Every year, my family celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival. This festival marks the celebration of the full moon, family, mooncakes, and gratitude. The event was traditionally used to worship the moon goddess, Chang’e, who drank an elixir of immortality to prevent it from being stolen and ascended to the moon, where she resides eternally. Worshipping her is an act of honoring her sacrifice and beauty.

I remember, as a young child, trying mooncakes for the first time and being in awe of their decadent shapes and colors. Not only is this a celebration of family, but it is also a time to reflect and be grateful for everything we have within this lifetime.

Within the Chinese community, it is a time to reunite with family and give thanks for the moon and the new harvest. I remember the bright colors and the beautiful tales of the moon goddess watching over our celebrations. Moreover, another key theme is avoiding foods and shapes that are not round to honor the full moon. Respecting the stories and culture that came before you is deeply evident in this tradition.

Overall, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a tradition that I cherish every year with my family as I grow older.

Best regards,

Pira Tsui

This past Spring ’26 semester, I had the privilege of being a part of the Graphics committee within Tapioka, an Asian-American magazine. My role within the committee was to assist with any graphics needed for a writer’s piece or pitch, which could consist of a photo shoot or a written column. Not only did I assist with graphics, but I also contributed through makeup at some photo shoots and even modeled for another.

This organization inspired me to become more engaged on campus and become a better contributor to OU as a whole. This role changed my beliefs about which skills would be best utilized for my International Business major and instead showed me that my interests do not all have to align with a single path.

Before I joined, I was firmly set on only growing my hard skills in Excel, marketing, and sales. However, after getting the opportunity to become more involved creatively, I realized the extent to which I had been limiting myself. Just because I have a specific career in mind does not mean I need to give up on the hobbies or passion projects I may be a part of in the future.

Overall, Tapioka holds a special place in my heart, allowing me to express myself creatively while navigating this new life that college has given me. The love I have for art has been truly reignited after exploring this passion!

Best regards,

Pira Tsui

This event was the first AASA event I attended during my second semester! I had the opportunity to interact with countless new people, eat incredible food, and enjoy my time as a freshman.

One thing not many people talk about is the difficulty of meeting new people on campus. While I have met many, I have found that I’m always happier when getting to interact with a new crowd. The AASA Lunar event not only brought a huge number of people to AASA but also to countless other organizations. As I looked around the room, I got to see a community that was more interconnected than I had anticipated.

However, I did not arrive on time to this event, so I unfortunately was left with leftovers that, while delicious, were otherwise very cold. Throughout the course of the event, I had the lovely opportunity to see friends of friends that I had met maybe once or twice.

One key moment was sitting up and back down to say hi to people and striking up conversations with others that I hadn’t yet met. Overall, the energy in the Dunham dining hall was simply magical and a wonderful experience to have before the end of my freshman year.

Much love,

Pira Tsui

Throughout this semester, I became more interested in connecting with my Chinese heritage, so attending the Chinese Lantern Festival felt like a natural and exciting step. While at the event, I had the pleasure of running into my past and future Chinese professors, as well as enjoying a delicious Chinese meal.

When I first arrived at OU, I felt a sense of isolation due to the lack of visible Chinese diversity and cultural representation on campus. This is not to say that the Asian community does not exist here, but rather that finding specific Chinese cultural representation was more difficult than I anticipated. Because of this, I became interested in the Chinese Student Association immediately after it was formed. I first learned about the festival from my teacher, Gao Lao Shi, who encouraged our entire class to attend campus events throughout the year to become more engaged.

When I arrived at the event, the room was packed with numerous faces I had yet to meet. As the evening went on, I felt a growing sense of being at home, surrounded by the sound of fluent Mandarin speakers and the vibrant energy of the room. The traditional meal, down to the last bite, reminded me of the culture I had longed to experience and be a part of again. As I continue to learn Mandarin and dream of studying abroad in China, the Chinese Lantern Festival reignited a passion for the heritage I thought had passed my life by.

As I transition into my sophomore year, I look forward with joy and ambition to attending the Chinese Lantern Festival once again.

Much love,

Pira Tsui