, “I wish that through this, the students at Mercersburg can feel the warmth they received back home.” The mother of Thomas Zhu ’26 is the head of decorations and behind-the-scenes coordination. “We purchased a lot of posters, banners, and representations of the Year of the Horse,” she said, adding that planning began weeks in advance through weekly parent meetings and thorough note-taking.
Abel noted that despite scheduling conflicts from away games or events, attendance exceeded expectations. “We had over half of the community joining us for this celebration,” she said.
Students who attended highlighted both the atmosphere and cultural exposure. Sid Shah ’26 said he appreciated the sense of community. “I really loved the food and the community it formed,” he said. Riley Choi ’28 said the food and activities stood out. “Being served sushi and sashimi in such large portions is an amazing experience,” she said. Robert Crisson ’27 emphasized the broader impact, “These events are what make us a great, diverse community.”